He went on to write Silent Movie (1976) and High Anxiety (1977) for Mel Brooks, then co-wrote the Oscar-nominated script ...And Justice for All (1979) with Valerie Curtin.
Levinson’s first foray into directing came with Diner (1982), which was the first of his Baltimore hometown-inspired films and garnered him another Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay. Next, Levinson directed The Natural (1984), followed by Young Sherlock Holmes (1985), Good Morning Vietnam (1987), and Rain Man (1988), which received four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, as well as a DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement. Levinson also directed the second installment of his Baltimore Trilogy, Avalon (1990) and Bugsy (1991), both of which earned him DGA Award nominations.
Other popular films he directed include the third of his Baltimore-inspired films, Tin Men (1987), Toys (1992), Disclosure (1994), and Wag the Dog (1997). He also produced and directed acclaimed television series like Homicide: Life on the Street (1993-1999) for which he won two Directing Emmys and a DGA Award nomination, as well as the Emmy and DGA Award-nominated movie for television You Don’t Know Jack (2010).