Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg began filmmaking as a child, shooting 8mm films and premiering his first amateur feature, Firelight (1964), at a local theater on a budget under $600. At 16, he wrote and directed another independent film, Firelight, demonstrating early ambition. He made his professional debut in 1969 with the Night Gallery segment 'Eyes,' overcoming skepticism from Joan Crawford and executives despite his inexperience. Throughout the early 1970s, he directed TV episodes for shows like Marcus Welby, M.D. and the film Duel (1971), building momentum before transitioning to features. His theatrical debut came with The Sugarland Express (1974), marking the start of his collaboration with composer John Williams, which spanned most of his films. Spielberg achieved stardom with Jaws (1975), a box-office sensation that redefined blockbusters and suspense. He followed with Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, from George Lucas's concept), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and the Indiana Jones trilogy (1981–1989), blending escapist adventure with technical mastery. In the 1980s–1990s, he produced successes like Poltergeist (1982), Gremlins (1984), Back to the Future (1985), and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). Shifting to serious drama, Spielberg directed Schindler's List (1993), inspiring the Survivors of the Shoah Foundation with over 55,000 Holocaust survivor testimonials, and Jurassic Park (1993), then the highest-grossing film ever. He co-founded Amblin Entertainment and DreamWorks Pictures (mid-1990s), producing hits like Men in Black (1997) and Shrek (2001). Later works include Saving Private Ryan (1998), Band of Brothers (2001), The Pacific (2010), Lincoln (2012), Bridge of Spies (2015), The BFG (2016), Ready Player One (2018), West Side Story (2021, Oscar-nominated for Best Director), and The Fabelmans (2022, semi-autobiographical).