Steven Spielberg
Biography
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE (born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema and is the highest-grossing film director of all time. Among other accolades, he has received three Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and three BAFTA Awards, as well as the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1995, an honorary knighthood in 2001, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2006, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2009, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, and the National Medal of Arts in 2023. According to Forbes, he is the wealthiest celebrity.
Spielberg was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. He moved to California and studied film in college. After directing several episodes for television, including Night Gallery and Columbo, he directed the television film Duel (1971), which Barry Diller approved. He made his theatrical debut with The Sugarland Express (1974), also beginning his decades-long collaboration with composer John Williams, with whom he has worked for all but five of his theatrical releases. He became a household name with the summer blockbuster Jaws (1975). He continued directing acclaimed escapist box-office hits with Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and the original Indiana Jones trilogy (1981–1989). He also explored drama in The Color Purple (1985) and Empire of the Sun (1987).
In 1993, Spielberg directed back-to-back hits with the science fiction thriller Jurassic Park, the highest-grossing film at the time, and the epic historical drama Schindler's List, which has often been ranked among the greatest films ever made. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for the latter as well as for the World War II epic Saving Private Ryan (1998). Spielberg has since directed the science fiction films A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Minority Report (2002), War of the Worlds (2005) and Ready Player One (2018); the historical dramas Amistad (1997), Munich (2005), War Horse (2011), Lincoln (2012), Bridge of Spies (2015) and The Post (2017); the comedies Catch Me If You Can (2002) and The Terminal (2004); the animated film The Adventures of Tintin (2011); the musical West Side Story (2021); and the family drama The Fabelmans (2022).
Most directed genres
Recurring actors
- Tom Hanks 6
- Harrison Ford 4
- Mark Rylance 3
- Richard Dreyfuss 3
- Roberts Blossom 3
- Barry Sullivan 2
- Caroline Goodall 2
- Dan Aykroyd 2
Awards and nominations
- 2023 Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay Nominated
- 2023 Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay Nominated
- 2016 honorary doctor of Harvard University
- 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom
- 2011 Inkpot Award
- 2008 Officer of the Legion of Honour
- 2006 Kennedy Center Honors
- 2005 Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame
- 2004 Knight of the Legion of Honour
- 2003 Saturn Award for Best Director
- 2002 Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Director
- 2001 Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- 2000 Library of Congress Living Legend
- 1999 Academy Award for Best Director
- 1999 National Humanities Medal
- 1998 Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- 1998 London Film Critics Circle Award for Film of the Year
- 1998 New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film
- 1998 Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Director
- 1997 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Animated Program
- 1995 César Award
- 1995 AFI Life Achievement Award
- 1994 Academy Award for Best Picture
- 1994 Golden Globe Award for Best Director
- 1994 BAFTA Award for Best Direction
- 1994 London Film Critics Circle Award for Director of the Year
- 1993 BAFTA Award for Best Film
- 1987 Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award
- 1983 Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director
- 1983 Academy Award for Best Director Nominated
- 1982 United Nations Peace Medal
- 1982 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director
- 1982 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation
- 1974 Best Screenplay Award
- — Philadelphia Liberty Medal
- — David di Donatello Award for Lifetime Achievement
- — Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
- — Commander of the Order of the Crown
- — star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- — honorary doctor of the Jagiellonian University of Krakow
- — Order of the Smile
- — Honorary César
- — Directors Guild of America Award
- — New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Film
- — Daytime Emmy Award
- — Jupiter Awards
- — National Board of Review Award for Best Film
- — Eagle Scout
- — David di Donatello for Best International Film
- — David di Donatello for best foreign production
- — David di Donatello for Best Foreign Director
- — Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
- — Academy Award for Best Picture Nominated
The career in numbers
- US$ 2.2 bi Total budget from 37 film(s) with data
- US$ 11.0 bi Total box office from 36 film(s) with data
- US$ 60 mi Average budget from 37 film(s) with data
- US$ 307 mi Average box office from 36 film(s) with data
- 7.1 Average rating from 38 film(s) with data
- 5.0× Return on investment from 36 film(s) with data
Budget and box office do not exist for every film in our records. Averages are computed over the films that carry the figure, and the count beside each one says how many.
Films directed
| Film | Year | Budget | Box office | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Disclosure Day
|
2026 | US$ 115 mi | US$ 241 mi | 7.5 |
The Fabelmans
|
2022 | US$ 40 mi | US$ 46 mi | 7.6 |
West Side Story
|
2021 | US$ 100 mi | US$ 76 mi | 6.9 |
Ready Player One
|
2018 | US$ 175 mi | US$ 607 mi | 7.6 |
The Post
|
2017 | US$ 50 mi | US$ 180 mi | 7.0 |
The BFG
|
2016 | US$ 140 mi | US$ 195 mi | 6.3 |
Bridge of Spies
|
2015 | US$ 40 mi | US$ 165 mi | 7.2 |
Lincoln
|
2012 | US$ 65 mi | US$ 275 mi | 6.8 |
The Adventures of Tintin
|
2011 | US$ 130 mi | US$ 374 mi | 6.9 |
War Horse
|
2011 | US$ 66 mi | US$ 178 mi | 7.3 |
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
|
2008 | US$ 185 mi | US$ 787 mi | 6.0 |
A Timeless Call
|
2008 | — | — | 5.0 |
War of the Worlds
|
2005 | US$ 132 mi | US$ 604 mi | 6.6 |
Munich
|
2005 | US$ 70 mi | US$ 131 mi | 7.1 |
The Terminal
|
2004 | US$ 60 mi | US$ 219 mi | 7.4 |
Catch Me If You Can
|
2002 | US$ 52 mi | US$ 352 mi | 8.0 |
Minority Report
|
2002 | US$ 102 mi | US$ 358 mi | 7.4 |
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
|
2001 | US$ 100 mi | US$ 236 mi | 7.1 |
The Unfinished Journey
|
1999 | — | — | 6.5 |
Saving Private Ryan
|
1998 | US$ 70 mi | US$ 482 mi | 8.2 |
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
|
1997 | US$ 73 mi | US$ 619 mi | 6.6 |
Amistad
|
1997 | US$ 36 mi | US$ 44 mi | 7.0 |
Jurassic Park
|
1993 | US$ 63 mi | US$ 1.1 bi | 8.0 |
Schindler's List
|
1993 | US$ 22 mi | US$ 321 mi | 8.6 |
Hook
|
1991 | US$ 70 mi | US$ 301 mi | 6.8 |
Amazing Stories: The Movie II
|
1990 | — | — | — |
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
|
1989 | US$ 48 mi | US$ 474 mi | 7.9 |
Always
|
1989 | US$ 31 mi | US$ 74 mi | 6.2 |
Empire of the Sun
|
1987 | US$ 35 mi | US$ 67 mi | 7.5 |
Amazing Stories
|
1986 | — | — | 6.1 |
The Color Purple
|
1985 | US$ 15 mi | US$ 146 mi | 7.7 |
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
|
1984 | US$ 28 mi | US$ 333 mi | 7.3 |
Twilight Zone: The Movie
|
1983 | US$ 10 mi | US$ 29 mi | 6.5 |
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
|
1982 | US$ 11 mi | US$ 797 mi | 7.5 |
Raiders of the Lost Ark
|
1981 | US$ 18 mi | US$ 390 mi | 7.9 |
1941
|
1979 | US$ 35 mi | US$ 95 mi | 5.8 |
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
|
1977 | US$ 20 mi | US$ 307 mi | 7.4 |
Jaws
|
1975 | US$ 7 mi | US$ 471 mi | 7.7 |
The Sugarland Express
|
1974 | US$ 3 mi | US$ 13 mi | 6.6 |
Savage!
|
1973 | — | — | 5.5 |
Something Evil
|
1972 | — | — | 5.4 |
Duel
|
1971 | US$ 450,000 | US$ 2,544 | 7.4 |
Night Gallery
|
1969 | — | — | 6.7 |
Amblin'
|
1968 | US$ 15,000 | — | 6.1 |
