Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg
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Name:
Steven Spielberg
Real name:
Steven Allan Spielberg
Who is:
, , ,
Birth date:
(78 y.o.)
Place of birth:
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Height:
5'7 ft ()
Weight:
154 lb (70 kg)
Relationship:
married
Namesakes:
Birth Sign:
(characteristic)
Chinese zodiac:
Links:

Photos: Steven Spielberg

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Steven Spielberg's biography

Steven Spielberg – American director, holder of four Oscars. Schindler's List, the Indiana Jones series, Saving Private Ryan, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – these are among the defining films of his legendary career. Throughout his Hollywood career, he's proven himself a master storyteller who can tackle any genre with unmatched skill. Net worth: $3.7 billion.
In the photo: Steven Spielberg
In the photo: Steven Spielberg

Early life

Steven Allan Spielberg was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 18, 1946. His parents were Arnold, an engineer, and Leah, a pianist, and he had three sisters: Anne, Nancy and Sue. His grandparents were Jewish Ukrainian.
Steven Spielberg's childhood
Steven Spielberg's childhood
The family moved frequently because of Arnold's work, which led to Leah giving up her music career to focus on raising the children. When the family moved to Phoenix, Steven encountered antisemitism for the first time. He endured both verbal and physical bullying throughout his school years simply for being Jewish.
Steven Spielberg's mother
Steven Spielberg's mother
Antisemitism remains a deeply personal concern for Spielberg. While he once believed it was fading away, by 2016 he realized with disappointment that it was resurging.
Young Steven Spielberg
Young Steven Spielberg
In 1958, joining the Boy Scouts provided a welcome escape from his troubles at school. Around the same time, he received a camera as a gift and began making short films, casting his sisters, parents, and friends as actors. At 13, Steven entered a local film contest with his movie Escape to Nowhere.

By high school, Spielberg had saved up some money, borrowed more from his father, and started work on the amateur film Firelight (1964), which cost him $500. He screened the finished film at a local theater for family and friends, and ticket sales actually covered his production costs.
Little Steven with his parents
Little Steven with his parents
His parents divorced before he graduated from school. Faced with choosing which parent to live with, he moved to Los Angeles with his father to pursue film school. His low grades prevented him from enrolling at the University of Southern California. California State University in Long Beach accepted him, where he fit right in with campus life and even joined a fraternity. But in 1969, he left campus behind. Universal Studios brought him on as an intern, and impressed by his short films, they offered him a long-term directing contract.

Career: director and producer

After catching the eye of major studio executives, his career took off with serious momentum. As an adult, he professed his love for fairy tales, saying that his own journey reminds him that of Cinderella's.
Young Steven Spielberg
Young Steven Spielberg
His first solo television work came with directing an episode of Columbo in 1971. His feature film directorial debut came with The Sugarland Express (1974) starring Goldie Hawn. For this screenplay, Steven received an award in Cannes and was a candidate for winning the Palme d'Or, but it went to Francis Ford Coppola and his The Conversation.
His debut as a director on the big screen - The Sugarland Express
His debut as a director on the big screen - The Sugarland Express
Word about Steven's talent and his knack for hitting all the right story beats was constantly buzzing throughout Hollywood. But he truly won over audiences with his movie about a great white shark terrorizing an entire community - Jaws (1975). The film became the first to break the $100 million box office barrier. This success gave Spielberg the creative freedom to choose his next project without studio interference. He chose Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), developing the already popular topic of alien civilizations. This movie brought him the first Oscars nomination.
Steven Spielberg on the set of Jaws
Steven Spielberg on the set of Jaws
After a few more projects, Steven revolutionized the adventure genre with Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). He admitted himself that lots of the things in the movie went right due to the charisma of the lead actor Harrison Ford.
Indiana Jones - Trailer
One more trademark of his filmography as a director is E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). There's an old Hollywood rule - never work with children or animals. Spielberg wasn't afraid to break that rule, centering his story around an adorable alien and young Drew Barrymore, whose godfather he actually was.
One more trademark of his filmography - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
One more trademark of his filmography - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
In 1984, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom hit the screens. Steven became increasingly involved in producing, taking on diverse projects. Soon after, Gremlins (1984) and Back to the Future (1985) hit theaters, both featuring his name in the producer credits. They became real hits. Despite six Oscar nominations over the years without a win, the Academy finally had to address this oversight. In 1987, he got the Irving Thalberg Academy Award for Best Picture. Steven never hesitated to deliver emotional gut punches through both real-life dramas and fantasy tales. The award recognizing his contribution to cinema was a well-deserved acknowledgment of his impact.
Gremlins - Trailer
Due to the fact that he dedicated his entire time to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), he had to turn down Rain Man (1988) with Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. It remains the one missed opportunity he genuinely regrets. According to him, his colleague Barry Levinson did a splendid job and created a masterpiece.

Ready to dive back into mysterious and fantastical storytelling, Steven signed on for Hook (1991), his take on the Peter Pan universe, before bringing dinosaurs to life in Jurassic Park (1993).
The trailer for Jurassic Park
The same year, Schindler's List (1993) came into being, with Liam Neeson as the lead. The powerful story of war and Jewish persecution resonated deeply with Spielberg. The movie earned him two Oscars. He donated most of his earnings to establish a Holocaust research foundation.
Steven Spielberg on the set of Schindler's List
Steven Spielberg on the set of Schindler's List
After a break, he returned to his dinosaur adventures with The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), then tackled the story of slavery in Amistad (1997). He was also drawn to Men in Black (1997), coming aboard as producer. His third Oscar soon followed with the war drama Saving Private Ryan (1998), about soldiers trying to reunite a mother with her surviving son. This began a long and fruitful collaboration with Tom Hanks.
Men in Black - Trailer
His success went beyond awards and fans - his name in the credits became a mark of quality. In 1998, Spielberg was officially declared the richest person in showbiz with a fortune exceeding $300 million. He continued breaking his own records from there.

He tackled Minority Report (2002) and completed the late Stanley Kubrick's project A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001).
A.I. Artificial Intelligence - Trailer
Reportedly, Leonardo DiCaprio suggested Steven direct Catch Me If You Can (2002). Tom Hanks landed the second leading role. He also told the story of a man stranded in an airport in The Terminal (2004).
Still from the movie The Terminal
Still from the movie The Terminal
Steven has said he genuinely enjoys handling casting himself. It's no surprise that in his movie you can often see recurring faces. That's why Tom Cruise appeared in his adaptation of H.G. Wells's novel, The War of the Worlds (2005).
Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg
Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg
Through the late 2000s, Spielberg directed Munich (2005) and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), which disappointed many viewers. It was clearly showing in the box office earnings and online reviews.

Following another hiatus, the director returned with The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011) and the adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's War Horse (2011). During filming, to avoid relying on CGI, Spielberg and his team carefully selected 14 horses of different ages to portray the stallion Joey throughout various stages of his life.
War Horse - Trailer
Aside from Lincoln (2012), Steven once again shifted his focus toward producing. All of his projects gained recognition in some form or another. Spielberg had always wanted to work with Mark Rylance since Empire of the Sun, but the drama actor was committed to his stage work in Hamlet. They met only in Bridge of Spies (2015) and both were very satisfied with their collaboration.

According to Zoomboola.com, when it came time to relaunch the Jurassic Park (2015) franchise, Steven chose director Colin Trevorrow to take the helm, despite his background being limited to low-budget films. His work was outstanding, and the film earned a sequel.
In 2015, Steven relaunched the Jurassic Park franchise
In 2015, Steven relaunched the Jurassic Park franchise
The BFG (2016) received mixed reactions. It confirmed his statement about not being able to forecast success. He personally selected voice actors for the dubbing, including international versions.

At the same time, Spielberg was working on two very different projects: The Post (2017) and Ready Player One (2018). He refuses to give up on fantasy, as he's genuinely passionate about the genre, and evident in the abundance of visual effects and CGI; he considered the political drama to be important from a social perspective.
Ready Player One - Trailer
The story behind The Post is fascinating: he's against any on-set changes and prefers sticking to the script. During the Watergate scandal, Steven was far from being interested in politics, which is why he later decided to make up for that lack of interest. He worked with Meryl Streep for the first time, even though they had been acquainted before. He admitted being nervous before their first meeting, worried he might mess things up. The actress expected to encounter a tyrant, but instead found him to be open and detail-oriented, which made them a perfect creative match.

Steven Spielberg's personal life

He met his first wife, Amy Irving, while casting for Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). It was love at first sight. Amy was much younger than the character and didn't fit the role, but Steven and she continued dating anyway.
Steven Spielberg with Amy Irving
Steven Spielberg with Amy Irving
Their relationship went smoothly, but Irving eventually ended it due to professional ambition—she wanted to achieve success on her own terms rather than live in the shadow of the famous director. After taking some time apart, the couple got back together. They had a son, Max Samuel, and their official marriage lasted from 1985 to 1989.
Steven Spielberg with Kate Capshaw
Steven Spielberg with Kate Capshaw
Spielberg married for the second time in 1991, to actress Kate Capshaw. They met during their work on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984). Their romance didn't begin until much later. Kate stepped back from her film career to focus on their family. Kate and Steven have their own and adopted children, as follows: Jessica, Theo, Sasha, Sawyer, Destry, Mikaela.
Steven Spielberg's family
Steven Spielberg's family
Several of his family members work in entertainment. His sister Anne received an Oscar nomination and won a Saturn Award for writing the screenplay for Penny Marshall's Big (1988). Despite the huge success of her first feature film, she never wrote another screenplay.

His other sister, Nancy, produces documentaries, and his stepdaughter Jessica chose to be an actress and is more famous for her role in Shonda Rhimes's series Grey's Anatomy (2005). His other children are also trying their hand at acting both on screen and on stage.

Steven Spielberg now

Spielberg's got about a dozen movies and series in various stages of development right now. For instance, multiple outlets report that Steven is teaming up with screenwriter Aaron Sorkin on the Chicago Seven Trial, based on real events. The film will follow left-wing radicals facing trial for inciting a riot. Sacha Baron Cohen appears to be locked in for the lead role of Abbie Hoffman.
In the list of Spielberg's potential projects, and those already in development, there must be a dozen movies and series
In the list of Spielberg's potential projects, and those already in development, there must be a dozen movies and series
His more concrete projects include: Men in Black 4 (2019) - essentially a reboot of the popular franchise with a fresh cast, including Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, the screen adaptation of the musical Cats (2019) with Judi Dench, Idris Elba and other class A actors; plus a couple of series set to drop in the near future. While Spielberg isn't fazed by his packed schedule, he's taking a producing break until 2021, when the next Indiana Jones installment hits theaters.
Legendary director - Steven Spielberg
Legendary director - Steven Spielberg
Having witnessed Hollywood's evolution firsthand, Spielberg frequently shares bold opinions about the industry and where it's headed. For example, he believes streaming films shouldn't be eligible for awards like the Oscars. He also sees a sharp decline in filmmakers competing for studio backing and indie festival recognition, with new writers and directors gravitating toward platforms like Netflix instead. Spielberg, however, remains committed to making films the way he always has, even if it means working with smaller budgets.

Steven Spielberg: latest news and articles

  • Well, a director as a director, what can I say? Is that the «Schindler`s list» deserves attention, and so...
    2021-04-11 23:16:01
  • Earlier, I somehow underestimated this director, but then I got to one film event, where one of Spielberg`s films was shown and I was delighted!
    2021-04-02 10:55:28
  • Indiana Jones at Steven Spielberg`s everybody knows, I think. Schindler`s list and Saving Private Ryan are also top jobs
    2021-03-16 19:41:49
  • I would like to personally convey to Spielberg all my gratitude for such a titanic work. What a pity that Stephen is already aged.. What are we going to do without his films!???
    2021-03-12 19:49:13
  • Legendary director Spielberg! How many amazing films he made, forever! That only «Schindler`s List» is worth ...
    2021-02-25 23:24:12
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