How many letters does the top answer for “director of before night falls” have?

The most common answer is schnabel (8 letters).

Crossword clue: director of before night falls

1 answer found in Letterora's clue database (Wikidata facts, Open Trivia DB, WordNet and Webster definitions — all licensed sources).

schnabel 8 letters wd-fact-v3

United States composer (born in Austria) and pianist noted for his interpretations of the works of Mozart and Beethoven

director of the night of 50% similar → turturro