Do you have to know how to act to become a director?

Answer 1

Actually many directors never acted in their life but manage to do a great job anyway.
It's probably easier for the actor to have a director that understands them... Too often directors don't really care about the acting...

Answer 2

Well, if a man in a wheelchair can be an effective football coach (http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/38/coach.html), a person with no acting training can be a good director.

However, you will have a better chance at being a great director if you have a thorough understanding of the tools you're going to be using. Understanding what it takes to be an excellent actor is one of your tools.

A director is going to spend a lot of time telling her or his actors how to act, so in that sense they do need to know how to act, even if they can't do it themselves.

So, no, you don't need to know how to act to become a director. Will you be a good director and not know how to act? Maybe, but the odds are against it.

Answer 3

The simple answer -- No, you don't HAVE to know how to act to become a director. The director is like a conductor of an orchestra -- he doesn't need to know how to play all the instruments, but should know enough about them to understand how it all fits together. A good director should know enough about acting, about sets, about lighting, about sound, about movement, about diction, and how all these things work together to make a good show.

Answer 4

Not necessarily, but it might be helpful to take an acting course to understand the actor's vocabulary and process.

Answer 5

It sure helps.