Steven Spielberg Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography, Facts & More

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Steven Spielberg is an American director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Known as the face behind the New Hollywood Era, he is also the co-founder of the American film production house DreamWorks Pictures. From his yarn of filmmaking, he has spun Academy Award Winning films like Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. He has numerous more critically acclaimed and commercially successful films to his name, making him one the world`s wealthiest directors.

Steven Spielberg Age, Wife
  • Full Name: Steven Allan Spielberg
  • Nickname: Steve
  • Date of Birth: December 18, 1946
  • Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
  • Father: Arnold Spielberg (Electrical Engineer and Computer Pioneer)
  • Mother: Leah Adler (Restaurateur and Concert Pianist)
  • Profession: Filmmaker
  • Nationality: American
  • Spouse: Amy Irving (M. 1985; Div. 1989), Kate Capshaw (M. 1991)
  • Children: Max Spielberg (Actor), Theo Spielberg (Adopted), Sawyer Avery Spielberg (Actor), Sasha Spielberg (Actress and Musician), Destry Allyn Spielberg, Mikaela George Spielberg, Jessica Capshaw (Actress)
  • Siblings: Anne Spielberg (Screenwriter), Nancy Spielberg (Actress), Sue Spielberg
  • Net Worth (approx.): $3.5 billion (As in 2018)
  • Height (approx.): 5' 7"
  • Weight (approx.): 75 kg
  • Eye Color: Blue
  • Hair Color: Grey
  • Zodiac sign/Sun sign: Sagittarius
  • Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
  • Schools: Arcadia High School, Phoenix Hebrew School, Saratoga High School, California
  • College/University: University of Southern California California State University
  • Educational Qualification: BA degree in Film and Electronic Arts

Early Life

Steven Allan Spielberg was born on 18th December 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Arnold Spielberg, and Leah Posner, Spielberg belonged to an orthodox Jewish family and hence was subjected to too much discrimination and humiliation by other children since childhood. His father is an electrical engineer, and his mother is a restaurant owner. As an amateur director, he made his first two films: The Last Gunfight and Fighter Squad, at the age of 12. He attended Arcadia High School in Phoenix as a child but his family shifted to California where he completed his schooling at Saratoga High School in 1995.

After school, he went to California State University to study English. During his college days, he interned in the editing department of the Universal Studios and made a short film Amblin which impressed everyone around him. So much was the impact of his film that Universal Studios signed a seven-year contract with him, making him the youngest director ever to be signed by them.

Debut

  1. Amateur Film: The Last Gun (1959)
  2. Theatrical Film: Amblin' (1968)
  3. TV: Night Gallery (1970)

Movie Career

Universal recognition and fame came to him in the form of the American thriller film Jaws in 1975. The unique concept of a giant man-eating shark spreading panic amongst the local citizens combined with the minute detailing of various nuances made this movie one of the biggest hits at that time. His childlike sense of wonder and faith made him direct films with the repeated theme of ordinary characters finding something extraordinary, leading to a change in the course of their life. His films Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and A.I. Artificial Intelligence all have elements of curiosity at the marvels of this world and beyond.

In 1981, Spielberg introduced to the world one of the most legendary characters in cinematic history, Indiana Jones in his directorial venture Indiana Jones and The Raiders of Lost Ark. He meddled in the genre of adventure in this movie and aced it. The blockbuster success of Indiana Jones continued with two more movies in the franchise: Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom and India Jones and The Last Crusade.

In 1985, he directed a period drama film called The Color Purple. An adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Alice Walker, the movie starred Woopie Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey in the lead roles. The film`s smashing success put further light on the versatility of Steven Spielberg's cinematic brilliance. In 1993, Spielberg gave the world the magnum opus Jurassic Park. A movie about a billionaire philanthropist and a small team of genetic scientists who created a wildlife park of cloned dinosaurs, the film went on to become the highest-grossing movie ever, at the time.

Jurassic Park is considered a landmark in the development of computer-generated imagery and animated visual effects and was followed by three commercially successful sequels, The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Jurassic Park III (2001), and Jurassic World (2015). His next directorial venture after Jurassic Park was the 1993 Academy Award-winning movie Schindler's List. The Holocaust drama, starring Liam Neeson as a businessman who helps save Jewish citizens and Ben Kingsley as Schindler`s Jewish accountant, won seven Academy Awards, including Spielberg's first win as best director.

In 1997, Speilberg directed a war drama film starring Matt Damon and Tom Hanks. The movie won several awards including his second Academy Award for Best Director. In 2014, this universally acclaimed movie was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry as it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". He then gave blockbusters like Medal of Honor, Vanilla Sky, Minority Report, Catch Me If You Can, and Memories of a Geisha. He is also credited with directing the Men in Black and Transformers series, both of which received huge commercial successes and diversified Spielberg`s vision as a filmmaker.

In November 2012, Spielberg produced and directed Lincoln, starring Daniel Day-Lewis in the much-anticipated biopic of President Abraham Lincoln. The movie opened to huge critical acclaim and went on to win two Academy Awards. He then directed a black comedy crime film Wolf of Wall Street, starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role. The movie, which also starred Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, and Matthew McConaughey, was a hit both critically and commercially and DiCaprio`s role as a stockbroker in New York City received huge accolades worldwide.

His 2016 projects include a fantasy adventure film The BGF and a comedy film A Dog`s Purpose. His 2020 release includes CATS, directed by Tom Hooper.

Awards, Honors, Achievements

#Academy Award

  1. Won Best Director and Best Picture Award for 'Schindler's List' (1994)
  2. Won Best Director Award for 'Saving Private Ryan' (1999)

#BAFTA Award

  1. Won Best Film and Best Director Award for 'Schindler's List'(1993)

#Golden Globe

  1. Won Best Motion Picture - Drama
  2. Award for 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' (1983)
  3. Won Best Motion Picture Drama Award and Best Director Award for 'Schindler's List' (1994)
  4. Won Best Director Award for 'A.I. Artificial
  5. Intelligence' (2001)

Affairs/Girlfriends

  1. Amy Irving (1979 1989) (Film and TV Actress)
  2. Valerie Baternilli (1980) (TV Actress)
  3. Sarah Miles (English Theater and Film Actress)
  4. Margot Kidder (Canadian American Actress)
  5. Janet Maslin (Journalist)
  6. Kate Capshaw (1988-dated till 1991) (Actress)
  7. Debbie Allen (Actress, Dancer, Choreographer, and Television Director)

Favorites

  1. Food: McAloon's Chicken Pot Pie
  2. Film: Fantasia (1940)
  3. Favorite Candy: Reese's Pieces
  4. TV Show: Deadliest Catch
  5. Painter: Norman Rockwell
  6. Cartoon Character: Daffy Duck
  7. Cars Collection: Chrysler 300 C, Honda CRV, Aston Martin DB9 Volante, Land Cruiser LC, Tesla Model S
  8. Food Habit: Non-Vegetarian
  9. Hobbies: Collecting Paintings, Watching Golf, Watching Movies, Listening to Music, Playing the Piano
  10. Address (Fan Mail): DreamWorks Animation, Llc. 1000 Flower Street Glendale, CA

Personal Life

Steven Spielberg has been married twice. He married his first wife Amy Irving (actress) on November 27, 1985, and he took divorced in 1989. After the divorce, he married to Kate Capshaw on October 12, 1991. From his first marriage, Spielberg has one son and has six children with his current wife Kate Cup show, out of which one child is from Cupshow`s previous marriage, and two are adopted.

Some Sharp Facts

  1. Spielberg's paternal grandparents were Ukrainian Jews who immigrated to the United States in the 1900s.
  2. Being an orthodox Jew, he suffered from anti-Semitic (Anti-Jew) prejudice and bullying: "In high school, I got smacked and kicked around. Two bloody noses. It was horrible", Spielberg said in an interview.
  3. When he was doing his schooling, his parents divorced and he decided to stay with his father.
  4. Since childhood, he had the wish to be a director.
  5. When he was 12, he started making films.
  6. As a kid, Spielberg recorded family events using an 8-mm camera and made some horror films with his younger sisters.
  7. His short film Amblin' (1968) got the attention of Universal Pictures and he was signed by it to a seven-year contract.
  8. He was rejected by both the University of Southern California and UCLA, at least once each, due to his poor grades.
  9. When he divorced his first wife Amy, he had to give $100 million in alimony to Amy. It was the third most costly celebrity divorce in history.
  10. He met his second wife when he cast her in Indiana Jones and the Temple Doom.
  11. Spielberg and filmmaker George Lucas have been friends for a long time.
  12. Back in 1977, George Lucas lost a bet to Spielberg worth $40 million. Spielberg told this story in an interview, "he came to me and he said, 'Oh my God, your movie is going to be so much more successful than 'Star Wars'! This is gonna be the biggest hit of all time. I can't believe this set. I can't believe what you're getting, and oh my goodness.' He said, 'All right, I'll tell you what. I'll trade some points with you. Do you want to trade some points? I'll give you 2.5% of 'Star Wars' if you give me 2.5% of 'Close Encounters.' So said, 'Sure, I'll gamble with that. Great." Later on, Close Encounters made $304 million while Lucas's movie made $775 million at the global box office.
  13. His film Jurassic Park was the highest-grossing movie in 1993.
  14. Spielberg did not get any salary for making his 1993 film 'Schindler's List'. This movie received seven Academy Awards. Many film actors lobbied Spielberg for the role of Oscar Schindler but he took Liam Neeson for the role. At that time Liam Neeson was not so popular, but he got his breakthrough from this movie.
  15. His film Jurassic Park was the highest-grossing movie in 1993.
  16. Spielberg did not get any salary for making his 1993 film 'Schindler's List'. This movie received seven Academy Awards. Many film actors lobbied Spielberg for the role of Oscar Schindler but he took Liam Neeson for the role. At that time Liam Neeson was not so popular, but he got his breakthrough from this movie.
  17. In 2006, he was listed among '100 Most Important People of the Century' by TIME magazine.
  18. When actress Drew Barrymore posed nude for Playboy magazine, Spielberg sent her a quilt and a note that said: "Cover yourself up." Also, he is the godfather to actresses Drew Barrymore and Gwyneth Paltrow.
  19. Spielberg was forbidden twice to direct James Bond movies.
  20. He has received four Primetime Emmys Awards and seven Daytime Emmys Awards.
  21. He has cast his dog in several movies. Spielberg's Cocker Spaniel Elmer showed up in movies like 'The Sugarland Express, 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind, '1941' and also in 'Jaws.'
  22. Spielberg was forbidden twice to direct James Bond movies.
  23. He has received four Primetime Emmys Awards and seven Daytime Emmys Awards.

Personal Quotes

  1. "Whether in the success or in failure, I'm proud of every single movie I've directed."
  2. "I've always been very hopeful which I guess isn't strange coming from me."
  3. "I don't dream at night, I dream at day, I dream all day; I'm dreaming for a living."
  4. "You know, I don’t really do that much looking inside me when I’m working on a project. Whatever I become that film is. But I change; you change."
  5. "There is a fine line between censorship and good taste and moral responsibility."
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