Steven Spielberg

WHY IS HE FAMOUS

Steven Spielberg is the cinematic mastermind behind such indelible hits as Jaws, Jurassic Park and Raiders of the Lost Ark, which has essentially assured his place as one of the most well-known and revered directors in film history. He’s inspired countless fellow filmmakers and Hollywood types, and there’s little doubt that his name has become synonymous with expansive, downright enthralling big-budget epics.

Steven Spielberg Quote

"I dream for a living."

72 MAGNETISM

Though he’ll never be mistaken for a sex symbol, Steven Spielberg’s abilities behind the camera -- coupled with a distinct aura of confidence -- has certainly made him an attractive figure to the opposite sex. In 1985, Steven Spielberg married the actressAmy Irving -- who was, at that point, considered a top draw thanks to her appearances in such films as 1976’s Carrie and 1983’s Yentl. That relationship, which resulted in one child, ended in 1989, and Steven Spielberg found himself single at the height of his popularity. However, rather than play around with a series of fawning actresses, he instead settled into his second marriage almost immediately -- as he inevitably fell head-over-heels in love with the leading lady of his 1984 film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The two have subsequently established themselves as one of Hollywood’s premiere power couples, and can routinely be spotted hanging out with such famous folks asTom Hanks (and wife Rita Wilson) and Harrison Ford (and girlfriend Calista Flockhart).

99 SUCCESS

Unlike the majority of his contemporaries, Steven Spielberg managed to attain unprecedented success virtually from the start of his career. His second film, Jaws, remains one of the most beloved films of all time, while he has since managed to amass a filmography consisting of both hugely successful epics and critically acclaimed dramas. The deserving recipient of two Oscars, Steven Spielberg has worked with some of Hollywood’s biggest names -- including Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford and Tom Cruise. Aside from his myriad of accomplishments behind the camera, Steven Spielberg has also managed to carve out a niche for himself as a proactive figure within the Hollywood scene, something that’s exemplified by his role in the creation of the DreamWorks film studio (along with David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg). And although he’s found himself on the receiving end of countless awards and accolades, Steven Spielberg’s greatest accomplishment lies in his ability to barriers of language and culture to touch audiences the world over.

STEVEN SPIELBERGBIOGRAPHY

Steven Allin Spielberg was born on December 18, 1946, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The son of a pianist and a computer engineer, Steven Spielberg discovered his passion for filmmaking in his early teens and he subsequently began shooting short films with the various roles filled by his family and friends. Steven Spielberg’s relentless drive to make movies led him to conceive and shoot a 40-minute war epic at the tender age of 13, and he followed that up at 16 with a two-hour-and-twenty-minute sci-fi effort that actually played at a local movie theater.

After his parents divorced during his teen years, Steven Spielberg moved to California with his father and, following his disastrous high school stint, began applying for a spot within the University of Southern California’s School of Theater, Film and Television. His fruitless efforts finally forced him to look elsewhere for an entry into the world of filmmaking, and he eventually landed a gig at Universal Studios as an unpaid intern.

Spielberg Makes His Professional Debut

It was during his time Universal Studios that Steven Spielberg managed to cobble together enough cash to make his professional debut with a 24-minute short entitled Amblin’, which impressed the higher-ups at Universal to such an extent that they signed him to a long-term deal (he was the youngest director to ever be signed to such a contract at a major studio). After spending several years working behind the scenes on a variety of shows and made-for-television movies, Steven Spielberg emerged with his first full-length theatrical endeavor, the 1974 well-received box-office failure The Sugarland Express.

Steven Spielberg Directs Jaws

Though The Sugarland Express was far from successful, Steven Spielberg nevertheless received the green light to film an adaptation of Peter Benchley’s novel Jaws which, following its release in the summer of 1975, went on to become an Oscar-nominated blockbuster that essentially set the template for expensive (and expansive) summertime blockbuster fare. Having turned down a number of can’t-miss directorial opportunities such as Superman and Jaws II, Steven Spielberg instead turned his attention to 1977’s introspective alien drama Close Encounters of the Third Kind and subsequently proved that he was far from a one-hit wonder.

Steven Spielberg Directs Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Following a rare misstep -- 1979’s big-budget bomb 1941 -- Steven Spielberg definitively established himself as the most beloved filmmaker of his generation thanks to the one-two punch of 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark and 1982’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Steven Spielberg spent the remainder of the 1980s cranking out a mix of crowd-pleasing blockbusters and low-key dramas, although, by the time the decade came to a close, he found that his ability in drawing audiences was beginning to wane thanks to such ostentatious failures as 1989’s Always and 1991’sHook.

Steven Spielberg Wins An Oscar

1993 proved to be a banner year for Steven Spielberg, as he directed one of the most successful films of all time (Jurassic Park) and a searing drama that earned the filmmaker his first Oscar (Schindler’s List). In the years since, Steven Spielberg, in addition to landing another Oscar for 1998’s Saving Private Ryan, has undoubtedly cemented his reputation as one of the most prolific and successful directors in cinematic history thanks to such indelible efforts as 2001’s Artificial Intelligence: AI, 2002’s Minority Report and 2005’s Munich. In 2008, Steven Spielberg wrapped up the Indiana Jones series with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and prepped a long-delayed biography of Abraham Lincoln (which starred Liam Neeson as the 16th president).