Steven Spielberg

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Spielberg grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, before moving to California to study film in college. His early directing work included episodes of Night Gallery and Columbo. He then directed the television film Duel in 1971, after Barry Diller approved the project.

Spielberg made his theatrical debut with The Sugarland Express in 1974. That film also began his long collaboration with composer John Williams; Williams worked on all but five of Spielberg’s theatrical releases. Jaws followed in 1975 and made Spielberg a household name. He continued with Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and the original Indiana Jones trilogy, released between 1981 and 1989.

His work also included The Color Purple and Empire of the Sun. In 1993, he directed Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List. Jurassic Park was the highest-grossing film at the time, while Schindler’s List brought Spielberg the Academy Award for Best Director. He later received the same award for Saving Private Ryan, the 1998 World War II epic.

Spielberg’s subsequent directing credits include the science fiction films A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Minority Report, War of the Worlds, and Ready Player One. His historical dramas include Amistad, Munich, War Horse, Lincoln, Bridge of Spies, and The Post. He also directed Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, The Adventures of Tintin, West Side Story, and The Fabelmans.

As a producer, Spielberg co-founded Amblin Entertainment and DreamWorks Pictures. His producing credits include Poltergeist, Gremlins, Back to the Future, An American Tail, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Animaniacs, Freakazoid!, Twister, Band of Brothers, and Transformers. Recent screen credits list him as himself in Denzel Washington: A Model American, The Fabelmans: A Family in Film, The Moviemakers: Spielberg, and Où est parti E.T. ? L'Enfance selon Spielberg, as well as in archive footage for Steven Spielberg, the “New Hollywood” Prodigy.