Here’s a look at the life of filmmaker Steven Spielberg.
Personal:
Birth date: December 18, 1946
Birth place: Cincinnati, Ohio
Birth name: Steven Allan Spielberg
Father: Arnold Spielberg, electrical engineer and computer pioneer
Mother: Leah (Posner) Spielberg, restaurateur and concert pianist
Marriages: Kate Capshaw (October 12, 1991-present); Amy Irving (November 27, 1985-February 2, 1989, divorced)
Children: with Kate Capshaw: Destry Allyn, December 1, 1996; Mikaela George, February 28, 1996 (adopted); Sawyer, March 10, 1992; Sasha, May 14, 1990; Theo, August 1988 (adopted); Jessica Capshaw, August 9, 1976 (step-daughter); with Amy Irving: Max, June 13, 1985
Education: California State University Long Beach, B.A., 2002
Other Facts:
As a child, he recorded family events using an 8-mm camera and made horror films with his younger sisters.
He was rejected by the University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinema Arts twice.
His 1975 movie, “Jaws,” is considered the first “summer blockbuster,” grossing $60 million within its first month of release.
Is godfather to actresses Drew Barrymore and Gwyneth Paltrow.
He is the winner of three Academy Awards, four Primetime Emmys and seven Daytime Emmys.
Timeline:
March 24, 1964 – “Firelight” is released, his first feature-length film.
November 13, 1971 – “Duel” premieres as a made-for-television movie.
1982 – “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” becomes the one of highest-grossing movies of the year.
1984 – Founds Amblin Entertainment. The company is named after a short movie Spielberg filmed while in school.
March 30, 1987 – Receives the Irving G. Thalberg Award at the 59th Academy Awards.
June 9, 1993 – “Jurassic Park” is released, based on the science fiction novel by Michael Crichton. The film is Spielberg’s highest grossing movie worldwide to date, making more than $1.03 billion to date (2016).
1994 – Wins an Academy Award for Best Picture and Directing for “Schindler’s List.”
1994 – DreamWorks SKG is created by Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen.
1995 – Receives the 23rd American Film Institute Life Achievement Award.
1996 – Wins an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (one hour or less) for “Steven Spielberg Presents A Pinky & The Brain Christmas Special.”
September 23, 1997 – DreamWorks releases its first full-length feature film, “The Peacemaker,” starring George Clooney and Nicole Kidman.
1999 – Wins an Academy Award for Directing for “Saving Private Ryan” and receives the US Navy’s highest civilian award, the Distinguished Public Service Award for the WWII film.
2000 – Receives DGA Lifetime Achievement Award.
2002 – Wins an Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries for “Band Of Brothers.”
2003 – Wins an Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries for “Steven Spielberg Presents Taken.”
January 10, 2003 – Receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, near Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Avenue.
December 2005 – DreamWorks SKG is sold to Paramount for $1.6 billion. Spielberg and Geffen remain with the company.
December 3, 2006 – Receives the Kennedy Center Honors.
2010 – Wins an Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries for “The Pacific.”
November 24, 2015 – In a ceremony honoring 17 Americans, Spielberg is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
March 2016 – Forbes, in its annual list of the world’s billionaires, estimates Spielberg’s net worth at $3.5 billion.