Stephen Spielberg biography/study guide

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Steven Allan Spielberg was born on December 18, 1946, in Cincinnati, Ohio. (According to http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000229/) He was born in a Jewish Hospital because of his parent’s religion. Spielberg had three younger sisters that he constantly terrorized by playing very original practical jokes on. His mother, Leah Posner, was a concert pianist; but quit when she married Arnold Spielberg. Mr. Spielberg, Steven’s father, was a radio operator and served in World War 2. After the war he got a degree in electronics and began to work long and hard, meaning he did not have much time for his family. (According to Steven Spielberg; Amazing Filmmaker; by Jim Hargrove; Copyrighted in 1988)Spielberg’s father had originally wanted him to become an engineer; fortunately for the public he did not a much talent in science, yet he loved new technology. When he was younger Spielberg also read every science fiction magazine he could find.

(According to Trailblazers of the Modern World; Steven Spielberg; by Geoffrey M. Horn; Copyrighted in 2002.) One thing that Spielberg and his father had in common was their love to make movies. He would always find his father’s home videos boring and began to make his own home videos. Eventually he would even stage trips he told a reporter in 1978.

Because of Spielberg’s father’s occupation the family was forced to move all over the country. The place that Spielberg truly calls home, though, is Arizona. In 1963 Spielberg and his family move to California where has remained until today. When he was sixteen years old his parents got a divorce. He and his sisters were devastated. During the summer of 1965 Spielberg took a tour of Universal Studios, he snuck off the tour bus and talked to a producer. The next day he came back with some of his home videos. The producer said that he didn’t have the authority to allow any more visits so Spielberg snuck onto the premises dressed as a businessman for many more months. He went to college in 1967 at California State College in Long Beach, where he studied as an English major. Even while he was in college Spielberg spent more time at the studios then in classes. He managed to squeeze his courses into two days. (This information is from Heinemann Profiles; Steven Spielberg; by Sean Connolly; Copyrighted in 1999)In 1968 Steven wrote and directed his first 35 mm film. Which is the type of film used by professionals. It was called Amblin’. The film was twenty-two minutes long, and silent. He, surprisingly, was able to make up in profits the money needed to produce the film and it in turn won awards at film festivals in Venice and Atlanta. Eventually it was aired commercially. The success of this film encouraged Spielberg to produce more. He began to direct televisions series such as Night Gallery, and soon did television movies such as Something Evil. Within the next five years Spielberg write his first theatrical motion picture called Sugarland Express.

In 1975 one of Spielberg’s most famous movies Jaws is released. This movie starts the trend of “The Summer Blockbuster”. Since that movie many more have come to theaters all around the world. Some of Spielberg’s most known movies that he directed include Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), the first and third movie in the Indiana Jones Series (1984 and 1989), Hook (1991), and Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park II (1993 and 1997). Some movies that Spielberg was executive Producer of are Poltergeist (1982), Gremlins (1984), The Land Before Time 1988), Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988), the Flintstones (1994), and Twister (1996). (According to http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000229/bio)Besides all of Spielberg’s success with his motion picture he has found success in his family life as well. IN 1985 he and his partner Amy Irving gave birth to a child, Max Samuel. Five months later they were married. Unfortunately, this marriage didn’t last long. Spielberg couldn’t balance marriage and his career. In 1989 they split up. By this time Spielberg was already involved with another actress, Kate Capshaw. She was playing the part as Willie in his movie at the time, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. In 1990 she gave birth to their first child Sasha. She then converted to Judaism. A year and a half later they were married. Within a few years they had two African-American children whom they adopted, and Capshaw’s child from a previous marriage. His life was now more stable and he went on to doing what he loves, creating movies. In 2002 he finally receivedOutline for Entrepreneur ReportSteven Spielberg1.Birth/Childhooda.When/Whereb.Motherc.Father2.Interestsa.Dislikeb.Likesc.First Home Movies3.Education/First Experiencesa.Divorceb.Universal Studiosc.California State College4.His Firstsa.First 35 mm Filmi.The Success of This Filmb.First Television Seriesc.First Television Movie5.Moviesa.Jawsb.Movies He Directedi.A List of Themc.Movies He Producedi.A List of Them6.Conclusiona.Marriageb.KidsMy Sources:Books:Geoffrey M. Horn; Trailblazers of the Modern World, Steven Spielberg; Milwaukee, WI; World Almanac Library; 2002Jim Hargrove; Steven Spielberg, Amazing Filmmaker, Chicago IL; Children’s Press; 1988Sean Connolly; Heinemann Profiles Steven Spielberg; Chicago IL; Heinemann Libraries; 1999Web:http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000229/http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000229/bio