Sinemaya kurgucu olarak başlayan Lean, Brief Encounter, Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Doctor Zhivago ve A Passage to India filmleri ile tanınır.
Yönettiği filmler
Major Barbara (1941), In Which We Serve (1942), This Happy Breed (1944), Blithe Spirit (1945), Brief Encounter (1945), Great Expectations (1946), Oliver Twist (1948), The Passionate Friends (1949), Madeleine (1950), The Sound Barrier (1952), Hobson's Choice (1954), Summertime (1955), Kwai Köprüsü (1957), Arabistanlı Lawrence (1962), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Doctor Zhivago (1966), İrlandalı Kız (1970), A Passage to India (1984)