Steven Spielberg
Born 1946 · Age 79
American filmmaker, producer and studio founder; major figure of New Hollywood and the modern blockbuster era; co-founder of Amblin Entertainment and DreamWorks; multi-Oscar-winning director.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio
Steven Allan Spielberg born to Leah (Posner) and Arnold Spielberg in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Family moved to Haddon Township, New Jersey
Family relocated when his father was hired by RCA.
Began Hebrew school
Attended Hebrew school from 1953 to 1957 under Rabbi Albert L. Lewis.
Family moved to Phoenix, Arizona
Spielberg's family relocated to Phoenix in early 1957; formative childhood years spent there.
Became a Boy Scout
Joined Boy Scouts in 1958 and later achieved Eagle Scout rank; created a 9-minute Western for a photography merit badge.
Made Escape to Nowhere (40-min amateur film); won statewide prize
At about age 13 he made the 40-minute war film Escape to Nowhere which won first prize in a statewide competition.
Wrote and directed Firelight (early feature)
Wrote and directed the 140-minute science-fiction film Firelight (basis for Close Encounters). Shown locally for one evening, it grossed $501 on a ~$500 budget.
Studied film at California State University, Long Beach (enrolled)
Enrolled at California State College (Long Beach) and joined Theta Chi fraternity; later to drop out (but finish BA in 2002).
Directed Amblin' (35mm short)
Made the 26-minute theatrical short Amblin', which impressed Universal VP Sidney Sheinberg and led to a seven-year contract offer.
Dropped out of college to start directing for Universal
Left CSULB to accept Universal Television directing work under a long-term deal, becoming the youngest director on such a plan with a major studio.
TV debut: 'Eyes' segment of Night Gallery
Professional debut directing 'Eyes', a segment of Rod Serling's Night Gallery (1969) starring Joan Crawford.
Directed Duel (TV movie; theatrical internationally)
Directed Duel (1971), a tense highway-thriller telefilm that aired on ABC's Movie of the Week and was subsequently expanded for theatrical release in international markets.
Directed Columbo episode 'Murder by the Book'
Directed the inaugural non-pilot Columbo episode 'Murder by the Book' (1971), gaining industry recognition.
Theatrical debut: The Sugarland Express
Directed The Sugarland Express (1974), his first feature made specifically for theatrical release; won Best Screenplay at Cannes (1974) but was not a big commercial success.
Released Jaws — mainstream breakthrough
Directed and released Jaws (1975); became a household name and established the summer blockbuster model.
Jaws wins Academy Awards (editing, score, sound)
Jaws received multiple Academy Awards (Best Film Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score, Best Sound) at the Oscars following its release.
Released Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Wrote and directed Close Encounters (1977), a major science-fiction hit that earned Spielberg his first Best Director Oscar nomination and several Academy Award wins (cinematography, sound effects editing).
Released 1941 (comedy)
Directed the World War II farce 1941 (1979); commercially earned more than $92.4 million worldwide but received poor critical response.
Re-release: Close Encounters (Special Edition, 1980)
Released The Special Edition of Close Encounters (August 1, 1980) featuring recut and added sequences — the film was revised again later.
Co-founded Amblin Entertainment
Established Amblin Entertainment with producer partners (Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy); Amblin became a major production company and label for Spielberg’s projects.
Released Raiders of the Lost Ark
Directed Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), launching the Indiana Jones franchise; the film was a major box-office success and won multiple Oscars.
Produced Poltergeist
Served as a producer (conceived/co-wrote/co-produced) on Poltergeist (1982), demonstrating a growing role as a producer for other directors' projects.
Released E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Directed E.T. (1982), a global blockbuster; earned approx. $700 million worldwide and won four Academy Awards including Best Original Score.
Co-produced Twilight Zone: The Movie
Co-produced the anthology film Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), contributing the 'Kick the Can' segment with John Landis.
Executive produced/produced hit films (Gremlins, The Goonies, Back to the Future)
Between 1984–1986 (and beyond) Amblin produced/co-produced many hits: Gremlins (1984), The Goonies (1985), Back to the Future (1985). Spielberg served as producer/executive producer.
Released Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Directed Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984); the film was a commercial hit but darker tone prompted the MPAA to create the PG-13 rating.
Launched TV anthology series 'Amazing Stories'
Created and executive produced the NBC series Amazing Stories (1985–1987), an anthology that showcased established and emerging filmmakers.
Produced Back to the Future and The Goonies successes
As an Amblin executive producer, Spielberg helped shepherd Back to the Future (1985) and The Goonies (1985), both enduring box-office hits and franchise starters.
Released The Color Purple (dramatic turn)
Directed The Color Purple (1985); the film was both a box-office success and critically recognized, earning 11 Academy Award nominations and a DGA Best Director award for Spielberg.
Received Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award
Honored by the Academy with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award (recognition for excellence in producing).
Released Empire of the Sun
Directed Empire of the Sun (1987), shot in Shanghai; nominated for six Academy Awards but a box-office disappointment.
Released Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Directed Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) starring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery; the film grossed approx. $474 million worldwide.
Released Always
Directed Always (1989), a modern remake of A Guy Named Joe; commercially unsuccessful and received mixed reviews.
Released Hook
Directed Hook (1991) starring Robin Williams; earned more than $300 million worldwide on a $70 million budget but received mixed critical reception.
Released Schindler's List; major acclaim and Oscars
Directed and produced Schindler's List (1993). Film won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Spielberg won his first Best Director Oscar.
Directed Jurassic Park (released 1993)
Directed Jurassic Park (1993), a landmark for CGI/ILM and the highest-grossing film at the time; won three Academy Awards.
Began filming Schindler's List in Poland
Filming of Schindler's List commenced on March 1, 1993 in Poland; Spielberg edited Jurassic Park in the evenings while shooting Schindler's List.
Co-founded DreamWorks SKG
Co-founded DreamWorks with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, creating a new major studio/production company.
Founded USC Shoah (Survivors) Foundation
Used his Schindler's List proceeds/percentage of profits to establish the Shoah Foundation to archive Holocaust survivor testimonies.
Used Schindler's List profits to create Shoah Foundation
After Schindler's List success, Spielberg directed proceeds toward founding the USC Shoah Foundation to document Holocaust survivor testimony (institutional philanthropic founding).
Received AFI Life Achievement Award
Awarded the AFI Life Achievement Award in recognition of his cinematic career (1995).
Released Amistad
Directed Amistad (1997), a historical drama about the 1839 shipboard revolt; critically mixed and underperformed commercially.
Released The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Directed The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). Budget cited at $73 million; the film was among the year's top grossers.
Released Saving Private Ryan
Directed Saving Private Ryan (1998), a WWII epic; grossed about $481 million worldwide and won Spielberg his second Best Director Oscar.
Awarded Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal
Spielberg and Tom Hanks were awarded the Distinguished Public Service Medal from Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen (August 1999) for contributions including Saving Private Ryan/related work.
Executive produced Eyes of the Holocaust / documentary work
Produced/documented multiple Holocaust and WWII-oriented projects (Eyes of the Holocaust, Shooting War), expanding philanthropic/historical work into documentary media.
Produced miniseries Band of Brothers
Executive produced HBO miniseries Band of Brothers (2001), a major critical and commercial television success.
Received honorary knighthood (UK)
Received an honorary knighthood (Honorary KBE) in 2001 for services to film though as a US citizen it is honorary and does not entitle use of 'Sir'.
Released A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Directed A.I. (2001), a long-gestating project begun with Stanley Kubrick; released June 29, 2001.
Released Minority Report and Catch Me If You Can
Directed two high-profile films in 2002: Minority Report (futuristic thriller) and Catch Me If You Can (con-artist biopic), both starring A-list actors.
Completed B.A. from California State University, Long Beach
Returned to CSULB in 2002 and presented Schindler's List to complete his Bachelor of Arts in Film and Electronic Media.
Released War of the Worlds and Munich
Directed War of the Worlds (2005) and Munich (2005); Munich received multiple Academy Award nominations and represented Spielberg's deepening interest in political/historical drama.
Received Kennedy Center Honors
Awarded the Kennedy Center Honor in recognition of lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts.
Released Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Directed the fourth Indiana Jones installment (2008); the film was a commercial success and part of Spielberg's continued stewardship of the franchise.
Received Cecil B. DeMille Award
Honored with the Golden Globes' Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in film.
Released The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse
Directed The Adventures of Tintin (2011) — his first animated/directorial performance-capture feature — and War Horse (2011); both released days apart in December.
Released Lincoln
Directed Lincoln (2012), a historical drama starring Daniel Day-Lewis; the film received 12 Academy Award nominations and critical acclaim.
Subject of documentary 'Spielberg' (2017 production cited later)
Long-form documentaries and retrospectives about his life and career were produced, culminating in the 2017 documentary 'Spielberg' summarizing his career up to that time (item referenced in Amblin materials).
Named one of Time's 100 most influential people
Included in Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people in the world (2013).
Released Bridge of Spies and awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom
Directed Bridge of Spies (2015); in the same year received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honor.
Released The BFG
Directed The BFG (2016), an adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's book; dedicated to Melissa Mathison.
Inducted into California Hall of Fame
Inducted (California Museum) into the California Hall of Fame in recognition of his contributions to film and California culture.
Released The Post; continued producing/mentoring
Directed The Post (2017), a political-historical drama starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks; the film received critical acclaim and Academy Award nominations.
Released Ready Player One
Directed Ready Player One (2018), a large-scale visual effects-driven film adapting Ernest Cline's novel.
Released West Side Story (remake)
Directed a new adaptation of the musical West Side Story, released in 2021.
Released The Fabelmans (semi-autobiographical)
Directed The Fabelmans (2022), a semi-autobiographical film about an aspiring young filmmaker; earned critical acclaim and multiple Academy Award nominations (Spielberg earned his first Best Original Screenplay nomination).
Recognized as highest-grossing film director (career)
Widely recognized as the highest-grossing film director in history with multiple films among top box-office earners and long-term ownership stakes in production companies.
Received National Medal of Arts and Time 100 Impact Award (US inaugural)
Awarded the National Medal of Arts (2023) and received Time's first-ever Time 100 Impact Award in the US (2023).
Key Achievement Ages
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