He has received various awards and nominations including six Academy Award nominations winning for Best Director for Rain Man (1988).

He also received nominations for ...And Justice for All (1979), Diner (1982), Avalon (1990), and Bugsy (1991).

He received three Golden Globe Award for Best Director nominations for Rain Man, Avalon, and Bugsy.

He has received eleven Primetime Emmy Award nominations winning four times for his work on The Carol Burnett Show and Homicide: Life on the Street.

He also received nominations for his work on various HBO television films including You Don't Know Jack (2010), Phil Spector (2013), The Wizard of Lies (2017), and Paterno (2018).