Without a doubt 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 Long Beach University, but dropped out to pursue his entertainment career. He gained notoriety as an uncredited assistant editor on the classic western Wagon Train. 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, which featured kids as World War Two soldiers, including his sister Anne Spielberg, and The Last Gun, 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, a movie about aliens invading a small town. In 1967 he directed Slipstream, which was unfinished. However, in 1968 he directed Amblin', which featured the desert prominently, and not the first Spielberg movie in which the desert would feature so prominently. Amblin' was also what he would eventually name his production company, which would turn out such classics as _E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)_ . Spielberg had a unique and classic early directing project, Duel, with Dennis Weaver. The film is considered a classic that still baffles some. In the early 1970s Spielberg was working on TV, directing among others such series as Rod Serling's Rod Serling's Night Gallery, Marcus Welby, M.D. and Columbo: Murder by the Book. 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, 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. 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, a unique and original UFO story that remains a classic. In 1978 Spielberg produced his first film, the forgettable I Wanna Hold Your Hand, and followed that effort with Used Cars, a critically acclaimed but mostly forgotten Kurt RussellJack Warden comedy about devious used-car dealers. Spielberg hit gold yet one more time with Raiders of the Lost Ark, with Harrison Ford taking the part of Indiana Jones. Spielberg produced and directed two films in 1982. The first was Poltergeist, 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 a practice that he may or may not be particularly proud 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 Rieces 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, 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 silly The Goonies, and was the brains behind the little monsters in Gremlins. He also produced the cartoon An American Tail, a quaint little animated classic. His biggest effort as producer in 1985, however, was the blockbuster Back to the Future, which made Michael J. Fox an instant superstar. As director, Spielberg took on the book The Color Purple, with Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, with great success. In the latter half of the 1980s he also directed Empire of the Sun, 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. The next year proved to be another big one for Spielberg, as he produced and directed Always as well as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Back to the Future Part II. All three of the films were box-office and critical successes. Also in 1989 he produced the little known comedy-drama Dad, with Jack Lemmon and Ted Danson, which got mostly mixed results. 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 Steven Spielberg Presents... Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, Freakazoid!, Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain, Family Dog and Toonsylvania. Spielberg also produced other cartoons such as The Land Before Time , We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story, Casper (the live action version) as well as the live action version of The Flintstones, 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 and produced such films as the cute fantasy Joe Versus the Volcano and An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. He also produced the unusual comedy thriller Arachnophobia, Back to the Future Part III and Gremlins 2: The New Batch. 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, which would for a short time hold the record as the highest grossing movie of 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, 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 in the '90s and beyond. Spielberg as a producer was very active in the late '90s, responsible for such films as The Mask of Zorro, Men in Black and Deep Impact. It was on the directing front that Spielberg was in top form in the late 1990s, though. He directed and produced the epic Amistad, 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. This was an almost perfect 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. In the 1990s Spielberg produced a series of films, including Evolution, The Haunting and Shrek. he also produced two sequels to Jurassic Park, 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, 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, a movie with a message and a huge budget. It did reasonably at the box office and garnered varied reviews from critics. As of right now Steven Spielberg is teaming up with Tom Cruise for the expected box office hit Minority Report. While the movie is showing off good special effects and a stellar pairing of two titans of the screen, critics have not all been too friendly. Perhaps this is a further sign that Spielberg's days of big box-office are on the decline. As well as producing Men in Black II, Spielberg's next two projects are producing and directing Catch Me If You Can, with Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio, and _"Indiana Jones 4". While Spielberg has proven a brilliant filmmaker in the past, his latest efforts have been mixed, but only the future will tell how he is looked upon as a presence in film. And while Spielberg has been extremely active in films there are many other things he has done as well. Spielberg produced the short-lived TV series SeaQuest 2032, an anthology series entitled Amazing Stories, created the video game series Medal of Honor set during World War Two, and was a starting producer of ER. Spielberg, if you haven't noticed, has a great interest in World War Two. He and Tom Hanks collaborated on Shooting War, a documentary about World War II combat photographers, and he produced a documentary about the Holocaust called Eyes of the Holocaust. 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. Spielberg is a great filmmaker without a doubt, and it does not seem he is anywhere near done making films, and with all of the money he has he probably could do anything he wanted to. And recently Spielberg graduated from Long Beach State University with a degree in filmmaking. His possibilities are still limitless.
Jurassic Park III (2001): $72,000,000
Schindler's List (1993): $0 (Asked not to be paid.)
Jurassic Park (1993): $250,000,000 (gross and profit participations)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): $1,500,000 + % of gross
Member of Theta Chi Fraternity (Zeta Epsilon Chapter, Long Beach State University). Is a supporter of the Democratic Party. Is among the richest individuals in Hollywood. Received the "Bundesverdienstkreuz mit Stern" (the highest civil distinction the Federal Republic of Germany has to give away) for his sensible representation of Germany's history in his movie Schindler's List. [1998] Jonathan Norman was sentenced to 25 years to life, for stalking Spielberg and threatening to rape him. [June 1998] Chosen by Entertainment Weekly as the most powerful person in entertainment in 1997. [31 October 1997] Involved in road accident and treated for an injured shoulder. [23 September 1997] American Film Institute Life Achievement Award. [1995] Children, with Kate Capshaw: Theo Spielberg, born in 1988, adopted; Sasha Spielberg, born in 1990; Sawyer Spielberg, born in 1992; Mikaela Spielberg, born in 1996, adopted and Destry Spielberg, born in 1996. Is stepfather of actress Jessica Capshaw, born in 1976. Son, with Amy Irving: Max Spielberg, born in 1985. He claims Richard Dreyfuss is his alter-ego. Attended California State University, Long Beach after being turned down by USC. Attended Arcadia High School in Phoenix. Applied to USC Cinema School twice and was turned down both times. Donated $100,000 to the Democratic Party. [1996] Awarded second annual John Huston Award for Artists Rights by the Artists Rights Foundation. [1995] Co-founder (with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen) of DreamWorks SKG. He has one of the original Rosebud sleds from Citizen Kane in his house. Godfather of Drew Barrymore. Spielberg was named Best Director of the 20th Century in an Entertainment Weekly on-line poll, substantially beating out runners-up Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick. [September 1999] Son of Arnold Spielberg. Received the Distinguished Public Service Award, the U. S. Navy's highest civilian honor, on Veterans Day 1999 for his work on the movie Saving Private Ryan. Sits on USC School of Cinema-Television's Board of Councilors. When he was a child, he sneaked onto the lot of Universal Studios during a tour and befriended an editor who showed him a few things about filmmaking. Gwyneth Paltrow calls him Uncle Morty. During filming of their episode of Rod Serling's Night Gallery, Spielberg gave Joan Crawford the gift of a single red rose in a Pepsi bottle. During an on-set conversation with Detroit Free Press reporter Shirley Eder, Crawford pointed out Spielberg and said, "Go interview that kid, because he's going to be the biggest director of all time!" Crawford and Spielberg remained good friends until her death in 1977. Awarded the honor of Knight of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in New Years Honours 2001 by Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to the British film industry. As a non-Commonwealth citizen, he will not be able to use the title. [December 2000] States that the work of David Lean has had a profound effect on his career. Spent five months developing the script for Rain Man with Ronald Bass, but had to commit to his handshake deal to direct Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Spielberg gave all of his notes to Barry Levinson. Almost directed Big with Tom Hanks starring, but didn't want to steal the thunder of his sister, Anne Spielberg, who co-wrote the script. Is credited for starting the summer blockbuster tradition with 1975's first $100 million megahit, Jaws. Personally offered the American Beauty script to Sam Mendes, who ended up winning the Academy Award for Best Director on the film, which was Mendes's debut feature. Flew Will Smith to his Hamptons home via helicopter to offer him the part in Men in Black. Often casts new actors based on their performances in other works. Rarely does auditions for major roles. Was asked to approve use of the theme music from Jaws for Swingers. When he saw a cut of the film, he saw Vince Vaughn, whom he chose to play Nick Van Owen in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. He is an Eagle Scout and was on an advisory board for the Boy Scouts of America. He left this position because he did not agree with the fact that the Boy Scouts of America discriminated against homosexuals. Was directing a childbirth scene when he received a call that Amy Irving was giving birth to their son Max Spielberg. According to the 2001 issue of Forbes' "400 Richest People In America," Spielberg's fortune is $2.1 billion. Born at 6:16 PM EST. Was irked when footage from his movie Duel was used as stock footage in an episode of The Incredible Hulk. But since Universal Studios owned the rights to both the The Incredible Hulk series and the film of Duel, taking legal action was not possible. However, he subsequently updated his contracts to include a clause that would protect his future material from being used as stock footage. On May 31, 2002, graduated from California State University Long Beach with a bachelor's degree in film and electronic arts. He dropped out of college in 1968 to concentrate on his career, but finished his degree via independent projects. He donned cap and gown and marched in the commencement ceremony with his fellow graduates. Receives honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Yale University, 27 May 2002. When Spielberg received his undergraduate degree (about 35 years after he had first entered college), the orchestra played the theme from the "Indiana Jones" series of films as he walked up to and across the stage. Always uses friend George Lucas's special-effects group Industrial Light and Magic for his visual effects. Owns the rights to the Stephen King novel "The Talisman". As of 2002, the book has not been made into a film. He is now producing this film for release in 2007. Father served in World War II in South East Asian Front. Michael Kahn has edited all of Spielberg's theatrical features since Close Encounters of the Third Kind, their first collaboration. Kahn did not, however, edit _E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)_ because he was editing Poltergeist. _E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)_ was edited by Carol Littleton. According to the 2002 edition of Forbes' "400 Richest People in America," his fortune is estimated at $2.2 billion, a $100 million improvement over the 2001 estimate. Ranked #1 in Premiere's 2003 annual Hollywood Power List. It is the third time he received the top ranking (the others being in 1994 & 1995). He had ranked #6 in 2002. In Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the humans and aliens use music and computers to communicate. Spielberg's father was a computer scientist and his mother was a musician. This fact was only recently pointed out to him on Inside the Actors Studio by host James Lipton and he was unsurprisingly delighted when he realised the connection. Is set to produce a mini-series for HBO that will set out to debunk the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The mini-series, written by David Leland, will focus on the historical reality of life in 500 A.D., when Arthur was thought to be King and will have no round table, Merlin, Lancelot, Excalibur, or knights. Camelot itself will be shown to have been a simple Roman fort and Arthur, named Artos in the film, will be portrayed as a humble blacksmith whose forging skills win him the English throne. It was expected to air sometime in 2004. [2003] The first film he directed that was not scored by John Williams was Twilight Zone: The Movie, which was scored by Jerry Goldsmith. Was voted the 11th Greatest Director of all time by Entertainment Weekly. In 1983, he lost the Best Picture Oscar to Gandhi, directed by Richard Attenborough. He later went on to direct five cast members, as well as Attenborough, in his later movies: Amrish Puri in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; Roshan Seth in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; Richard Attenborough in Jurassic Park; Ben Kingsley in Schindler's List, Nigel Hawthorne in Amistad and Martin Sheen in Catch Me If You Can. Has worked with four actors from the Hannibal Lecter film series, in reverse order to the order in which the Lecter films came out. The first one he worked with was Ralph Fiennes in Schindler's List, who went on to play Francis Dollarhyde in Red Dragon. His next film was The Lost World: Jurassic Park, with Julianne Moore, who played Clarice Starling in the third Lecter film, Hannibal. After this, he made Amistad, with Anthony Hopkins, who began playing Hannibal Lecter in the second film, The Silence of the Lambs. After this he made Saving Private Ryan, which featured Dennis Farina, who played Jack Crawford in the original Lecter film, Manhunter. When asked what are the films he's made he would like to be remembered for, he said _E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)_ and Schindler's List. Although close friend, George Lucas, has vowed to only shoot future movies digitally, Spielberg has been the most vocal film-maker of the opposing view: to continue shooting all of his movies on film. Other directors siding with Spielberg include Martin Scorsese and Oliver Stone. According to his interview on the series Inside the Actors Studio, his favorite curse word is "Rats!" To date, has never provided a director's commentary on any of his films DVDs. [2004] In the 2004 edition of Forbes' "400 Richest People in America", his net worth is estimated at $2.6 billion, his highest showing yet. The only filmmaker ahead of him is his good friend George Lucas, whose worth is estimated at $3 billion. Described One Froggy Evening as "the most perfect cartoon ever made". His longtime friend George Lucas originally wanted him to direct the third entry of the original Star Wars trilogy, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi and Spielberg was eager to do so, but Lucas was unsuccessful in getting him the job because of his dispute with the Director's Guild at the time. When he used product placement in _E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)_ , he used Reese's Pieces only because M & M's parent company didn't want their product associated with aliens and UFOs. Directed nine actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Liam Neeson; Ralph Fiennes; Anthony Hopkins; Tom Hanks; Melinda Dillon; Whoopi Goldberg; Oprah Winfrey; Margaret Avery and Christopher Walken. Since 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' (1981) , all of his movies have featured visual effects (even those that were undetected) by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), the F/X house created by his friend, George Lucas. The only exception has been 'The Terminal' (2004) , which had F/X work by Digital Imageworks. Wrote a letter to Polish writer/director Mira Hamermesh in appreciation of one of her films. Graduated from Saratoga High School in Saratoga, California. Ranked #2 on Premiere's 2005 Power 50 List, behind only Peter Jackson. Had the same ranking in 2004, behind Pixar bosses John Lasseter and Steve Jobs. Though he has directed 9 actors in Oscar-nominated performances, to date he has never directed an Oscar-winning performance. Ranked #1 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Greatest directors ever!" (2005). Society of Operating Cameramen, (SOC) Honorary Member. (1995) Recipient, Governors Award. (Cammy) (1995) "For his contributions in the advancement of the use of the motion picture camera." He has always been very protective of his name. If his company is working on a film and he feels it is not up to his standards, he will remove his name as a producer. Aside from producing The Goonies, he also directed at least one scene in the movie. In the 2005 edition of Forbes' "400 Richest People in America", his net worth is estimated at $2.7 billion, a $100 million improvement over 2004 (due mostly to his share of the DreamWorks Animation public stock offering). He, and good friend George Lucas (net worth: $3.5 billion) are the only filmmakers on the list. In December, he, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen sold DreamWorks SKG to Paramount Pictures Corporation for $1.6 billion. Once screened Lawrence of Arabia with director David Lean, who gave Spielberg a "live director's commentary", as Spielberg put it. Spielberg said that it was one of the best moments of his life, learning from a true master. Consequently, Spielberg stated that it helped him make better pictures and that commentary directly influenced every movie he has made since. His ten favourite films of all time are: Fantasia; Citizen Kane; A Guy Named Joe; It's a Wonderful Life; The War of the Worlds; Psycho; Lawrence of Arabia; 2001: A Space Odyssey; The Godfather and Day for Night. Has an estimated fortune of $2.8 billion ($2,800,000,000), according to the "Los Angeles Business Journal". The size of his fortune him the 14th richest person in the Los Angeles area and likely the wealthiest producer-director in the world (with only his friend George Lucas coming close). His iconic character E.T. from _E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)_ is ranked #26 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time. Is the most represented filmmaker on the American Film Institute's 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time, with five films on the list and three in the top ten. They are: Close Encounters of the Third Kind at #58; The Color Purple at #51; Saving Private Ryan at #10; _E.T. the Extra- Terrestrial (1982)_ at #6 and Schindler's List at #3. Ranked #6 in the Power Rankings and #1 in the Money Rankings on Forbes' 2006 Celebrity 100 List, with earnings of $332 million. Most of those earnings were from the 2005 sale of DreamWorks to Paramount Pictures. Ranked #4 on Premiere's 2006 "Power 50" list. Had ranked #2 in 2005. Interviewed in "Directors Close Up: Interviews with Directors Nominated for Best Film by the Directors Guild of America", ed. by Jeremy Kagan, Scarecrow Press, 2006. In 1996, he purchased Clark Gable's Oscar (which he won for It Happened One Night) to protect it from further commercial exploitation and gave it back to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, commenting that he could think of "no better sanctuary for Gable's only Oscar than the Motion Picture Academy". On 14 December 2002 he bought Bette Davis' Oscar, which she won for Dangerous, at a Sotheby's auction in New York to return it to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The statuette was among the memorabilia sold by the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain, which has emerged from bankruptcy protection. On 19 July 2001 he purchased Bette Davis' Oscar statuette, which she won for Jezebel, at a Christie's auction and returned it to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Since Raiders of the Lost Ark, all of his movies have featured visual effects (even those that were undetected) by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), the F/X house created by his friend George Lucas. The only exception has been The Terminal, which had F/X work by Digital Imageworks. Early in his career, while working for Universal Studios, he was asked to give a tour to a special guest who had just sold the film rights to one of his books to the studio. That guest was Michael Crichton, who later worked with Spielberg on Jurassic Park. Both live-action adaptations of "The Incredible Hulk" have references to his films. The first used stock footage from Duel. In the 2003 film by Ang Lee (Hulk), the impact of the Hulk hitting the ground causes ripples to form in nearby bodies of water, just as the Tyrannosaur does in Jurassic Park. Though he frequently works with Tom Hanks, Hanks is not, as of 2006, involved in Spielberg's biopic about Abraham Lincoln, even though he is descended from the family of Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks. Owns one of the largest gun collections on the East Coast. He shoots, but only privately. Godfather of Gwyneth Paltrow. Awarded Kennedy Center Honors in 2006, with Dolly Parton, Smokey Robinson, Zubin Mehta, and Andrew Lloyd Webber. According to Teri Garr, Spielberg told her on a set that one of his favorite movies is Love in Las Vegas, starring Elvis Presley. Is of Hungarian origin. His name comes from the Austrian city where his Jewish ancestors lived. Considered directing Memoirs of a Geisha. He, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola presented Martin Scorsese with his first ever award for Best Director, for The Departed. Is a huge fan of the actors Steve Martin, Bill Murray and Robin Williams. He is also proud to admit they are good friends of his. Was offered the opportunity to direct California Split, but job went to Robert Altman. Was originally set to direct "Cape Fear" (1991). He later recommended Martin Scorsese for the job and personally called the director, letting him know that this was a commercial film that had potential to be a hit, which would exercise more power for Scorcese to make his films. Attended the funeral of Princess Diana with friends Richard Attenborough, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. [Sept. 6, 1997] Went to the same college, CSULB as Frank Miranda. Was originally in talks to direct "The Mask of Zorro" (1998) but later only produced it. Burt Reynolds film "White Lightning" (1973) was originally slated to be Spielberg's first theatrical feature and he spent months on pre-production.