Steven Spielberg Biography

MARITAL STATUS
Professions Executive producer , Director , Producer more
Birth name Steven Allan Spielberg
Pseudo Steven Spielrock
Nationality American
Birth December 18, 1946 (Cincinnati, Ohio, United States)

BIOGRAPHY
Undoubtedly one of the most emblematic and influential personalities of the Seventh Art, Steven Spielberg shows himself to be very precocious. As a child, he made a few small amateur films then quickly abandoned his studies to try his luck in Hollywood. Assistant editor on the series La Grande Caravan in 1957, he learned his trade on the job in the 1960s by directing short films (such as Amblin’ , whose name he would also keep for his future production company) and even a feature film ( Firelight ), then worked for the small screen, notably directing episodes of The Rules of the Game , Night Gallery and Columbo .

His talent for directing came to light in 1971 with the TV film Duel , an oppressive chase between a commercial employee and a crazy truck, which won the Grand Prix at the Avoriaz Festival. The filmmaker then directed Sugarland Express (1974), a frantic and bloody road movie starring Goldie Hawn . Screenplay prize at Cannes, this drama confirms the great skills of the American, whose career will take a fantastic turn the following year.

Because there will be a before and after 1975 for Steven Spielberg. At that time, he terrified the whole world with Jaws , a reference in horror cinema which propelled him to an international star of directing at just 29 years old. His following films would achieve the same success, most of them reaching the top of the international box office and capturing the imagination of millions of spectators. It is also to him, as well as to his friend George Lucas with his Star Wars , that we owe the first films in the entire history of the American box office capable of shattering 100 million dollars in revenue. on the national territory alone. A colossal windfall for the majors , which allowed the two filmmakers to subsequently claim total or almost total autonomy from the studios.

In 1977, Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind initiated its close relationship with science fiction, an interest which was reflected in 1982 with ET , in 2001 with AI , based on an idea by Stanley Kubrick , and in 2002 with Minority Report , an adaptation from the work of Philip K. Dick performed by Tom Cruise . The two men will meet again in 2005 on the set of the classic War of the Worlds .

Spielberg’s taste for adventure also allowed him to give birth to the legendary Indiana Jones saga : Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) thus forever associate Harrison Ford with the character of the valiant Indy. The continuation of his adventures, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull , which has the honors of a world premiere in Cannes, was nevertheless delayed for 19 years, notably due to George ‘s dissatisfaction Lucas on the multiple versions of the scenario. Taking on the craziest bets, Spielberg went so far as to resurrect, thanks to an innovative combination of animated models and computer-generated images, several species of dinosaurs for Jurassic Park (1993) and its sequel The Lost World (1997).

Spielberg’s cinema, which often revisits themes of childhood and family, also leans towards comedy (burlesque with 1941 , lighter with Catch Me If You Can and more romantic with The Terminal ), but he knows also distance oneself from pure entertainment to tackle more serious subjects. The Holocaust ( Schindler’s List , 1993), slavery ( Amistad , 1997), the Second World War ( Saving Private Ryan , 1998), the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ( Munich , 2005) are all themes delicate which prove the eclecticism and sensitivity of the filmmaker. Three years after his last Indiana Jones (2008, an eternity for the filmmaker who makes up to two films per year), Steven Spielberg offers the public two new family productions in quick succession: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn ( his first foray into the world of animation, for a film which was then promised to become the first part of a trilogy, carried out with his friend Peter Jackson ) and War Horse , a classic drama about a story of friendship between a young man and his horse, during the First World War.

A legendary director who has worked with the biggest actors, enjoying an unprecedented popularity rating, Steven Spielberg is also a successful producer via his company Amblin Entertainment ( Poltergeist , Gremlins , the Back to the Future saga , The Goonies ,Who wants Roger Rabbit’s skin? , Twister , Men in black , Super 8 ). In 1994, he created DreamWorks studios with David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg , which quickly established itself as one of the heavyweights in film production alongside the biggest majors . In 2013, he joined 20th Century Fox , which is responsible for the distribution of their films. In 2012, Steven Spielberg put an end to a long-held dream with Lincoln , a feature film about the 16th president of the United States and his defense of the abolition of slavery. Transfigured as usual in his character, Daniel Day-Lewis won his third Oscar for best actor with this role. After numerous unfinished projects, the director returned in 2015 with Bridge of Spies , his fourth collaboration with actor Tom Hanks in front of the camera. We follow the journey of James Donovan, a lawyer responsible for defending an American suspected of espionage during the Cold War. He continues on a more fanciful and family register with Le BGG – Le Bon Gros Géant . This adaptation by Roald Dahl which follows the adventures of a little girl and a clumsy giant is received lukewarmly by the public and critics. The filmmaker bounced back in 2017 with his next film, Pentagon Papers , starring the prestigious duo Tom Hanks- Meryl Streep . Following in the footsteps of Alan J. Pakula and Frank Capra , Spielberg defends press freedom by chronicling how the Washington Post highlighted a state affair in the early 1970s, revealing the involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War. The director takes a leap in time and projects himself into 2045 with Ready Player One , based on Ernest Cline’s best-seller. With this treasure hunt in a virtual universe, he delivers a spectacular tribute to pop culture full of references. He then tackles a cult work with West Side Story (2021), based on the Broadway play already brought to the screen by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins in 1961. Always to the sound of pieces by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim

, it follows the impossible love story between two individuals from rival gangs in New York in 1957. It is the fulfillment of a dream for Spielberg who had long wanted to make a musical.

Prolific, at the age of 76 he directed his most personal and intimate film, The Fabelmans . Revisiting his childhood and his family history in an initiatory story, he signs a moving declaration of love for cinema which enjoys an exceptional critical reception. The feature film was nominated 7 times for the Oscars, notably in the Best Film and Best Direction categories.