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Filmmaker
Steven Spielberg
Most of us know
Steven Spielberg as the man responsible for bringing us some
of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters, such as Jurassic
Park, E.T.: The Extra-terrestrial, Jaws and the Indiana
Jones films.
But did you know
that the first film Steven ever wrote and directed appeared
in theaters when he was just 16 years old? Or that one of
his first action movies was a 3-minute western he made with
his childhood Boy Scout troop?
Born in Cincinnati,
Ohio, but raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Steven was bit by the
filmmaking bug at a very young age, and often involved his
whole family in his artistic processes. During high school,
he was a skinny boy with a big imagination who was often picked
on and called a "nerd." But Steven's parents and
siblings were always supportive of his dreams and achievements,
and he continued to make movies, showing them in his home
and charging twenty-five cents admission.
After graduation,
Steven applied to the University of Utah School of Theater,
Film and Television three times, but was turned down every
single time because his high school grades were too low. So,
instead of attending college, he became an unpaid intern at
Universal Studios, where he was able to get a proper introduction
to the art form that he had always had so much passion for.
During his internship, he made a 24-minute movie called Amblin'.
One of Universal Studios' vice presidents was so impressed
with the film that the studio offered Steven a television
director contract. Although he had eventually been able to
enroll at the California State University at Long Beach and
begin taking classes in film production, he decided to withdraw
from the university in order to accept the studio's offer.
On that day, Steven finally began his career (that paid!)
in the world of filmmaking.
Since then, the
enthusiastic directer, writer and producer has been involved
in the production of a large number of award-winning and award-nominated
television shows and films in a variety of genres, such as
romance, science fiction, history, fantasy and comedy. He
has been awarded three Academy awards, a Lifetime Achievement
Award, and he has received a handful of honorary degrees from
universities across the nation. In 2002, he even graduated
from California State University at Long Beach, after fulfilling
all his required coursework - 35 years after he first began
taking classes!
These days, Steven
is busy working with some of the most recognizable faces in
Hollywood, including Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard
Dreyfuss, Matt Damon, Cameron Diaz, Harrison Ford and Leonardo
DiCaprio, to name only a few! But he still finds the time
to be involved with the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation,
an organization he helped found, and one that aims to improve
the lives of terminally ill children through programs centered
on entertainment and education.
In Steven's
Own Words:
On Family:
"I don't work weekends. Weekends are for my kids. And
I have dinner at home every night when I'm not physically
directing a movie - I get home by six. I put the kids to bed
and tell them stories and take them to school the next morning.
I work basically from 9:30 to 5:30, and I'm strict about that."
On Making Movies:
"I interpret my dreams one way and make a movie out of
them, and people see my movies and make them part of their
dreams."
On His Second
Choice: "If I weren't a director, I would want to
be a film composer."
Fun Facts:
- The first film
he ever wrote and directed appeared in theaters when he
was just 16 years old.
- Is an Eagle
Scout.
- Is the godfather
of both Gwyneth Paltrow and Drew Barrymore.
- Hates the taste
of coffee.
- Is married to
actress Kate Capshaw, and there are eight children in their
family.
- Became a billionaire
at age 46.
- When he finally
graduated from college, the university's orchestra played
the theme from the Indiana Jones films as he received his
diploma and walked across the stage.
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