Steven Spielberg

Early Life

Steven Allan Spielberg was born on 18 December 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio, the eldest child of Arnold Spielberg, an electrical engineer, and Leah Adler, a concert pianist and restaurateur. The family moved to New Jersey and then to Phoenix, Arizona, where he grew up. As a teenager he made amateur films with friends, and at 16 he made Firelight (1964), a feature-length science-fiction film shown at a local cinema.

Education

Spielberg studied at California State University, Long Beach, and made short films while he was there. His short Amblin' (1968) was shown at the Atlanta Film Festival and won him a contract with Universal.

Career

Spielberg was born on 18 December 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, making amateur films as a teenager. He studied at California State University, Long Beach, and his 22-minute short Amblin' (1968) won him a contract with Universal. His first feature-length work was the television movie Duel (1971); his first cinema feature was The Sugarland Express (1974). Jaws (1975) became the first summer blockbuster, followed by Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). In 1993 he released both Jurassic Park and Schindler's List; the latter won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and his first Best Director award. In 1994 he co-founded DreamWorks SKG with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, and founded the USC Shoah Foundation. Saving Private Ryan (1998) brought him a second Best Director award. His later films include Lincoln (2012), Bridge of Spies (2015), West Side Story (2021) and the semi-autobiographical The Fabelmans (2022).

Achievements

Spielberg's achievement is the popular film itself. He originated the summer blockbuster with Jaws (1975), directed the most commercially successful films of the twentieth century — Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park — and then, with Schindler's List (1993) and Saving Private Ryan (1998), showed that a maker of popular entertainment could also make films of serious historical weight. He has won three Academy Awards, been nominated for Best Director nine times, and co-founded DreamWorks SKG. With the proceeds of Schindler's List he established the USC Shoah Foundation, which records filmed testimony of Holocaust survivors.

• Directed Jaws (1975), the first summer blockbuster, and originated the modern blockbuster era
• Directed Schindler's List (1993), which won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and his first Best Director award
• Won three Academy Awards in total, including Best Director for Schindler's List (1993) and Saving Private Ryan (1998)
• Co-founded DreamWorks SKG in 1994 with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen
• Founded the USC Shoah Foundation in 1994, which records filmed testimony of Holocaust survivors
• Received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award (1986), the AFI Life Achievement Award (1995), an honorary knighthood (2001), the Kennedy Center Honors (2006) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2015)

Legacy

Spielberg is the most commercially successful film director in cinema history and, by many measures, its most influential popular filmmaker. His films defined the blockbuster era and, in Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan, showed that popular cinema could carry serious history. The USC Shoah Foundation he founded has recorded the testimony of tens of thousands of Holocaust survivors and witnesses, and is a lasting part of his legacy beyond film.

Contributions

Spielberg's films shaped the way the world watches movies: the summer blockbuster, the modern adventure film and the popular historical epic all carry his imprint. Through the USC Shoah Foundation, he also built one of the largest archives of Holocaust testimony in existence.

Notable Works

• Jaws (1975)
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
• Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
• Jurassic Park (1993)
• Schindler's List (1993)
• Saving Private Ryan (1998)
• Lincoln (2012)
• Bridge of Spies (2015)
• West Side Story (2021)
• The Fabelmans (2022)

Milestones

• 1946 — Born on 18 December in Cincinnati, Ohio Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1968 — Short film Amblin' won him a contract with Universal Source: Turner Classic Movies
• 1971 — Directed Duel, his first feature-length film Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1974 — The Sugarland Express, his first cinema feature, released Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1975 — Jaws released — the first summer blockbuster Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1977 — Close Encounters of the Third Kind released Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1981 — Raiders of the Lost Ark released Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1982 — E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial released Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1993 — Jurassic Park and Schindler's List released in the same year Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1994 — Co-founded DreamWorks SKG; founded the USC Shoah Foundation Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1998 — Saving Private Ryan released; second Best Director Academy Award Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 2015 — Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica

Timeline

1. 18 December 1946

   Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

   Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
2. 1968

   Short film Amblin' won him a contract with Universal

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Turner Classic Movies
3. 1971

   Directed Duel, his first feature-length film (television movie)

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
4. 1974

   The Sugarland Express, his first cinema feature, released

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
5. 1975

   Jaws released — the first summer blockbuster

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
6. 1982

   E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial released

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
7. 1993

   Jurassic Park and Schindler's List released in the same year; Schindler's List won seven Academy Awards

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
8. 1994

   Co-founded DreamWorks SKG; founded the USC Shoah Foundation

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
9. 1998

   Saving Private Ryan released; won his second Best Director Academy Award

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
10. 2015

    Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom

    Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica

Related Personalities

• Charlie Chaplin Actor and filmmaker · 1889–1977

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources & References

1. Steven Spielberg — Encyclopaedia Britannica — Encyclopaedia Britannica (accessed 12 November 2026)
2. Steven Spielberg — Turner Classic Movies (featured director biography) — Turner Classic Movies (accessed 12 November 2026)
3. Steven Spielberg — Wikipedia (cross-check) — Wikipedia (accessed 12 November 2026)
4. File:Steven Spielberg by Gage Skidmore.jpg — Wikimedia Commons (portrait file page) — Wikimedia Commons (accessed 12 November 2026)

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