Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg was born on the 18th of December 1946, in Cincinnati, Ohio. His mother Leah Adler ran a kosher dairy restaurant and played concert piano. His father Arnold worked as an electrical engineer developing computers. The family home in Cincinnati hosted Holocaust survivors who taught young Steven numbers by pointing to the tattoos on their forearms. One survivor showed him how a six became a nine when his arm was inverted. This lesson about numbers stayed with him long after he understood the irony of learning arithmetic from victims of genocide.
The family moved to Haddon Township, New Jersey, in 1952 when his father took a job at RCA. They relocated again to Phoenix, Arizona, in early 1957. Spielberg attended Hebrew school from 1953 to 1957 under Rabbi Albert L. Lewis. He experienced antisemitism during high school, receiving two bloody noses from physical attacks. His parents discussed the Holocaust constantly, and he lost between sixteen and twenty relatives during that period.
At age twelve, Spielberg watched Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth for the first time. He thought they were going to a circus until the train crash scene terrified him. He recreated the disaster using Lionel trains and filmed it with an eight-millimeter camera. That project became his first home movie. He later made fifteen to twenty amateur adventure films throughout his teens. In 1958, he earned Eagle Scout rank while fulfilling photography requirements with a nine-minute Western called The Last Gunfight.
Spielberg made his professional debut with Eyes, a segment of Night Gallery in 1969. Rod Serling scripted the episode starring Joan Crawford. Studio executives initially doubted his inexperience despite his advanced camerawork techniques. Crawford eventually endorsed his talent after seeing his unique intuitive inspiration. Universal signed him to four television films after he impressed producers with Columbo episodes.
Duel aired on Barry Diller's ABC Movie of the Week in 1971 before receiving international theatrical release. The film featured Dennis Weaver as a salesman chased by a psychotic tanker truck driver. Reviews praised its narrative assurance and suspenseful spirals. Universal asked Spielberg to shoot additional scenes so the film could reach wider audiences. David Thomson described Duel as one of the medium's most compelling works.
The Sugarland Express marked his official theatrical debut in 1974. Goldie Hawn and William Atherton starred in this true story about a couple desperate to regain custody of their baby. Pauline Kael wrote that Spielberg used his gifts in a free-and-easy American way. The Hollywood Reporter declared a major new director was on the horizon. The film won Best Screenplay at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival but failed commercially due to inconsistent marketing from Universal.
Jaws became the first movie shot on open ocean when it released in 1975. A great white shark attacked beachgoers at a summer resort town while police chief Martin Brody hunted it down. The mechanical shark malfunctioned frequently, causing the shooting schedule to overrun by one hundred days. Universal threatened to cancel production against expectations. Jaws set domestic box-office records and made Spielberg a household name.
Alfred Hitchcock praised young Spielberg for thinking outside visual dynamics after seeing Jaws unconventional camera techniques. Close Encounters of the Third Kind followed in 1977 with François Truffaut cast as scientist Claude Lacombe. Stanley Kauffmann noted audiences stayed through lengthy credits because they understood the importance of names shown during the giant spaceship's return to stars. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial grossed $700 million worldwide in 1982.
E.T. told the story of Elliot befriending an alien accidentally left behind by companions attempting to return home. Richard Corliss described the closing-night audience at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival as experiencing rapture made audible. Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan attended a special screening where both became emotional by the film's end. Raiders of the Lost Ark opened in 1981 starring Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. Roger Ebert called it an out-of-body experience grabbing viewers in the first shot.
Schindler's List commenced filming on the 1st of March 1993, in Poland while Spielberg edited Jurassic Park in evenings. The film depicted Oskar Schindler helping save 1,100 Jews from the Holocaust. Thomas Keneally's novel provided the screenplay originally held by Martin Scorsese. Spielberg waited ten years to make the film until he felt mature enough after his son Max was born. He brought his wife and children along to make filming bearable.
Saving Private Ryan released in 1998 with Tom Hanks leading US soldiers sent to bring home a paratrooper whose brothers died during Normandy landing. Halfway through filming Spielberg reminded cast they were making tribute to thank grandparents and his father who fought in that war. The film grossed $481 million worldwide earning Spielberg a second Academy Award for Best Director. In August 1999, Spielberg and Hanks received the Distinguished Public Service Medal from Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence released in 2001 following Stanley Kubrick's death in 1999. Kubrick bought rights to Brian Aldiss's short story Supertoys Last All Summer Long in 1979 and suggested Spielberg direct believing the story matched his sensibilities. The plot revolved around android David dreaming of being real boy like Pinocchio. Jonathan Rosenbaum praised the film as both Kubrick movie and Spielberg work defamiliarizing both filmmakers equally.
Minority Report starred Tom Cruise as commanding officer of precrime in futuristic Washington DC based on Philip K Dick's 1956 short story. Ebert named it best film of 2002 praising its craftsmanship matching tricks without seams so focus remained always on story and characters. War of the Worlds grossed over $600 million worldwide starring Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning about protecting children during alien invasion using natural lighting to avoid over stylized science fiction picture.
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn premiered in Brussels Belgium on the 21st of December 2011. Michael Farr noted Hergé thought only Spielberg could do Tintin justice. The film won Best Animated Feature at the 69th Golden Globe Awards. Ready Player One began production in July 2016 set in 2045 when humanity used virtual reality to escape real world. Critics praised direction and action scenes but many thought the film too long and overused 1980s nostalgia.
Amblin Productions formed in 1980 by Spielberg Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. Continental Divide served as first produced romantic comedy while Gremlins Back to the Future Who Framed Roger Rabbit followed. NBC offered Spielberg a two-year contract for Amazing Stories with one million dollar budget per episode. After two seasons disappointing ratings led to show cancellation though Zemeckis said Spielberg respected filmmaker vision throughout.
DreamWorks founded in 1994 with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen citing greater creative control and distribution improvements as main reasons. Microsoft founders Paul Allen and Bill Gates became investors. Band of Brothers released in 2001 winning Golden Globe for Best Miniseries following Easy Company of 101st Airborne Division's 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The Pacific miniseries centered on battles in Pacific Theater co-produced with Hanks and Gary Goetzman.
Masters of the Air miniseries based on Donald L Miller book confirmed development moved to Apple TV+ premiering the 26th of January 2024. DreamWorks Animation produced Antz and Prince of Egypt in 1998 Shrek won Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2001. Falling Skies created with Robert Rodat aired on TNT while Terra Nova premiered on Fox in 2011. Super 8 produced by J.J. Abrams joined their extensive producing credits.
Spielberg received three Academy Awards four Golden Globe Awards and three BAFTA Awards among other accolades. He earned AFI Life Achievement Award in 1995 honorary knighthood in 2001 Kennedy Center Honor in 2006 Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 National Medal of Arts in 2023. Forbes listed him as wealthiest celebrity multiple times throughout his career.
Seven films inducted into National Film Registry by Library of Congress deemed culturally historically or aesthetically significant. Time named him one of 100 most influential people in 2013 receiving first ever Time 100 Impact Award in US in 2023. Lincoln earned twelve Academy Award nominations including Best Picture winning Best Production Design and Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis performance. The Fabelmans received seven Academy Award nominations including Best Picture Best Director and Best Original Screenplay despite box office failures attributed to pandemic altered film-going environment.
Cahiers du Cinéma declared The Fabelmans would undoubtedly remain most important singular film of his career at age seventy-six. Spielberg's works considered among greatest films in history while some rank highest-grossing films ever made. His status as cinematic icon defined through historical rankings major accolades and cultural recognition spanning decades of filmmaking achievement.
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Common questions
When and where was Steven Spielberg born?
Steven Allan Spielberg was born on the 18th of December 1946, in Cincinnati, Ohio. His mother Leah Adler ran a kosher dairy restaurant and played concert piano while his father Arnold worked as an electrical engineer developing computers.
What film marked Steven Spielberg's professional debut?
Spielberg made his professional debut with Eyes, a segment of Night Gallery in 1969. Rod Serling scripted the episode starring Joan Crawford and Universal signed him to four television films after he impressed producers with Columbo episodes.
Which movie became the first shot on open ocean for Steven Spielberg?
Jaws became the first movie shot on open ocean when it released in 1975. The mechanical shark malfunctioned frequently causing the shooting schedule to overrun by one hundred days before setting domestic box-office records.
When did Steven Spielberg commence filming Schindler's List?
Schindler's List commenced filming on the 1st of March 1993, in Poland while Spielberg edited Jurassic Park in evenings. The film depicted Oskar Schindler helping save 1,100 Jews from the Holocaust based on Thomas Keneally's novel.
How many Academy Awards has Steven Spielberg received?
Steven Spielberg received three Academy Awards among other accolades including four Golden Globe Awards and three BAFTA Awards. He earned AFI Life Achievement Award in 1995 honorary knighthood in 2001 Kennedy Center Honor in 2006 Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 National Medal of Arts in 2023.