Steven Spielberg

Film director · Producer · Screenwriter

b. 1946 · Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States · 3 min read

Last verified: 12 November 2026
Sources: 4
Reviewed by Muse — Phase D second review (independent check)

Steven Spielberg at San Diego Comic-Con, 2017, by Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0). Cropped to 3:4 portrait format for display; no other changes. · Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steven_Spielberg_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg

American film director and producer (b. 1946) whose films — Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan — made him the most commercially successful director in cinema history and won him three Academy Awards.

Early Life

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

Education

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

Career

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

Achievements

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

Legacy

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

Major Achievements

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

Contributions

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

Notable Works

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

Milestones

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

Timeline

18 December 1946
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
1968
Short film Amblin' won him a contract with Universal
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Turner Classic Movies
1971
Directed Duel, his first feature-length film (television movie)
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
1974
The Sugarland Express, his first cinema feature, released
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
1975
Jaws released — the first summer blockbuster
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
1982
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial released
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
1993
Jurassic Park and Schindler's List released in the same year; Schindler's List won seven Academy Awards
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
1994
Co-founded DreamWorks SKG; founded the USC Shoah Foundation
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
1998
Saving Private Ryan released; won his second Best Director Academy Award
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
2015
Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Steven Spielberg?

Steven Spielberg (born 1946) is an American film director and producer, the director of Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. He is the most commercially successful film director in cinema history and has won three Academy Awards.