







Steven Allan Spielberg
Birth Details
December 18, 1946, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Height
5' 7½" (1.71 m)
Biography
Undoubtedly one of the most influential film personalities in the history of film, Steven Spielberg is
perhaps Hollywood's best known director and one of the wealthiest filmmakers in the world. Spielberg
has countless big-grossing, critically acclaimed credits to his name, as producer, director and writer.
He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1946. He went to California State University Long Beach, but
dropped out to pursue his entertainment career. He gained notoriety as an uncredited assistant editor
on the classic western "Wagon Train" (1957). Among his early directing efforts were Battle Squad
(1961), which combined World War II footage with footage of an airplane on the ground that he makes
you believe is moving. He also directed Escape to Nowhere (1961), which featured children as World
War Two soldiers, including his sister Anne Spielberg, and The Last Gun (1959), a western. All of
these were short films. The next couple of years, Spielberg directed a couple of movies that would
portend his future career in movies. In 1964, he directed Firelight (1964), a movie about aliens
invading a small town. In 1967, he directed Slipstream (1967), which was unfinished. However, in
1968, he directed Amblin' (1968), which featured the desert prominently, and not the first of his
movies in which the desert would feature so prominently. Amblin' also became the name of his
production company, which turned out such classics as E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Spielberg
had a unique and classic early directing project, Duel (1971) (TV), with Dennis Weaver. In the early
1970s, Spielberg was working on TV, directing among others such series as Rod Serling's "Night
Gallery" (1970), "Marcus Welby, M.D." (1969) and Columbo: Murder by the Book (1971) (TV). All of
his work in television and short films, as well as his directing projects, were just a hint of the wellspring
of talent that would dazzle audiences all over the world.
Spielberg's first major directorial effort was The Sugarland Express (1974), with Goldie Hawn, a film
that marked him as a rising star. It was his next effort, however, that made him an international
superstar among directors: Jaws (1975). This classic shark attack tale started the tradition of the
summer blockbuster or, at least, he was credited with starting the tradition. His next film was the
classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), a unique and original UFO story that remains a
classic. In 1978, Spielberg produced his first film, the forgettable I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978), and
followed that effort with Used Cars (1980), a critically acclaimed, but mostly forgotten, Kurt
Russell\Jack Warden comedy about devious used-car dealers. Spielberg hit gold yet one more time
with Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), with Harrison Ford taking the part of Indiana Jones. Spielberg
produced and directed two films in 1982. The first was Poltergeist (1982), but the highest-grossing
movie of all time up to that point was the alien story E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Spielberg also
helped pioneer the practice of product placement. The concept, while not uncommon, was still
relatively low-key when Spielberg raised the practice to almost an art form with his famous (or
infamous) placement of Reece's Pieces in "E.T." Spielberg was also one of the pioneers of the
big-grossing special-effects movies, like "E.T." and "Close Encounters", where a very strong emphasis
on special effects was placed for the first time on such a huge scale. In 1984, Spielberg followed up
"Raiders" with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), which was a commercial success but
did not receive the critical acclaim of its predecessor. As a producer, Spielberg took on many projects
in the 1980s, such as The Goonies (1985), and was the brains behind the little monsters in Gremlins
(1984). He also produced the cartoon An American Tail (1986), a quaint little animated classic. His
biggest effort as producer in 1985, however, was the blockbuster Back to the Future (1985), which
made Michael J. Fox an instant superstar. As director, Spielberg took on the book The Color Purple
(1985), with Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, with great success. In the latter half of the 1980s,
he also directed Empire of the Sun (1987), a mixed success for the occasionally erratic Spielberg.
Success would not escape him for long, though.
The late 1980s found Spielberg's projects at the center of pop-culture yet again. In 1988, he
produced the landmark animation/live-action film Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). The next year
proved to be another big one for Spielberg, as he produced and directed Always (1989) as well as
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and Back to the Future Part II (1989). All three of the
films were box-office and critical successes. Also, in 1989, he produced the little known
comedy-drama Dad (1989), with Jack Lemmon and Ted Danson, which got mostly mixed results.










Steven Spielberg
Spielberg has also had an affinity for animation and has
been a strong voice in animation in the 1990s. Aside from
producing the landmark "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", he
produced the animated series "Tiny Toon Adventures"
(1990), "Animaniacs" (1993), "Pinky and the Brain" (1995),
"Freakazoid!" (1995), "Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain" (1998),
"Family Dog" (1993) and "Toonsylvania" (1998). Spielberg
also produced other cartoons such as The Land Before Time
(1988), We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993), Casper
(1995) (the live action version) as well as the live-action
version of The Flintstones (1994), where he was credited as
"Steven Spielrock". Spielberg also produced many Roger
Rabbit short cartoons, and many Pinky and the Brain,
Animaniacs and Tiny Toons specials. Spielberg was very
active in the early 1990s, as he directed Hook (1991) and
produced such films as the cute fantasy Joe Versus the
Volcano (1990) and An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
(1991). He also produced the unusual comedy thriller
Arachnophobia (1990), Back to the Future Part III (1990) and
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). While these movies were
big successes in their own right, they did not quite bring in
the kind of box office or critical acclaim as previous efforts. In
1993, Spielberg directed Jurassic Park (1993), which for a
short time held the record as the highest grossing movie of
Directorial Credits
FILM DEBUT-- The Last Gun (1959)
Fighter Squad (1961)
Escape to Nowhere (1961)
Firelight (1964)
Slipstream (1967) (unfinished)
Amblin' (1968)
Night Gallery (1969) (TV) (segment "Eyes")
"Marcus Welby, M.D." (TV) (1 episode, 1970)
"Night Gallery" (TV) (1 episode, 1971)
"The Name of the Game" (TV) (1 episode, 1971)
"The Psychiatrist" (TV) (2 episodes, 1971)
Columbo: Murder by the Book (1971) (TV)
"Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law" (TV) (1 episode, 1971)
Duel (1971)
Something Evil (1972)
Savage (1973) (TV)
The Sugarland Express (1974)
Jaws (1975)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
1941 (1979)
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) (segment 2)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
"Strokes of Genius" (1984) TV mini-series (introductory segments)
(uncredited)
"Amazing Stories" (TV) (2 episodes, 1985)
The Color Purple (1985)
Empire of the Sun (1987)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Always (1989)
The Visionary (1990) (V) (segment "Par for the Course")
Hook (1991)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Schindler's List (1993)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
Amistad (1997)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
The Unfinished Journey (1999)
Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001)
Minority Report (2002)
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
The Terminal (2004)
War of the Worlds (2005)
Munich (2005)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
A Timeless Call (2008)
all time, but did not have the universal appeal of his previous efforts. Big box-office spectacles were not
his only concern, though. He produced and directed Schindler's List (1993), a stirring film about the
Holocaust. He won best director at the Oscars, and also got Best Picture. In the mid-90s, he helped
found the production company DreamWorks, which was responsible for many box-office successes.
As a producer, he was very active in the late 90s, responsible for such films as The Mask of Zorro
(1998), Men in Black (1997) and Deep Impact (1998). However, it was on the directing front that
Spielberg was in top form. He directed and produced the epic Amistad (1997), a spectacular film that
was shorted at the Oscars and in release due to the fact that its release date was moved around so
much in late 1997. The next year, however, produced what many believe was one of the best films of his
career: Saving Private Ryan (1998), a film about World War Two that is spectacular in almost every
respect. It was stiffed at the Oscars, losing best picture to Shakespeare in Love (1998).
Spielberg produced a series of films, including Evolution (2001), The Haunting (1999) and Shrek
(2001). he also produced two sequels to Jurassic Park (1993), which were financially but not particularly
critical successes. In 2001, he produced a mini-series about World War Two that definitely *was* a
financial and critical success: "Band of Brothers" (2001), a tale of an infantry company from its
parachuting into France during the invasion to the Battle of the Bulge. Also in that year, Spielberg was
back in the director's chair for Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001), a movie with a message and a huge
budget. It did reasonably at the box office and garnered varied reviews from critics.
Spielberg has been extremely active in films there are many other things he has done as well. He
produced the short-lived TV series "SeaQuest DSV" (1993), an anthology series entitled "Amazing
Stories" (1985), created the video-game series "Medal of Honor" set during World War Two, and was a
starting producer of "ER" (1994). Spielberg, if you haven't noticed, has a great interest in World War
Two. He and Tom Hanks collaborated on Shooting War (2000) (TV), a documentary about World War II
combat photographers, and he produced a documentary about the Holocaust called A Holocaust szemei
(2000). With all of this to Spielberg's credit, it's no wonder that he's looked at as one of the greatest
ever figures in entertainment.
Awards
2005
inducted into the Delta films Hall of Fame - Director
Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards - WAFCA Award Best Director
for: Munich
Tokyo International Film Festival - Akira Kurosawa Award
2004
David di Donatello Awards - Special David
2003
Walk of Fame - Star on the Walk of Fame Motion Picture. At 6801 Hollywood Blvd.
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA - Saturn Award Best Director
for: Minority Report
Empire Awards, UK - Empire Award Best Director for: Minority Report
Emmy Awards - Emmy Outstanding Miniseries for: "Taken"
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards - Critics Choice Award Best Director
for: Catch Me If You Can
Also for Minority Report
2002
Delta's Choice Awards - Best Director for: Catch Me if You can
Emmy Awards - Emmy Outstanding Miniseries for: "Band of Brothers"
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA - Saturn Award Best Writing
for: Artificial Intelligence: AI
ShoWest Convention, USA - Lifetime Achievement Award
PGA Awards - Television Producer of the Year Award in Longform for: "Band of Brothers"
Mainichi Film Concours - Readers' Choice Award Best Foreign Language Film
for: Artificial Intelligence: AI
Hollywood Film Festival - Hollywood Movie of the Year for: Minority Report
Christopher Awards - Christopher Award Television and Cable for: "Band of Brothers"
Venice Film Festival - Future Film Festival Digital Award for: Artificial Intelligence: AI
2001
National Board of Review, USA - Billy Wilder Award
BAFTA/LA Britannia Awards - Britannia Award Excellence in Film
PGA Awards - PGA Hall of Fame - Motion Pictures for: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
2000
Image Awards - Vanguard Award
Directors Guild of America, USA - Lifetime Achievement Award
Daytime Emmy Awards - Daytime Emmy Outstanding Children's Animated Program
for: "Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain"
Academy Awards, USA - Oscar Best Director for: Saving Private Ryan
1999
Golden Globes, USA - Golden Globe Best Director - Motion Picture for: Saving Private Ryan
Czech Lions - Czech Lion Best Foreign Language Film for: Saving Private Ryan
Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards - SEFCA Award Best Director
for: Saving Private Ryan
Online Film Critics Society Awards - OFCS Award Best Director for: Saving Private Ryan
PGA Awards - Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award for: Saving Private Ryan
PGA Awards - Milestone Award
Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists - Silver Ribbon Best Director - Foreign Film
for: Saving Private Ryan
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards - KCFCC Award Best Director for: Saving Private Ryan
Empire Awards, UK - Empire Award Best Director for: Saving Private Ryan
Directors Guild of America, USA - DGA Award Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion
Pictures for: Saving Private Ryan
Daytime Emmy Awards - Outstanding Special Class Animated Program for: "Pinky and the Brain"
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards - Critics Choice Award Best Director
for: Saving Private Ryan
1998
Delta's Choice Awards - Best Director for: Saving Private Ryan
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards - Sierra Award Best Director for: Saving Private Ryan
PGA Awards - Vision Award Theatrical Motion Pictures for: Amistad
Rembrandt Awards - Audience Award Best Director for: The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Toronto Film Critics Association Awards - TFCA Award Best Director for: Saving Private Ryan
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards - LAFCA Award Best Director
for: Saving Private Ryan
1997
Daytime Emmy Awards - Outstanding Children's Animated Program for: "Animaniacs"
Daytime Emmy Awards - Outstanding Special Class Animated Program for: "Freakazoid!"
1996
Emmy Awards - Emmy Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less)
for: A Pinky & the Brain Christmas Special
Mainichi Film Concours - Readers' Choice Award Best Foreign Language Film
for: Schindler's List
London Critics Circle Film Awards - ALFS Award Director of the Year for: Schindler's List
1995
Kinema Junpo Awards-Readers' Choice Award Best Foreign Language Film for: Schindler's List
César Awards, France - Honorary César
American Film Institute, USA - Life Achievement Award
1994
Academy Awards, USA - Oscar Best Director for: Schindler's List
Academy Awards, USA - Oscar Best Picture for: Schindler's List
Golden Globes, USA - Golden Globe Best Director - Motion Picture for: Schindler's List
Hochi Film Awards - Hochi Film Award Best Foreign Language Film for: Schindler's List
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards - KCFCC Award Best Director for: Schindler's List
Mainichi Film Concours-Readers' Choice Award Best Foreign Language Film for: Jurassic Park
National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA - NSFC Award Best Director for: Schindler's List
PGA Awards - Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award for: Schindler's List
Society of Camera Operators - Governors' Award
Young Artist Awards - Jackie Coogan Award
ShoWest Convention, USA - ShoWest Award Director of the Year
Directors Guild of America, USA - DGA Award Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion
Pictures for: Schindler's List
Czech Lions - Czech Lion Best Foreign Language Film for: Jurassic Park
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards - DFWFCA Award Best Director
for: Schindler's List
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards - CFCA Award Best Director for: Schindler's List
Amanda Awards, Norway - Amanda Best Foreign Feature Film for: Schindler's List
Blue Ribbon Awards - Blue Ribbon Award Best Foreign Language Film for: Jurassic Park
BAFTA Awards - BAFTA Film Award Best Film for: Schindler's List
BAFTA Awards - David Lean Award for Direction for: Schindler's List
American Society of Cinematographers, USA - Board of the Governors Award
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA - Saturn Award Best Director
for: Jurassic Park
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA - President's Award
1993
Delta's Choice Awards - Best Director for: Shindler's List
Venice Film Festival - Career Golden Lion
Daytime Emmy Awards - Outstanding Animated Program for: "Tiny Toon Adventures"
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards - BSFC Award Best Director for: Schindler's List
1991
Daytime Emmy Awards - Outstanding Animated Program for: "Tiny Toon Adventures"
1990
American Cinema Editors, USA - Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award
Retirement Research Foundation, USA- Wise Owl Award Television and Theatrical Film Fiction
for: Dad
1989
American Cinematheque Gala Tribute - American Cinematheque Award
Delta's Choice Awards - Best Director for: Always
1988
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards - KCFCC Award Best Director for: Empire of the Sun
1987
Academy Awards, USA - Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award
National Board of Review, USA - NBR Award Best Director for: Empire of the Sun
Christopher Awards - Christopher Award Best Picture for: Empire of the Sun
Blue Ribbon Awards - Blue Ribbon Award Best Foreign Language Film for: The Color Purple
1986
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards - KCFCC Award Best Director for: The Color Purple
David di Donatello Awards - David Best Producer - Foreign Film for: Back to the Future
Directors Guild of America, USA - DGA Award Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion
Pictures for: The Color Purple
BAFTA Awards - Academy Fellowship
1984
Giffoni Film Festival - Nocciola d'Oro
1983
Hasty Pudding Theatricals, USA - Man of the Year
Fotogramas de Plata- Fotogramas de Plata Best Foreign Film for: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
David di Donatello Awards - David Best Director - Foreign Film for: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA - NSFC Award Best Director
for: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
Sant Jordi Awards - Sant Jordi Mejor Película Infantil for: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards - KCFCC Award Best Director
for: E.T.:The Extra-Terrestrial
Kinema Junpo Awards - Kinema Junpo Award Best Foreign Language Film
for: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
Kinema Junpo Awards - Readers' Choice Award Best Foreign Language Film
for: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
Blue Ribbon Awards - Blue Ribbon Award Best Foreign Language Film
for: E.T.:The Extra-Terrestrial
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards-BSFC Award Best Director for: E.T.:The Extra-Terrestrial
1982
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards - BSFC Award Best Director for: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Kinema Junpo Awards - Readers' Choice Award Best Foreign Language Film
for: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards - LAFCA Award Best Director
for: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
ShoWest Convention, USA - ShoWest Award Director of the Year
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA - Saturn Award Best Director
for: Raiders of the Lost Ark
American Movie Awards - Marquee Best Director for: Raiders of the Lost Ark
1981
Delta's Choice Awards - Best Director for: Raiders of the Lost Ark
1978
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA - Saturn Award Best Director
for: Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA - Saturn Award Best Writing
for: Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Cannes Film Festival - Best Screenplay for: The Sugarland Express
Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival - Grand Prize for: Duel


















