Steven Spielberg
Spielberg speaking at the Pentagon on August 11, 1999. Events 2492 BC - Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar)
Born	Steven Allan Spielberg December 18, 1946 (1946-12-18) (age 61) Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Years active	1968 - present
Spouse(s)	Amy Irving (1985-1989) Kate Capshaw (1991-present)

Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE (born December 18, 1946)^[1] is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Events 218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal 's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Amy Davis Irving (born September 10, 1953) is an American Actress, known for her $100 million settlement with Steven Spielberg Kate Capshaw (born November 3, 1953) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Willie Scott in the film Indiana The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Events 218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal 's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a Film. A film producer is a person who creates the conditions for making movies. Screenwriters or scenarists are Scriptwriters who write the Screenplays from which Films and Television programs are made Spielberg is a three-time Academy Award winner and is the highest grossing filmmaker of all time; his films having made nearly $8 billion internationally. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Forbes magazine places Spielberg's net worth at $3 billion. Forbes is an American Publishing and media company Its flagship publication Forbes magazine is published bi-weekly ^[2] In 2006, the magazine Premiere listed him as the most powerful and influential figure in the motion picture industry. Premiere was an American and New York City -based film Magazine published by Hachette Filipacchi Media U The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking i Time listed him as one of the 100 Greatest People of the Century. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and The Time 100 The Most Important People of the Century is a compilation of the 20th century's most influential politicians artists innovators scientists and cultural icons And at the end of the twentieth century, Life named him the most influential person of his generation. ^[3]

In a career that spans almost four decades, Spielberg's films have touched many themes and genres. During the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, three of his films, Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Jurassic Park became the highest grossing films for their time. Jaws is a 1975 thriller / horror Film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley 's best-selling This article is about the 1982 film For the term "ET" which redirects here see ET. Jurassic Park is a 1993 Science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the novel of the same name by Michael During his early years as a director, his sci-fi and adventure films were often seen as the archetype of modern Hollywood blockbuster filmmaking. Adventure Film is a Film genre. History The adventure film reached its peak of popularity in 1930s and This article refers to the theatrical slang term for other uses see Blockbuster (disambiguation. In later years, his movies began addressing such historical issues as the Holocaust, slavery, war, and terrorism. The Holocaust (from the Greek el ''ὁλόκαυστον'' (el-Latn holókauston holos, "completely" and kaustos, "burnt" also known as As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another War is an international relations Dispute, characterized by organized Violence between National Military units Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion

Contents 1 Early life 2 Early career (1968–1975) 3 Mainstream breaktrough (1975–1994) 4 1997–present 4.1 Production credits 4.2 Acting credits 4.3 Involvement in video games 4.4 Upcoming projects 5 Style 5.1 Themes 5.2 Contemporaries 6 Personal life 6.1 Marriages and children 6.2 Starbright 6.3 Politics 7 Awards and honors 8 Criticism 9 Filmography 9.1 Academy Award nominations 10 References 11 External links

Early life

Spielberg was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Jewish parents Leah Adler (née Posner), a restaurateur and concert pianist, and Arnold Spielberg, a computer engineer. Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads ^[4] Throughout his early teens, Spielberg made amateur 8 mm "adventure" movies with his friends, the first of which he shot at a restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona. Scottsdale ( O'odham Vaṣai S-vaṣonĭ; Yaqui Eskatel) is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, He charged admission (25 cents) to his home movies (which involved the wrecks he staged with his Lionel train set) while his sister sold popcorn.

He became a Boy Scout and in 1958, he fulfilled a requirement for photography merit badge by making a 9 minute 8 mm film entitled The Last Gunfight. Boy Scouting is a membership level of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA for boys and young men For history regarding merit badge types see History of merit badges (Boy Scouts of America. ^[5] At age 13, Spielberg won a prize for a 40-minute war movie he titled Escape to Nowhere. In 1963, then the 16-year-old Spielberg wrote and directed his first independent movie, a 140-minute science fiction adventure called Firelight (which would later inspire Close Encounters). The movie, which had a budget of US$400, was shown in his local movie theater and generated a profit of $100. A writer for the local Phoenix press wrote that he could expect great things to come.

After his parents divorced, he moved to California with his father. His three sisters and mother remained in Arizona, where he attended Passover seders at the home of Zalman and Pearl Segal on an annual basis. The Passover Seder Meal ( Hebrew: סֵדֶר seðɛɾ "order" "arrangement" is a Jewish ritual feast held on the first (and for some the Although he attended Arcadia High School in Phoenix, Arizona for three years, Spielberg ended up graduating from Saratoga High School in Saratoga, California, in 1965, which he called the "worst experience" of his life and "hell on Earth". Arcadia High School may refer to Arcadia High School (Phoenix Arizona Arcadia High School (Arcadia California * Arcadia High School It was during this time Spielberg attained the rank of Eagle Scout. Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA

After moving to California, he applied to attend film school at the University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television three separate times but was unsuccessful due to his C grade average. The University of Southern California (commonly referred to as USC, SC, Southern California, and incorrectly His actual career began when he returned to Universal studios as an unpaid, eight-day-a-week intern and guest of the editing department. He got this job by dressing up in a business suit, and walked into Universal Studios during a tour, looking important. He found a janitor's closet not being used and called it "his office. " While attending college at Long Beach State in the 1960s, Spielberg also became member of Theta Chi Fraternity. Theta Chi Fraternity (ΘΧ is an international college fraternity. After Spielberg became famous, USC awarded him an honorary degree in 1994, and in 1996 he became a trustee of the university. Trustee is a Legal term that refers to a holder of property on behalf of a beneficiary. ^[6] He attended California State University, Long Beach. California State University Long Beach (also known as Cal State Long Beach, Long Beach State, CSU Long Beach, CSULB, LBSU ^[7] In 2002, thirty-five years after starting college, Spielberg finished his degree via independent projects at CSULB, and was awarded a B. A. in Film Production and Electronic Arts with an option in Film/Video Production. ^[8]

As an intern and guest of Universal Studios, Spielberg made his first short film for theatrical release, the 24 minute movie Amblin' in 1968. Amblin' is a short film released in 1968. It is the first completed film shot by Steven Spielberg on 35mm. ^[9] After Sidney Sheinberg, then the vice-president of production for Universal's TV arm, saw the film, Spielberg became the youngest director ever to be signed to a long-term deal with a major Hollywood studio (Universal). He dropped out of Long Beach State in 1969 to take the television director contract at Universal Studios and began his career as a professional director.

Early career (1968–1975)

His first professional TV job came when he was hired to do one of the segments for the 1969 pilot episode of Night Gallery. Night Gallery is Rod Serling 's follow-up series to The Twilight Zone that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1973 The segment, "Eyes", starred Joan Crawford (who was very supportive of her twenty-two year-old rookie director), and she and Spielberg were reportedly close friends until her death. Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; ( March 23, 1905 - May 10, 1977) Crawford was signed to a motion picture The episode is unusual in his body of work, in that the camerawork is more highly stylized than his later, more "mature" films. After this, and an episode of Marcus Welby, M.D., Spielberg got his first feature-length assignment: an episode of Name of the Game called "L. Marcus Welby MD is a popular Medical drama that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969 to July 29, 1976 A. 2017". This futuristic science fiction episode impressed Universal Studios and they signed him on a short contract. He did another segment on Night Gallery and did some work for shows such as Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law and The Psychiatrist before landing the first series episode of Columbo (previous episodes were actually TV movies).

Based on the strength of his work, Universal signed Spielberg to do three TV movies. The first was a Richard Matheson adaptation called Duel about a monstrous tanker truck which tries to run a small car off the road. Richard Matheson (born February 20, 1926) is an American Author and Screenwriter, typically of fantasy, horror Duel is a 1971 Television movie about a motorist (played by Dennis Weaver) on a remote and lonely road being stalked by a large Tanker truck Special praise of this film by the influential British critic Dilys Powell was highly significant to Spielberg's career. Elizabeth Dilys Powell ( 20 July 1901 &ndash 3 June 1995) was a British journalist author and Film critic. Another TV film (Something Evil) was made and released to capitalize on the popularity of The Exorcist, then a major best-selling book which had not yet been released as a movie. The Exorcist is a 1973 American Horror film, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty, The Exorcist is a 1973 American Horror film, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty, He fulfilled his contract by directing the TV movie length pilot of a show called Savage, starring Martin Landau. Martin Landau (born June 20, 1931) is an Academy Award -winning American Film and television Actor. Spielberg's debut theatrical feature film was The Sugarland Express, about a married couple who are chased by police as the couple tries to regain custody of their baby. "The Sugar Land Express" also was the nickname of the American football player Kenneth Hall. Spielberg's cinematography for the police chase was praised by reviewers, and The Hollywood Reporter stated that "a major new director is on the horizon". The Hollywood Reporter is a major trade publication of the Film industry in the United States. ^[10] However, the film fared poorly at the box office and received a limited release.

Studio producers Richard Zanuck and David Brown offered Spielberg the director's chair for Jaws, a horror film based on the Peter Benchley novel about an enormous killer-shark. Richard Darryl Zanuck (born December 13, 1934) is an Academy Award -winning American film producer David Brown (born July 28, 1916) is an Academy Award -winning American movie producer Jaws is a 1975 thriller / horror Film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley 's best-selling Horror films are Movies that strive to elicit Fear, Horror and terror responses from viewers Peter Bradford Benchley ( May 8, 1940 -11 February 2006 was an American author best known for writing the novel Jaws and co-writing the Spielberg has often referred to the grueling shoot as his professional crucible. Despite the film's ultimate, enormous success, it was nearly shut down due to delays and budget over-runs.

But Spielberg persevered and finished the film. It was an enormous hit and won three Academy Awards (for editing, original score and sound), and grossed $470,653,000 at the box office, setting the domestic record for box office gross and leading to what the press described as "Jawsmania". "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. ^[11] Jaws made him a household name, as well as one of America's youngest multi-millionaires, and allowed Spielberg a great deal of autonomy for his future projects. ^[12] It was nominated for Best Picture and featured Spielberg's first of three collaborations with actor Richard Dreyfuss. Richard Stephen Dreyfuss (born October 29 1947 is an Academy Award -winning American Actor, known for a number of film television and theater roles such

Mainstream breaktrough (1975–1994)

Rejecting offers to direct Jaws 2^[13], King Kong and Superman, Spielberg and actor Richard Dreyfuss re-convened to work on a film about UFOs, which became Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Jaws 2 is a 1978 horror &ndash Thriller film directed by Jeannot Szwarc. King Kong is a 1976 American motion picture produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Guillermin. Superman (also known as Superman The Movie) is a 1978 Superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 Science fiction film directed and written by Steven Spielberg. One of the rare movies both written and directed by Spielberg, Close Encounters was a critical and box office hit, giving Spielberg his first Best Director nomination from the Academy as well as earning six other Academy Awards nominations. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. It won Oscars in two categories (Cinematography, Vilmos Zsigmond, and a Special Achievement Award for Sound Effects Editing, Frank E. Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC (born June 16, 1930) is a Hungarian - American Cinematographer. Warner). This second blockbuster helped to secure Spielberg's rise.

Spielberg's success with mainstream and commercially appealing films also subjected him to disdain from film reviewers. His next film, 1941, a big-budgeted World War II farce, flopped with both audiences and critics alike. 1941 is Steven Spielberg 's fourth theatrical film written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

Spielberg then revisited his Close Encounters project and, with financial backing from Columbia Pictures, released Close Encounters - The Special Edition in 1980. For this, Spielberg fixed some of the flaws he thought impeded the original 1977 version of the film and also, at the behest of Columbia, shot additional footage showing the audience the interior of the mothership seen at the end of the film (a decision Spielberg would later regret as he felt the interior of the mothership should have remained a mystery).

Next, Spielberg teamed with Star Wars creator and friend George Lucas on an action adventure film. Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded George Walton Lucas Jr (born May 14, 1944) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, producer, Screenwriter Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first of the Indiana Jones films, was an homage to the cliffhanger serials of the Golden Age of Hollywood, with Harrison Ford (whom Lucas had previously cast in his Star Wars films) as the archaeologist and adventurer hero Indiana Jones. Raiders of the Lost Ark (also known as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark) is a 1981 Adventure film directed by Steven Dr (also Col Henry Walton Jones Jr, better known as Indiana Jones or Indy after his pet dog is a fictional Adventurer, Soldier Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials or Film serials, were Short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a Feature For the mythological meaning see Golden Age, for other uses see Golden Age (disambiguation A golden age is a period in a field of Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an Academy Award - and BAFTA -nominated as well as Golden Globe -winning American Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded Dr (also Col Henry Walton Jones Jr, better known as Indiana Jones or Indy after his pet dog is a fictional Adventurer, Soldier It became the biggest film at the box office in 1981, and the recipient of numerous Oscar nominations including Best Director (Spielberg's second nomination) and Best Picture (the second Spielberg film to be nominated for Best Picture). Raiders is still considered a landmark example of the action genre.

A year later, Spielberg returned to the science fiction genre with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. This article is about the 1982 film For the term "ET" which redirects here see ET. It was the story of a young boy and the alien whom he befriends, who was accidentally left behind by his people and is trying to get back home to outer space. E. T. - The Extra-Terrestrial went on to become the top-grossing film of all time until it was beaten by another of his films, Jurassic Park, in 1993. Jurassic Park is a 1993 Science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the novel of the same name by Michael E. T. was also nominated for nine Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director.

Between 1982 and 1985, Spielberg produced three high-grossing movies: Poltergeist (for which he also co-wrote the screenplay), a big-screen adaptation of The Twilight Zone (for which he directed the segment "Kick The Can"), and The Goonies. Poltergeist is the first and most successful Poltergeist Film, released on June 4, 1982 and nominated for three Twilight Zone The Movie is a 1983 film produced by Steven Spielberg as a theatrical version of The Twilight Zone, a 1950s and 60s "Goonies" redirects here For other uses see Goonies (disambiguation.

His next directorial feature was the Raiders prequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a 1984 period Adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. Teaming up once again with Lucas and Ford, the film was plagued with uncertainty for the material and script. Reviews were generally less positive than they were for its predecessor (although critic Roger Ebert gave the film four stars and Pauline Kael praised the movie after criticizing the original), and it was criticized for lacking the energy of the original, its questionable depiction of East Indian culture, and for the level of violence in a movie with a large audience of young viewers. This film and the Spielberg produced Gremlins led to the creation of the PG-13 rating due to the high level of violence in movies targeted at younger audiences. Gremlins is a American dark comedy horror Movie directed by Joe Dante and released in 1984 by Warner Bros Nonetheless, the film was still a huge blockbuster hit in 1984. It was on this project that Spielberg also met his future wife, actress Kate Capshaw. Kate Capshaw (born November 3, 1953) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Willie Scott in the film Indiana

In 1985, Spielberg released The Color Purple, an adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, about a generation of empowered African-American women during depression-era America. The Color Purple is a 1985 Drama film directed by Steven Spielberg. Alice Malsenior Walker (born February 9 1944 is an American Author, self-declared Feminist and Womanist - the latter a term she herself The Pulitzer Prize, ˈpʊlɨtsɚ PULL-it-sər is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in Newspaper journalism, The Color Purple is an acclaimed 1982 Epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker. Starring Whoopi Goldberg and future talk-show superstar Oprah Winfrey, the film was a box office smash and critics hailed Spielberg's successful foray into the dramatic genre. Whoopi Goldberg (born Caryn Elaine Johnson; November 13, 1955) is an American actress, comedienne, and television Oprah Gail Winfrey (born January 29 1954 often referred to simply as Oprah, is an American Drama is the specific mode of Fiction represented in Performance. Roger Ebert proclaimed it the best movie of the year and later entered it into his Great Films archive. Roger Joseph Ebert (iːbɝt born June 18, 1942) is an American film critic and Screenwriter. The film received eleven Academy Award nominations, including two for Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. However, much to the surprise of many, Spielberg did not get a Best Director nomination.

In 1987, as China began opening to the world, Spielberg shot the first American movie in Shanghai since the 1930s, an adaptation of J.G. Ballard's autobiographical novel Empire of the Sun, starring John Malkovich and a young Christian Bale. James Graham Ballard (born 15 November in the International Settlement in Shanghai, China) is a British Novelist and Short See also Empire of the Sun (soundtrack Empire of the Sun is a epic War film based on J John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an Emmy Award -winning two-time Academy Award -nominated American Actor Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974 is a British The film garnered much praise from critics and was nominated for several Oscars, but did not yield substantial box office revenues. Reviewer Andrew Sarris called it the best film of the year and later included it among the best films of the decade. Andrew Sarris, born on October 31, 1928 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, is a U ^[14]

After two forays into more serious dramatic films, Spielberg then directed the third Indiana Jones film, 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1989 Adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a story co-written by Executive producer Once again teaming up with Lucas and Ford, Spielberg also cast actor Sean Connery in a supporting role as Ford's father. Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born August 25 1930) is an Academy Award - Golden Globe - and BAFTA Award -winning Scottish The film earned generally positive reviews and was another box office success, becoming the highest grossing film worldwide that year; its total box office receipts even topped those of Tim Burton's much-anticipated film Batman, which had been the bigger hit domestically. Batman is a 1989 Superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Also in 1989, he re-united with actor Richard Dreyfuss for the romantic comedy-drama Always, about a daredevil pilot who extinguishes forest fires. Richard Stephen Dreyfuss (born October 29 1947 is an Academy Award -winning American Actor, known for a number of film television and theater roles such Spielberg's first romantic film, Always was only a moderate success and had mixed reviews.

In 1991, Spielberg directed Hook, about a middle-aged Peter Pan, played by Robin Williams, who returns to Neverland. See also Hook (video game Hook is a 1991 family Fantasy film directed by Steven Spielberg. Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J Robin McLaurim Williams (born July 21 1951 or 1952 is an American television stage and film actor and Comedian who has won an Academy Award for his performance Neverland (also called Never-Never-Land, Never Land and other variations is the Island and dream world featured in the play Peter Despite innumerable rewrites and creative changes coupled with mixed reviews, the film made $300 million worldwide (from a budget of $70 million).

In 1993, Spielberg returned to the adventure genre with the film version of Michael Crichton's novel Jurassic Park, about a theme park with genetically engineered dinosaurs. John Michael Crichton, ˈkraɪtən, (born October 23 1942 is an American author Film producer, Film director, Medical doctor, and Television producer Jurassic Park is a 1993 Science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the novel of the same name by Michael With revolutionary special effects provided by friend George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic company, the film would eventually become the highest grossing film of all time (at the worldwide box office) with $914 million. George Walton Lucas Jr (born May 14, 1944) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, producer, Screenwriter Industrial Light & Magic ( ILM) is a motion picture Visual effects company that was founded in May 1975 by George Lucas and is owned This would be the third time that one of Spielberg's films became the highest grossing film ever.

Spielberg's next film Schindler's List was based on the true story of Oskar Schindler, a man who risked his life to save 1,100 people from the Holocaust. Schindler's List is a Biographical film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. Oskar Schindler ( 28 April 1908 &ndash 9 October 1974) was a Sudeten German Industrialist credited with saving almost 1200 The Holocaust (from the Greek el ''ὁλόκαυστον'' (el-Latn holókauston holos, "completely" and kaustos, "burnt" also known as ^[15] Schindler's List earned Spielberg his first Academy Award for Best Director (it also won Best Picture). "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. The Academy Award for Achievement in Directing (Best Director is one of the Awards of Merit presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to artists working With the film a huge success at the box office, Spielberg used the profits to set up the Shoah Foundation, a non-profit organization that archives filmed testimony of the Holocaust survivors. Shoah foundations are organizations that are formed to further the remembrance of the Holocaust of World War II. A non-profit organization ( abbreviated "NPO" also "not-for-profit" is a legally constituted Organization whose objective is to support or engage The Holocaust (from the Greek el ''ὁλόκαυστον'' (el-Latn holókauston holos, "completely" and kaustos, "burnt" also known as Some critics maintain that Schindler's List is the most accurate portrayal of the Holocaust, and in 1997 the American Film Institute listed it among the 10 Greatest American Films ever Made (#8). The American Film Institute ( AFI) is an independent Non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967

1997–present

In 1994, Spielberg took a hiatus from directing to spend more time with his family and build his new studio DreamWorks. DreamWorks LLC, also known as DreamWorks Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, or DreamWorks Studios, is a major American Film studio ^[16] In 1997, he helmed the sequel to 1993's Jurassic Park with The Lost World: Jurassic Park, which generated over $618 million worldwide despite mixed reviews, and was the second biggest hit of 1997 behind James Cameron's Titanic (which topped the original Jurassic Park to become the new recordholder for box office receipts). The Lost World Jurassic Park (commonly referred to as The Lost World or Jurassic Park 2) is a 1997 American Science James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is an Academy Award -winning Canadian - American director Titanic is a 1997 Disaster film directed written co-produced and co-edited by James Cameron about the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic''

His next film, Amistad, was based on a true story (like Schindler's List), specifically about an African slave rebellion. Amistad is a 1997 Steven Spielberg Film based on the true story of a slave mutiny that took place aboard a ship of the same name in Despite decent reviews from critics, it did not do well at the box office. Spielberg released Amistad under his new studio DreamWorks Pictures,^[17] which has released all of his movies since Amistad, a streak that will end in May 2008 (see below). DreamWorks LLC, also known as DreamWorks Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, or DreamWorks Studios, is a major American Film studio

In 1998, Spielberg released the World War II drama Saving Private Ryan, about a squad of U. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 War film set during the invasion of Normandy during World War II. S. soldiers led by Capt. Miller (Tom Hanks) who try to find a missing soldier in France. Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks (born July 9 1956 is an two-time Academy award and Emmy winning American Film actor, director The film was another huge box office success, grossing over $481 million worldwide and was the biggest film of the year at the U. S. /domestic box office. Spielberg won his second Academy Award for his direction. The film's graphic, realistic depiction of combat violence influenced later war movies such as Black Hawk Down and Enemy at the Gates. Black Hawk Down is a 2001 Academy Award -winning War film directed by Ridley Scott, based on the book Black Hawk Down a Enemy at the Gates is a 2001 War film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, starring Jude Law and Ed Harris set during the Battle The film was also the first major hit for Spielberg's studio DreamWorks, which co-produced the film with Paramount Pictures (as such, it was Spielberg's first release from the latter that was not part of the Indiana Jones series). Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. Later, Spielberg and Hanks produced a TV mini-series based on Stephen Ambrose's book Band of Brothers. Stephen Edward Ambrose ( January 10, 1936 – October 13, 2002) was an American Historian and Biographer of U Band of Brothers is a ten-part Television World War II Mini-series based on the book of the same title written by Historian The ten-part HBO mini-series follows Easy Company of the 101st Airborne Division's 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The series won a number of awards at the Golden Globes and the Emmys. The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and Television programs given out each year during a formal dinner

In 2001, Spielberg filmed fellow director and friend Stanley Kubrick's final project, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence which Kubrick was unable to begin during his lifetime. A futuristic movie about a humanoid android longing for love, A. An android is a Robot designed to resemble a human usually both in appearance and behavior I. featured groundbreaking visual effects and a multi-layered, allegorical storyline. According to a Sight & Sound magazine poll of the greatest films ever made, film critic Armond White of the New York Press hails A. Sight & Sound ( is a British monthly Film Magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI While there is no agreement upon the greatest Film of all time many publications and organizations have tried to determine the films considered the greatest ever. Armond White (born in Detroit Michigan) is an American Film critic. New York Press is a free Alternative weekly in New York City. I. as his all-time favorite movie.

Spielberg and actor Tom Cruise collaborated for the first time for the futuristic neo-noir Minority Report, based upon the sci-fi short story written by Philip K. Dick about a Washington, D. Thomas Cruise Mapother IV ( born July 3 1962 better known by his screen name Tom Cruise, is an American Actor and Film producer Neo-noir (from the Greek Neo, new and the French noir black is a type of Motion picture that prominently utilizes elements of Film Minority Report is a 2002 Science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg, loosely based on the Philip K Philip Kindred Dick (December 16 – March 2) was an American Science fiction Novelist and Short story Writer. C. , police captain who has been foreseen to murder a man he has not yet met. The film received strong reviews with the review tallying website rottentomatoes.com reporting that 199 out of the 217 reviews they tallied were positive. Rotten Tomatoes is a Website devoted to reviews information and news of Movies. ^[18] The film was praised as a futuristic homage to film noir, with its intelligent premise and "whodunit" structure. Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize moral ambiguity and sexual motivation The film earned over $358 million worldwide. Roger Ebert, who named it the best film of 2002, praised its breathtaking vision of the future as well as for the way Spielberg blended CGI with live-action. Roger Joseph Ebert (iːbɝt born June 18, 1942) is an American film critic and Screenwriter. Computer animation Computer-generated imagery (also known as CGI) is the application of the field of Computer graphics or more specifically 3D computer graphics ^[19]

Spielberg's 2002 film Catch Me if You Can is about the daring adventures of a youthful con artist (played by Leonardo DiCaprio). Catch Me if You Can is a 2002 Black comedy film loosely based on Frank Abagnale Jr Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (born November 11 1974 is a three-time Academy Award -nominated and Golden Globe -winning American film actor. It earned Christopher Walken an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Christopher Walken (born March 31 1943 is an American Film and Theatre Actor. Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts The film is known for John Williams's score and its unique title sequence. John Towner Williams (born February 8 1932) is an American Composer, conductor and Pianist. Title sequence generally refers to the method by which cinematic films or television shows present their title key cast and/or production members utilizing conceptual visuals The film was a hit both commercially and critically.

Spielberg collaborated again with Tom Hanks along with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Stanley Tucci in 2004's The Terminal, a warm-hearted comedy about a man of Eastern European descent who is stranded in an airport. Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks (born July 9 1956 is an two-time Academy award and Emmy winning American Film actor, director Catherine Zeta-Jones ( "zeeta" born September 25, 1969) is a Welsh actress, presently based in the United States Stanley Tucci Jr (born 11 November 1960) is an American Golden Globe - and Emmy Award -winning Screen Actors Guild - and The Terminal is a 2004 Comedy-drama Film written by Andrew Niccol and Sacha Gervasi. It received mixed reviews but performed relatively well at the box office. In 2005, Empire magazine ranked Spielberg number one on a list of the greatest film directors of all time. Empire is a British Film Magazine published Monthly by Bauer Consumer Media.

Also in 2005, Spielberg directed a modern adaptation of War of the Worlds (a co-production of Paramount and DreamWorks), based on the H. War of the Worlds is a 2005 Science fiction Disaster film based on H G. Wells book of the same name (Spielberg had been a huge fan of the book and the original 1953 film). It starred Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning, and, as with past Spielberg films, Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) provided the visual effects. Thomas Cruise Mapother IV ( born July 3 1962 better known by his screen name Tom Cruise, is an American Actor and Film producer Dakota Fanning (born February 23 1994 is an American teen Actress. Industrial Light & Magic ( ILM) is a motion picture Visual effects company that was founded in May 1975 by George Lucas and is owned Visual effects (commonly shortened to Visual F/X or VFX) are the various processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a Live Unlike E. T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which depicted friendly alien visitors, War of the Worlds had violent alien invaders. The film was another huge box office smash, grossing over $591 million worldwide.

Spielberg's film Munich, about the events following the 1972 Munich Massacre of Israeli athletes at the Olympic Games, was his second film essaying Jewish relations in the world (the first being Schindler's List). Munich is a 2005 semi-fictionalized film about the Israeli government's secret retaliation after the 1972 Munich massacre of Israeli Olympic athletes The Munich massacre occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken The film is based on Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team, a book by Canadian journalist George Jonas – a book whose veracity has been largely questioned by journalists. George Jonas (born June 15 1935) is a Hungarian -born Canadian writer ^[20] The film received strong critical praise, but underperformed at the U. S. and world box-office; it remains one of Spielberg's most controversial films to date. ^[21] Munich received five Academy Awards nominations, including Best Picture, Film Editing, Original Music Score (by John Williams), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Director for Spielberg. It was Spielberg's sixth Best Director nomination and fifth Best Picture nomination.

Spielberg directed Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which wrapped filming in October 2007 and was released on May 22, 2008. Events 334 BC - The Greek army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[22][23] This was his first film not to be released by DreamWorks since 1997. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.

Production credits

Since the mid-1980s Spielberg has increased his role as a film producer. He has produced several cartoons, including Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, Toonsylvania, Freakazoid!, and the Don Bluth animated features, An American Tail and The Land Before Time. Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures (also known as Tiny Toon Adventures or Tiny Toons) is an American Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs, usually referred to as Animaniacs, is an American animated series, distributed by Warner Bros Pinky and the Brain are Cartoon characters who have starred in the American Animated television series Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs Toonsylvania is an Animated television series, which ran from 1998 to 1999 on FOX's Saturday morning cartoon block (usually placed in a block Freakazoid! is an American Animated television series, produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros Donald Virgil Bluth (born September 13, 1937 in El Paso Texas) is an American Animator and independent studio owner An American Tail is a 1986 animated Film produced by Steven Spielberg 's Amblin Entertainment, and directed by Don The Land Before Time is an Animated film, produced by Steven Spielberg 's Amblin Entertainment and directed by Don Bluth. He was also, for a short time, the executive producer of the long-running medical drama ER. ER is an Emmy Award -winning American Medical drama series created by Novelist Michael Crichton and airing on In 1989, he brought the concept of The Dig to LucasArts. The Dig is a graphical Adventure game developed by LucasArts and released in 1995 and a novel based on the game written by Alan Dean Foster. LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC is an American Video game developer and publisher. He contributed with the project from that time to 1995 when the game was released. He also collaborated with software publishers Knowledge Adventure on the multimedia game Steven Spielberg's Director's Chair, which was released in 1996. Knowledge Adventure Inc is a maker of Educational software including the Adiboo and JumpStart series of grade-based and subject-based titles such Steven Spielberg's Director's Chair was a Simulation game created and published by Knowledge Adventure for Windows and Macintosh. Spielberg appears, as himself, in the game to direct the player. Spielberg was branded for a Lego Moviemaker kit, the proceeds of which went to the Starbright Foundation.

In 1993, Spielberg acted as executive producer for the highly anticipated television series seaQuest DSV; a science fiction series set "in the near future" starring Roy Scheider (who Spielberg had directed in Jaws) and Jonathan Brandis akin to Star Trek: The Next Generation that aired on Sundays at 8:00 p. seaQuest DSV was an American Science fiction television series created by Rockne S Roy Richard Scheider (November 10 1932 – February 10 2008 was an Academy Award - and Golden Globe -nominated American Actor. Jonathan Gregory Brandis ( April 13, 1976 — November 12, 2003) was an American Actor, director, and Screenwriter Star Trek The Next Generation ( STTNG or TNG) is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning science fiction television program created by Gene Roddenberry m. on NBC. The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's While the first season was moderately successful, the second season did less well. Spielberg's name no longer appeared in the third season and the show was cancelled mid way through the third season.

Spielberg served as an uncredited executive producer on The Haunting, The Prince of Egypt, Shrek, and Evolution. The Haunting is a 1999 remake of the 1963 Horror film of the same name. The Prince of Egypt is a 1998 American Animated film, the first traditionally animated film produced and released by DreamWorks Shrek is a 2001 computer-animated American Comedy film, directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, and Evolution is a 2001 comedy sci-fi movie directed by Ivan Reitman. In 2005, he served as a producer of Memoirs of a Geisha, an adaptation of the best-selling novel by Arthur Golden, a film he was previously attached to as director. Memoirs of a Geisha is an Academy-Award -winning movie adaptation of the novel of the same name, produced by Steven Spielberg 's Amblin Arthur Golden (born in 1956 in Chattanooga Tennessee) is the writer of the bestselling novel Memoirs of a Geisha. In 2006 Spielberg co-executive produced with famed filmmaker Robert Zemeckis a CGI children's movie called Monster House, marking their first collaboration together since 1990's Back to the Future Part III. Robert Lee "Bob" Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is an Academy Award - and Golden Globe -winning American Film director, Monster House is an American 2006 computer animated horror film released on July 21, 2006. Back to the Future Part III is the third installment of the ''Back to the Future'' trilogy. He also teamed with Clint Eastwood for the first time in their careers, co-producing Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima with Robert Lorenz and Eastwood himself. Clinton "Clint" Eastwood Jr (born May 31 1930 is a four-time Academy Award winning American Actor and Filmmaker. Flags of Our Fathers is a 2006 American War film directed by Clint Eastwood and written by William Broyles Jr is a 2006 War film directed by Clint Eastwood whose cast includes Ken Watanabe and Kazunari Ninomiya. Robert Lorenz is an Academy Award -nominated producer best known for his collaborations with Clint Eastwood. He earned his twelfth Academy Award nomination for the latter film as it was nominated for Best Picture. Recently Spielberg served as executive producer for Disturbia and the Transformers live action film with Brian Goldner, an employee of Hasbro. Transformers is a 2007 Live-action Film adaptation of the ''Transformers'' franchise, directed by Michael Bay and Hasbro ( is an American Toy company It is one of the largest toy makers in the world second only to the toy giant Mattel. The film was directed by Michael Bay and written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American Film director and producer. Roberto Gaston Orci (born 1973 in Mexico City, Mexico) is a Mexican film and Television producer and Screenwriter Alex Kurtzman is an American Film and Television screenwriter producer and director

Other major television series Spielberg produced were Band of Brothers and Taken. Band of Brothers is a ten-part Television World War II Mini-series based on the book of the same title written by Historian Taken, also known as Steven Spielberg Presents Taken is a Science fiction Miniseries which first aired on the Sci-Fi Channel He was an executive producer on the critically acclaimed 2005 TV miniseries Into the West which won two Emmy awards, including one for Geoff Zanelli's score. A miniseries (also mini-series) in a serial Storytelling medium is a production which tells a story in a pre-planned limited number of episodes Into the West is a 2005 Miniseries produced by Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks, with six two-hour episodes (including commercials

In 2007, Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett co-produced On the Lot an ill-fated TV reality show about filmmaking. Mark Burnett (born 17 July, 1960) is a British Television producer. On the Lot was a short-lived Reality show competition produced by Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett. Reality television is a genre of Television programming which presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations documents actual events and usually features ordinary

Acting credits

Steven Spielberg had cameo roles in The Blues Brothers and Austin Powers in Goldmember, as well as small uncredited cameos in a handful of other films. The Blues Brothers is a 1980 musical comedy directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd Austin Powers in Goldmember is the third Film of the Austin Powers series starring Mike Myers in the title role.

Involvement in video games

Other than films, Spielberg has also revealed an interest in video games, revealing himself to be a gamer. A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. ^[24] In 2005 the director signed with Electronic Arts to collaborate on three games including a currently unnamed action game and a puzzle game for the Wii called Boom Blox. LMNO is the project Codename of an upcoming Video game being developed by Electronic Arts in conjunction with film director Steven Boom Blox is a Puzzle video game for the Wii console and mobile devices developed by EA Los Angeles in conjunction with film director ^[25] Previously, he was involved in creating the scenario for the adventure game The Dig. The Dig is a graphical Adventure game developed by LucasArts and released in 1995 and a novel based on the game written by Alan Dean Foster. ^[26] He is also the creator of the Medal of Honor series by Electronic Arts. Plot The Medal of Honor series puts the player in the boots of an Allied combatant during World War II, with weaponry appropriate to the ^[27]

Upcoming projects

Spielberg is planning a motion capture film trilogy based on The Adventures of Tintin, with Peter Jackson. Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating the movement onto a digital model The Adventures of Tintin (Les Aventures de Tintin is a series of Comic strips created by Belgian artist Hergé, the pen name of Georges Remi Peter Robert Jackson, CNZM (born 31 October 1961 is a three-time Academy Award -winning New Zealand director producer and writer best known for directing He should direct the first installment of the franchise.

Spielberg also saw development of the game Boom Blox released in May 2008. Boom Blox is a Puzzle video game for the Wii console and mobile devices developed by EA Los Angeles in conjunction with film director Trial of the Chicago 7 will begin production in March 2008 and is currently slated for a late 2008 release. The Chicago Seven were seven (originally eight known as the Chicago Eight) defendants charged with conspiracy inciting to Riot, and other charges related The story details the events of the Vietnam War protests during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Chicago Convention redirects here for the Convention on International Civil Aviation for the event also referred to by this name Spielberg has also begun plans for an Abraham Lincoln biopic, titled Lincoln, which stars Liam Neeson as the 16th President of the United States and Sally Field as his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal A biographical motion picture &mdash often shortened to biopic &mdash is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people William John "Liam" Neeson OBE (born June 7, 1952) is an Irish Actor. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Mary Ann Todd Lincoln ( December 13, 1818 &ndash July 16, 1882) was the wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham It will be written by Tony Kushner, who wrote Munich, and is scheduled for release in 2009. Tony Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an award-winning American playwright most famous for his play Angels in America, for which Munich is a 2005 semi-fictionalized film about the Israeli government's secret retaliation after the 1972 Munich massacre of Israeli Olympic athletes ^[28] In June 2006, it was confirmed Spielberg had already begun working on a space travel movie titled Interstellar. Kip Stephen Thorne (born June 1, 1940) is an American theoretical physicist, known for his prolific contributions in gravitation physics ^[29] It will be based on real scientific theories of black holes, worm holes, time travel, and gravity.

Jurassic Park IV is also in development. The Jurassic Park franchise is a series of Books, Films and Video games centering on a disastrous attempt to create a Theme park Another upcoming project is a miniseries which he will produce with Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, titled The Pacific. The Pacific is a World War II television drama Mini-series, produced by HBO, which is currently in development The miniseries will cost $150 million and will be a 10-part war miniseries in conjunction with the Australian Seven Network. The Seven Network is an Australian television network, owned by the Seven Media Group. The project is centered on the battles in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Writer Bruce McKenna, who penned several installments of the first miniseries (Band of Brothers), is the head writer. Bruce C McKenna is a television and movie writer He wrote the sixth episode of the television series Band of Brothers, entitled " Bastogne " Band of Brothers is a ten-part Television World War II Mini-series based on the book of the same title written by Historian Filming is expected to begin in August 2008 and will continue for a year, with locations mostly in Australia, to include Far North Queensland, Melbourne, and the Northern Territory. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the center of the mainland continent as well as the central northern regions Producers have chosen to base the series at Melbourne's Central City Studios. ^[30] He is also producing two untitled Fox TV series, one focusing on fashion, another on time-travellers from World War II. ^[31]

On April 29th, 2008, it was announced that Spielberg will direct a film regarding the 1988 bombing of Pan Am 103 over the town of Lockerbie in Scotland. Lockerbie ( Scottish Gaelic: Logarbaidh) is a town in the Dumfries and Galloway region of south-western Scotland. The movie will be based on the book Flight 103 written by former MOSSAD agent Juval Aviv, who believes that Libyan national Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, the only person convicted of the attacks, is actually innocent. Juval Aviv, also written as Yuval Aviv (born February 24, 1947) is the president of Interfor Inc Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi (عبد الباسط محمد علي المقرحي (not المقراحي as commonly misspelled by the media (born April 1 1952 is a former Libyan ^[32]

Style

Themes

Spielberg's films often deal with several recurring themes. Most of his films deal with ordinary characters searching for or coming in contact with extraordinary beings or finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances. This is especially evident in the Indiana Jones series. Dr (also Col Henry Walton Jones Jr, better known as Indiana Jones or Indy after his pet dog is a fictional Adventurer, Soldier In an AFI interview in August 2000 Spielberg commented on his interest in the possibility of extra terrestrial life and how it has influenced some of his films. The American Film Institute ( AFI) is an independent Non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 To that tradition of fascination with space, Spielberg has placed on several occasions, shooting stars in the background of his films such as in Jaws. Spielberg described himself as feeling like an alien during childhood,^[33] and his interest came from his father, a science fiction fan, and his opinion that aliens would not travel light years for conquest, but instead curiosity and sharing of knowledge. ^[34]

A strong consistent theme in his family-friendly work is a childlike, even naïve, sense of wonder and faith, as attested by works such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Hook, and A.I.. A theme, from Old French tesme, is a broad idea in a story or literary work or a message or lesson conveyed by a written text Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 Science fiction film directed and written by Steven Spielberg. This article is about the 1982 film For the term "ET" which redirects here see ET. See also Hook (video game Hook is a 1991 family Fantasy film directed by Steven Spielberg. According to Warren Buckland,^[35] these themes are portrayed through the use of low height camera tracking shots, which have become one of Spielberg's directing trademarks. In the cases when his films include children (E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Empire of the Sun, Jurassic Park, etc. See also Empire of the Sun (soundtrack Empire of the Sun is a epic War film based on J Jurassic Park is a 1993 Science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the novel of the same name by Michael ), this type of shot is more apparent, but it is also used in films like Munich, Saving Private Ryan, The Terminal, Minority Report, and Amistad. Munich is a 2005 semi-fictionalized film about the Israeli government's secret retaliation after the 1972 Munich massacre of Israeli Olympic athletes Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 War film set during the invasion of Normandy during World War II. The Terminal is a 2004 Comedy-drama Film written by Andrew Niccol and Sacha Gervasi. Minority Report is a 2002 Science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg, loosely based on the Philip K Amistad is a 1997 Steven Spielberg Film based on the true story of a slave mutiny that took place aboard a ship of the same name in If one views each of his films, one will see this shot utilised by the director, notably the water scenes in Jaws are filmed from the low-angle perspective of someone swimming. Another child orientated theme in Spielberg's films is that of loss of innocence and coming-of-age. In Empire of the Sun, Jim, a well-groomed and spoiled English youth, loses his innocence as he suffers through World War II China. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Similarly, in Catch Me if You Can Frank naively and foolishly believes that he can reclaim his shattered family if he accumulates enough money to support them. Catch Me if You Can is a 2002 Black comedy film loosely based on Frank Abagnale Jr

The most persistent theme throughout his films is tension in parent-child relationships. Parents (often fathers) are reluctant, absent or ignorant. Peter Banning in Hook starts off in the beginning of the film as a reluctant married-to-his-work parent who through the course of his film regains the respect of his children. The notable absence of Elliott's father in E. T. , is the most famous example of this theme. In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, it is revealed that Indy has always had a very strained relationship with his father, who is also an archaeologist, as his father always seemed more interested in his work, specifically in his studies of the Holy Grail, than in his own son, although his father does not seem to realize or understand the negative effect that his aloof nature had on Indy (he even believes he was a good father in the sense that he taught his son "self reliance", which is not how Indy saw it). Even Oskar Schindler, from Schindler's List, is reluctant to have a child with his wife. Oskar Schindler ( 28 April 1908 &ndash 9 October 1974) was a Sudeten German Industrialist credited with saving almost 1200 Schindler's List is a Biographical film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. Munich depicts Avner as man away from his wife and newborn daughter. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. There are of course exceptions; Brody in Jaws is a committed family man, while John Anderton in Minority Report is a shattered man after the disappearance of his son. Jaws is a 1975 thriller / horror Film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley 's best-selling Minority Report is a 2002 Science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg, loosely based on the Philip K This theme is arguably the most autobiographical aspect of Spielberg's films, since Spielberg himself was affected by his parents' divorce as a child and by the absence of his father. Furthermore to this theme, protagonists in his films often come from families with divorced parents, most notably E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial (protagonist Elliot's mother is divorced) and Catch Me if You Can (Frank Abagnale's mother and father split early on in the movie). Catch Me if You Can is a 2002 Black comedy film loosely based on Frank Abagnale Jr Little known also is Tim in Jurassic Park (early in the movie the child mentions his parents' divorce). Jurassic Park is a 1993 Science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the novel of the same name by Michael The family often shown divided is often resolved in the ending as well. Following this theme of reluctant fathers and father figures, Tim looks to Dr. Alan Grant as a father figure. Initially, Dr. Grant is reluctant to return those paternal feelings to Tim (earlier in the film Dr. Grant has a discussion with Ellie about his negative feelings in regards to children). However, by the end of the film, he has changed, and the kids even fall asleep with their heads leaning on his shoulders.

Most of his films are generally optimistic in nature. Critics frequently accuse his films of being overly sentimental, though Spielberg feels it's fine as long as it is disguised. The influence comes from directors Frank Capra and John Ford. Frank Russell Capra ( May 18, 1897 &ndash September 3, 1991) was an Academy Award winning Italian-American Film ^[36]

Contemporaries

In terms of casting and production itself, Spielberg has a known trademark for working with actors and production members from his previous films. For instance he has cast Richard Dreyfuss in several movies: Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Always. Richard Stephen Dreyfuss (born October 29 1947 is an Academy Award -winning American Actor, known for a number of film television and theater roles such Jaws is a 1975 thriller / horror Film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley 's best-selling Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 Science fiction film directed and written by Steven Spielberg. Spielberg has also cast Harrison Ford for several of his movies from small roles, as the headteacher in a cut scene from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial as well as in leading role in the Indiana Jones films. Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an Academy Award - and BAFTA -nominated as well as Golden Globe -winning American This article is about the 1982 film For the term "ET" which redirects here see ET. Dr (also Col Henry Walton Jones Jr, better known as Indiana Jones or Indy after his pet dog is a fictional Adventurer, Soldier Recently Spielberg has used the actor Tom Hanks on several occasions and has cast him in Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me if You Can, and The Terminal. Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks (born July 9 1956 is an two-time Academy award and Emmy winning American Film actor, director Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 War film set during the invasion of Normandy during World War II. Catch Me if You Can is a 2002 Black comedy film loosely based on Frank Abagnale Jr The Terminal is a 2004 Comedy-drama Film written by Andrew Niccol and Sacha Gervasi. Spielberg also has collaborated with Tom Cruise twice on Minority Report and War of the Worlds. Thomas Cruise Mapother IV ( born July 3 1962 better known by his screen name Tom Cruise, is an American Actor and Film producer Minority Report is a 2002 Science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg, loosely based on the Philip K War of the Worlds is a 2005 Science fiction Disaster film based on H Spielberg prefers working with production members with whom he has developed an existing working relationship. An example of this is his production relationship with Kathleen Kennedy who has served as producer on all his major films from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial to the recent Munich. Kathleen Kennedy (b 5 June 1953 in Berkeley California) is a five-time Academy Award nominated American movie industry executive This article is about the 1982 film For the term "ET" which redirects here see ET. Munich is a 2005 semi-fictionalized film about the Israeli government's secret retaliation after the 1972 Munich massacre of Israeli Olympic athletes Other working relationships include Allen Daviau, a childhood friend and cinematographer who shot the early Spielberg film Amblin' and most of his films up to Empire Of The Sun; Janusz Kaminski who has shot every Spielberg film since Schindler's List (see List of noted film director and cinematographer collaborations); and the film editor Michael Kahn who has edited every single film directed by Spielberg from Close Encounters to Munich (except E. Allen Daviau, ASC (born June 14, 1942 in New Orleans) is a five-time Academy Award nominated American Cinematographer Amblin' is a short film released in 1968. It is the first completed film shot by Steven Spielberg on 35mm. Empire of the Sun is a 1984 novel by J G Ballard which was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. Janusz Zygmunt Kamiński, ASC (born June 27 1959) is a two-time Academy Award -winning Polish Cinematographer and Film director Schindler's List is a Biographical film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. The following is a partial list of film director and cinematographer collaborations. Michael Kahn (born in New York, December 8, 1935) is a widely recognized Film editor. T. the Extra-Terrestrial). Most of the DVDs of Spielberg's films have documentaries by Laurent Bouzereau.

A famous example of Spielberg working with the same professionals is his long time collaboration with John Williams and the use of his musical scores in all of his films since The Sugarland Express (except The Color Purple and Twilight Zone: The Movie). John Towner Williams (born February 8 1932) is an American Composer, conductor and Pianist. "The Sugar Land Express" also was the nickname of the American football player Kenneth Hall. The Color Purple is a 1985 Drama film directed by Steven Spielberg. Twilight Zone The Movie is a 1983 film produced by Steven Spielberg as a theatrical version of The Twilight Zone, a 1950s and 60s One of Spielberg's trademarks is his use of music by John Williams to add to the visual impact of his scenes and to try and create a lasting picture and sound of the film in the memories of the film audience. These visual scenes often uses images of the sun (e. g Empire of the Sun, Saving Private Ryan, the final scene of Jurassic Park, and the end credits of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (where they ride into the sunset)), of which the last two feature a Williams score at that end scene. Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 War film set during the invasion of Normandy during World War II. Jurassic Park is a 1993 Science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the novel of the same name by Michael Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1989 Adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a story co-written by Executive producer Spielberg is a contemporary of filmmakers George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, John Milius, and Brian De Palma, collectively known as the "Movie Brats". George Walton Lucas Jr (born May 14, 1944) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, producer, Screenwriter Francis Ford "Frank" Coppola (born April 7, 1939) is a five-time Academy Award -winning American Film director, John Frederick Milius (born April 11, 1944) is an American Screenwriter, director, and producer of Motion pictures Brian De Palma (born Brian Russell DePalma on September 11 1940 in Newark New Jersey) is an American Film director. New Hollywood or post- classical Hollywood, sometimes referred to as the "American New Wave" refers to the brief time between roughly the mid- 1960s ( Aside from his principal role as a director, Spielberg has acted as a producer for a considerable number of films, including early hits for Joe Dante and Robert Zemeckis. Joseph Domenick "Joe" Dante (born November 28, 1946) is an American Film director and producer of films generally with Robert Lee "Bob" Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is an Academy Award - and Golden Globe -winning American Film director,

Personal life

Marriages and children

From 1985 to 1989 Spielberg was married to actress Amy Irving. Amy Davis Irving (born September 10, 1953) is an American Actress, known for her $100 million settlement with Steven Spielberg In their 1989 divorce settlement, she received $100 million from Spielberg after a judge controversially vacated a prenuptial agreement written on a napkin. A prenuptial agreement, antenuptial agreement, or premarital agreement, commonly abbreviated to prenup or prenupt, is a Contract entered Their divorce was recorded as the third most costly celebrity divorce in history. ^[37] Following the divorce, Spielberg and Irving shared custody of their son, Max Samuel.

Spielberg subsequently developed a relationship with actress Kate Capshaw, whom he met when he cast her in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Kate Capshaw (born November 3, 1953) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Willie Scott in the film Indiana Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a 1984 period Adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. They married on October 12, 1991. Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Capshaw is a convert to Judaism. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut ^[38] They currently move among their four homes in Pacific Palisades, California; New York City; East Hampton, NY; and Naples, Florida. Pacific Palisades is a district within the US city of Los Angeles California, located between Brentwood to the east Malibu to the west The City of New York East Hampton New York can refer to East Hampton (town New York, a town in Suffolk County New York, USA Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, USA. As of 1 July 2006, the U

There are eight children in the Spielberg-Capshaw family:

• Jessica Capshaw (1976) — daughter from Capshaw's previous marriage to Robert Capshaw
• Max Samuel Spielberg (June 13, 1985) — son from Spielberg's previous marriage to Amy Irving
• Theo (1988) — adopted by Capshaw before her marriage to Spielberg; adopted by Spielberg
• Sasha Rebecca (May 14, 1990 in Los Angeles)^[39][40]
• Janet Sanders (November 28, 1990) - God-daughter to Spielberg ^[41]
• David Arno (August 12, 1991) - adopted
• Sawyer Avery (b. Jessica Capshaw (born August 9 1976) is an American Actress, perhaps best known for her role as attorney Jamie Stringer on the ABC Events 1525 - Martin Luther marries Katharina von Bora, against the Celibacy rule decreed by the Roman Catholic Church for Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Events 1099 - First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon - Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. March 10, 1992 in Los Angeles)^[42]
• Mikaela George (February 28, 1996) — adopted with Capshaw
• Destry Allyn (December 1, 1996)

Spielberg has several pets including a dog. Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) His previous dog, Mikhaila, starred in several of his films in various guises including Jaws, Close Encounters, and 1941. ^[43]

Starbright

In 1991 Steven Spielberg co-founded Starbright with Peter Samuelson – a foundation dedicated to improving sick children's lives through technology-based programs focusing on entertainment and education. Amy Davis Irving (born September 10, 1953) is an American Actress, known for her $100 million settlement with Steven Spielberg Kate Capshaw (born November 3, 1953) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Willie Scott in the film Indiana Anne Spielberg (born December 25, 1949) is a Screenwriter and the sister of Film director Steven Spielberg. In 2002 Starbright merged with the Starlight Foundation forming what is now today – Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation.

Politics

• Spielberg generally supports U.S. Democratic Party candidates. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. He has donated over $800,000 for the Democratic party and its nominees. He was close friends with former President Bill Clinton and worked with the President for the USA Millennium celebrations. William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States He directed an 18-minute film for the project, scored by John Williams and entitled The American Journey. John Towner Williams (born February 8 1932) is an American Composer, conductor and Pianist. It was shown at America's Millennium Gala on December 31, 1999, in the National Mall at the Reflecting Pool at the base of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.. Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) The National Mall is an open-area National park in Downtown Washington D This page is about reflecting pools in general for the pools in Washington D The Lincoln Memorial is a United States Presidential memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D ^[44]

• Spielberg resigned as an advisory board member of his local boy scout council in 2001 because of his disapproval of the BSA's anti-homosexuality stance. The Boy Scouts of America (BSA the largest Youth organization in the United States has Policies which prohibit atheists agnostics, and "known ^[45][46]

• Spielberg joined Jeffrey Katzenberg and Haim Saban in endorsing the re-election of Hollywood friend Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Republican Governor of California, on August 7, 2006. Jeffrey Katzenberg (born December 21, 1950 in New York City) is a Jewish American Film producer and CEO Haim Saban (Hebrew חיים סבן born 15 October 1944 in Alexandria, Egypt Personal life Haim Saban was born in Alexandria Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger ( German ˌaɐnɔlt aloʏs ˈʃvaɐtsənɛɡɐ born July 30 1947 is an Austrian American Bodybuilder, Actor The Governor of California is the highest executive authority in the state government whose responsibilities include making annual "State of the State" addresses Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
• On February 20, 2007, Spielberg, Katzenberg, and David Geffen invited Democrats to a fundraiser for Barack Obama,^[47] but on June 14, 2007, Spielberg endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) for President. Events 1472 - Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a Dowry payment Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. David Geffen (born February 21, 1943) is an American Record executive, Film producer, Theatrical producer and philanthropist A fundraiser is an Event or campaign whose primary purpose is to raise money for a cause Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26 1947 is the junior United States Senator from ^[48]While Geffen and Katzenberg supported Obama, Spielberg was always a supporter of Hillary Clinton.

• In February 2008, Spielberg pulled out of his role as advisor to the 2008 Beijing Olympics in response to the Chinese government's inaction over the War in Darfur. The War in Darfur is a military conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan. ^[49] Spielberg said in a statement that "I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue business as usual". It also said that "Sudan's government bears the bulk of the responsibility for these on-going crimes, but the international community, and particularly China, should be doing more. ". ^[50] The IOC respected Spielberg's decision, but IOC president Jacques Rogge admitted in an interview that "[Spielberg] certainly would have brought a lot to the opening ceremony in terms of creativity. Jacques Count Rogge (born May 2 1942 ( pronounced in Dutch) is a Belgian sports functionary "^[51] Spielberg's statement drew criticism from Chinese officials and state-run media calling his criticism "unfair. "^[52]

Awards and honors

Spielberg is a winner of three Academy Awards. He has been nominated for six Academy Awards for the category of Best Director, winning two of them (Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan), and seven of the films he directed were up for the Best Picture Oscar (Schindler's List won). The Academy Award for Achievement in Directing (Best Director is one of the Awards of Merit presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to Schindler's List is a Biographical film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 War film set during the invasion of Normandy during World War II. The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to artists working In 1987 he was awarded The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for his work as a creative producer. The Irving G Thalberg Memorial Award is awarded periodically at the Academy Awards ceremonies to "Creative producers whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high

Drawing from his own experiences in Scouting, Spielberg helped the Boy Scouts of America develop a merit badge in cinematography. Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide Youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical mental and spiritual The Boy Scouts of America ( BSA) is the largest youth organization in the United States with over five million The badge was launched at the 1989 National Scout Jamboree which Spielberg attended, personally counseling many boys in their work on requirements. The national Scout jamboree is a gathering or jamboree of thousands of members of the Boy Scouts of America

That same year, 1989, was the release of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The opening scene shows a teenage Indiana Jones in scout uniform bearing the rank of a Life Scout. The Uniform and insignia of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA gives a Scout visibility and creates a level of identity within both the unit and the community The advancement program for Boy Scouts and Varsity Scouts is symbolized by the earning of seven badges six of which are considered ranks. Spielberg stated he made Indiana Jones a Boy Scout in honor of his experience in Scouting. For his career accomplishments and service to others, Spielberg was awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA is a distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. ^[53]

In 1999, Spielberg received an honorary degree from Brown University. Brown University is a highly esteemed private University located in Providence, Rhode Island and is a member of the Ivy League. Spielberg was also awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service by Secretary of Defense William Cohen at the Pentagon on August 11, 1999. The United States Department of Defense ( DOD or DoD) is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government William Sebastian Cohen (born 28 August 1940) is an author and American politician from the U The Pentagon is the Headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. Events 2492 BC - Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Cohen presented Spielberg the award in recognition of his movie Saving Private Ryan.

In 2001, he was created a honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. This is an incomplete list of people who have been created honorary Knights (or Dames by the British crown as well as those who have been raised to the two comparable Orders of Chivalry ( Order The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II ^[54][55][56]

In 2004 he was admitted as knight of the Légion d'honneur from president Jacques Chirac. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. ^[57] On July 15, 2006, Spielberg was also awarded the Gold Hugo Lifetime Achievement Award at the Summer Gala of the Chicago International Film Festival,^[58] and also was awarded a Kennedy Center honour on December 3. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual Film festival that is presented by Cinema/Chicago The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual Film festival that is presented by Cinema/Chicago The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (on the building itself called the John F Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French ^[59] The tribute to Spielberg featured a short filmed biography narrated by Tom Hanks and included thank-yous from World War II veterans for Saving Private Ryan, as well as a performance of the finale to Leonard Bernstein's Candide, conducted by John Williams (Spielberg's frequent composer). Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks (born July 9 1956 is an two-time Academy award and Emmy winning American Film actor, director

In November 2007, he was chosen for Lifetime Achievement Award to be presented at the sixth annual Visual Effects Society Awards in February 2009. An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize Excellence in a certain field a certificate of excellence The Visual Effects Society (VES is the Entertainment industry 's only organization representing the full breadth of Visual effects practitioners including artists He was set to be honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the January 2008 Golden Globes; however, the new, watered-down format of the ceremony result from conflicts from the 2007-08 writers strike, the HFPA postponed his honor to the 2009 ceremony. The Cecil B DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in Motion pictures has been given annually since 1952 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at the Golden The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and Television programs given out each year during a formal dinner The 2007&ndash2008 Writers Guild of America strike, or more commonly known as the Writers' Strike was a strike by the Writers Guild of America East ^[60][61] In 2008, Spielberg was awarded the Légion d'honneur. ^[62]

Criticism

Spielberg, as a then co-owner of DreamWorks, was involved in a heated debate in which the studio proposed building on the remaining wetlands in Southern California, though development was later dropped. DreamWorks LLC, also known as DreamWorks Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, or DreamWorks Studios, is a major American Film studio A wetland is an area of Land consisting of Soil that is Saturated with Moisture, such as a Swamp, Marsh, or Bog Southern California, or So Cal, is defined as the southern portion of the U ^[63]

Spielberg's films are often accused of leaning towards sentimentalism at the expense of other aspects of the film. ^[64][65][66]

French New Wave giant Jean-Luc Godard famously and publicly criticised Spielberg at the premiere of his film In Praise of Love. "Nouvelle Vague" redirects here For the music group of the same name see Nouvelle Vague (band. Jean-Luc Godard (French ʒɑ̃lyk gɔˈdaʀ (born on December 3 1930 is a French and Swiss Filmmaker and one of the founding members of the Nouvelle Vague This article is about the feature film For the Terence Rattigan play see In Praise of Love (play In Praise of Love (French Godard, who has continuously complained about the commercial nature of modern cinema, holds Spielberg partly responsible for the lack of artistic merit in mainstream cinema. Godard accused Spielberg of using his film to make a profit of tragedy while Schindler's wife lived in poverty in Argentina. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. Spielberg chose not to make a profit from the film^[67]. American artist and actor Crispin Glover (who starred in the Spielberg-produced Back to the Future) also criticised Spielberg in his 2005 essay What Is It?^[68]. Crispin Hellion Glover (born April 20, 1964) is primarily known as a Film Actor, but is also a painter, Filmmaker, Back to the Future is a 1985 science fiction Comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis and produced by Steven Spielberg. Among Glover's accusations are that Spielberg purchased a sled used in Orson Welles's 1941 film Citizen Kane for $50,000 but refused to fund Welles's would-be final film; that he received money from the United States government to promote his personal religious and cultural beliefs; and that he exploited tragedy for personal gain in the film Schindler's List. George Orson Welles (May 6 1915 – October 10 1985 was an Academy Award -winning director, writer actor and producer for film stage radio and television Citizen Kane ( 1941) is an American Dramatic film, and the first Feature film directed by Orson Welles, who also co-authored The federal government of the United States is the central United States Governmental body established by the United States Constitution. Schindler's List is a Biographical film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian.

Critics such as anti-mainstream film theorist Ray Carney also complain that Spielberg's films lack depth and do not take risks^[69]. Ray Carney, also known as Raymond Carney, PhD, is an American scholar and critic primarily known for his work as a film theorist, although he writes extensively In Spielberg's defense, critic Roger Ebert argues that Spielberg is very talented and has also said, "Has Godard or any other director living or dead done more than Spielberg, with his Holocaust Project, to honor and preserve the memories of the survivors?"^[70] Some of Spielberg's most famous fans include film legends Ingmar Bergman^[71] and Terry Gilliam (although he has criticised some of Spielberg's more recent work)^[72]. Roger Joseph Ebert (iːbɝt born June 18, 1942) is an American film critic and Screenwriter. Ernst Ingmar Bergman ( pronounced) (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007 was a nine-time Academy Award -nominated Swedish film, stage Terrence Vance Gilliam (born 22 November 1940) is an American -born British Writer, Filmmaker, Animator and member The late French filmmaker François Truffaut admired his work and took a role in Spielberg's film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. François Roland Truffaut ( February 6 1932 – October 21 1984) was one of the founders of the French New Wave in filmmaking

An episode in the sixth season of South Park satirizes Spielberg and Lucas for their revisions of previous films, such as E. South Park is an animated American television comedy series created and written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for Comedy Central T. and the Star Wars series. In the DVD commentary for this episode, Parker and Stone, the makers of South Park, assert that the films are being revised to make them more politically correct and profitable, disregarding the original work of art (Spielberg was specifically targeted for changes in the 20th Anniversary Edition of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, such as a scene where police brandishing guns on a group of boys was digitally altered to replace the guns with walkie-talkies). Randolph Severn "Trey" Parker III (born October 19, 1969) is an American Animator, Screenwriter, Film director Matthew Richard "Matt" Stone (born May 26, 1971) is an Academy Award - nominated Emmy Award - winning American Animator Political correctness (adjectivally politically correct; both forms commonly abbreviated to PC) is a term applied to Language, ideas policies or behavior This article is about the 1982 film For the term "ET" which redirects here see ET.

Filmography

Main article: List of Steven Spielberg films

Academy Award nominations

• Best Director

• 1977 - Close Encounters of the Third Kind
• 1981 - Raiders of the Lost Ark
• 1982 - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
• 1993 - Schindler's List (win)
• 1998 - Saving Private Ryan (win)
• 2005 - Munich

• Best Picture

• 1975 - Jaws
• 1981 - Raiders of the Lost Ark
• 1982 - E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial
• 1985 - The Color Purple
• 1993 - Schindler's List (win)
• 1998 - Saving Private Ryan
• 2005 - Munich
• 2006 - Letters from Iwo Jima (as producer)

References

External links

• Steven Spielberg at the Internet Movie Database
• Steven Spielberg at the TCM Movie Database
• Steven Spielberg at SensesOfCinema.com
• Steven Spielberg at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Steven Spielberg Bibliography (via UC Berkeley)
• Official website of Dreamworks
• Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation (founded by Spielberg)
• Time 100: Steven Spielberg
• They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?
• Spielberg at 60 - Empire

Awards
Preceded by Clint Eastwood for Unforgiven	Academy Award for Best Director 1993 for Schindler's List	Succeeded by Robert Zemeckis for Forrest Gump
Preceded by James Cameron for Titanic	Academy Award for Best Director 1998 for Saving Private Ryan	Succeeded by Sam Mendes for American Beauty
Preceded by Clint Eastwood for Unforgiven	Academy Award for Best Picture 1993 for Schindler's List	Succeeded by Wendy Finerman and Steve Tisch for Forrest Gump
Preceded by Robert Altman for The Player	BAFTA Award for Best Direction 1993 for Schindler's List	Succeeded by Mike Newell and Steve Tisch for Four Weddings and a Funeral
Preceded by Ismail Merchant and James Ivory for Howards End	BAFTA Award for Best Film 1993 for Schindler's List	Succeeded by Mike Newell and Duncan Kenworthy for Four Weddings and a Funeral
Preceded by Clint Eastwood for Unforgiven	Golden Globe Award for Best Director 1993 for Schindler's List	Succeeded by Robert Zemeckis for Forrest Gump
Preceded by James Cameron for Titanic	Golden Globe Award for Best Director 1998 for Saving Private Ryan	Succeeded by Sam Mendes for American Beauty
Preceded by Warren Beatty	Cecil B. DeMille Award 2009	Succeeded by TBA

Persondata
NAME	Spielberg, Steven
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Steven Allan Spielberg, Stephen Spielberg
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Academy Award-winning American film director and producer
DATE OF BIRTH	18 December 1946
PLACE OF BIRTH	Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH

Turner Classic Movies ( TCM) is a cable television channel featuring commercial -free classic movies mostly from the Turner Entertainment and Warner Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and Empire is a British Film Magazine published Monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. Clinton "Clint" Eastwood Jr (born May 31 1930 is a four-time Academy Award winning American Actor and Filmmaker. This article is about the 1992 film For other uses see Unforgiven (disambiguation. The Academy Award for Achievement in Directing (Best Director is one of the Awards of Merit presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to Schindler's List is a Biographical film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. Robert Lee "Bob" Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is an Academy Award - and Golden Globe -winning American Film director, Forrest Gump is a 1994 Comedy film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and the name of the title character James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is an Academy Award -winning Canadian - American director Titanic is a 1997 Disaster film directed written co-produced and co-edited by James Cameron about the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'' The Academy Award for Achievement in Directing (Best Director is one of the Awards of Merit presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 War film set during the invasion of Normandy during World War II. Samuel Alexander Mendes CBE (born 1 August 1965) is an English stage and Film director. American Beauty is a 1999 Drama film set in modern American Suburbia. Clinton "Clint" Eastwood Jr (born May 31 1930 is a four-time Academy Award winning American Actor and Filmmaker. This article is about the 1992 film For other uses see Unforgiven (disambiguation. The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to artists working Schindler's List is a Biographical film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. Wendy Finerman (born 1960 is an Oscar -winning producer of nearly a dozen Feature films. Steven "Steve" Tisch (born February 14, 1949) is an American Businessman. Forrest Gump is a 1994 Comedy film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and the name of the title character Robert Bernard Altman (February 20 1925 – November 20 2006 was an American Film director known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with The Player is a 1992 Film that tells the story of Griffin Mill ( Tim Robbins) a Hollywood studio executive who is being Winners of the BAFTA Award for Best Direction presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Schindler's List is a Biographical film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. Michael Cormac Newell (born 28 March 1942 is an English director and producer of motion pictures for the screen and for Television. Steven "Steve" Tisch (born February 14, 1949) is an American Businessman. Four Weddings and a Funeral is a 1994 British Romantic comedy film directed by Mike Newell. Ismail Merchant ( December 25, 1936 – May 25, 2005) was an Indian born Film producer, best known for the results of James Francis Ivory (born June 7, 1928) is an award-winning American Film director, best known for the results of his long Collaboration Howards End is a Novel by E M Forster, first published in 1910, which tells a story of class struggle in turn-of-the-century England This page lists the winners and nominees for the BAFTA Award for Best Film, BAFTA Award for Best Film not in the English Language and Alexander Korda Award for Best British Schindler's List is a Biographical film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. Michael Cormac Newell (born 28 March 1942 is an English director and producer of motion pictures for the screen and for Television. Duncan H Kenworthy OBE (born 1949 is a British film and television producer, and co-founder of the production company DNA Films. Four Weddings and a Funeral is a 1994 British Romantic comedy film directed by Mike Newell. Clinton "Clint" Eastwood Jr (born May 31 1930 is a four-time Academy Award winning American Actor and Filmmaker. This article is about the 1992 film For other uses see Unforgiven (disambiguation. This page lists the winners and nominees for the Golden Globe Award for Best Director, since its institution in 1943 Schindler's List is a Biographical film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. Robert Lee "Bob" Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is an Academy Award - and Golden Globe -winning American Film director, Forrest Gump is a 1994 Comedy film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and the name of the title character James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is an Academy Award -winning Canadian - American director Titanic is a 1997 Disaster film directed written co-produced and co-edited by James Cameron about the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'' This page lists the winners and nominees for the Golden Globe Award for Best Director, since its institution in 1943 Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 War film set during the invasion of Normandy during World War II. Samuel Alexander Mendes CBE (born 1 August 1965) is an English stage and Film director. American Beauty is a 1999 Drama film set in modern American Suburbia. Warren Beatty (born Henry Warren Beaty; March 30 1937 is an American Academy Award - and Golden Globe -winning Actor, producer The Cecil B DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in Motion pictures has been given annually since 1952 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at the Golden Events 218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal 's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

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