Who directed the 1963 epic film Cleopatra?

Joseph L. Mankiewicz directed the 1963 epic film Cleopatra.

The production began under director Rouben Mamoulian, but severe delays, health problems, script changes, and escalating costs led to his departure. Mankiewicz then took over, substantially rewriting the screenplay as well as directing the film. He had previously directed Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer.

The film starred Taylor as Cleopatra VII, Richard Burton as Mark Antony, and Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar. Its story dramatized the queen’s political struggle with Rome and her relationships with Caesar and Antony, drawing on ancient historians including Plutarch, Suetonius, and Appian.

Filming moved from Britain to Rome’s Cinecittà studios and became one of Hollywood’s most expensive productions. Although often remembered for its troubled production and Taylor-Burton scandal, it was also the highest-grossing film of 1963. Mankiewicz’s role is sometimes confused with Mamoulian’s because Mamoulian started the project.