Steven Spielberg

Filmmakers

Steven Allen Spielberg (born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the founding pioneers of the New Hollywood era and one of the most popular directors and producers in film history. He gained early attention with his short film Amblin’ (1968), which led him to becoming the youngest director ever to be signed to a long-term deal with a major Hollywood studio (Universal) after Sid Sheinberg, then the vice-president of production for Universal Television saw the film. Spielberg was signed to a 7-year contract with Universal Television. He gained some early praise for Duel (1971), often considered among the best made for TV movies. He made his feature film directorial debut with The Sugarland Express (1974), with Goldie Hawn, Ben Johnson, William Atherton, and Michael Sacks.

He became a household name after his second feature film Jaws (1975), with Roy Schneider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, and Murray Hamilton – which was critically and commercially successful and is considered the first summer blockbuster. His other notable films of the 1970s include Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), with Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffey, and François Truffaut – for which he received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Director; and 1941 (1979), with Dan Aykroyd, Ned Beatty, John Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Lee, Tim Matheson, Toshiro Mifune, Slim Pickens, and Robert Stack.

He received consecutive Best Director nominations for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), with Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, and Denholm Elliott; and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), with Dee Wallace, Peter Coyote, and Henry Thomas, Peter MacNaughton, and Drew Barrymore – which was his first Best Picture nominee. He reviewed his second Best Picture nomination for The Color Purple (1985), with Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Desreta Jackson, Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey, Rae Dawn Chong, Willard Pugh, and Adolph Caesar.

Other notable films of the 1980s include Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), with Ford, Kate Capshaw (whom he’s been married to since 1991), Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, Philip Stone, and Ke Huy Quan; Empire of the Sun (1987), with Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, and Nigel Havers; Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), with Ford, Sean Connery, Alison Doody, Elliott, Julian Glover, River Phoenix, and Rhys-Davies; and Always (1989), with Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, John Goodman, Brad Johnson, and Audrey Hepburn (in her final film).

He won his first Academy Award for Best Director for Schindler’s List (1993), with Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, and Ralph Fiennes – which he also won Best Picture; and his second for Saving Private Ryan (1998), with Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg, Jeremy Davies, and Matt Damon.

Other notable films of the 1990s include Hook (1991), with Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Bob Hoskins, Julia Roberts, and Maggie Smith; Jurassic Park (1993), with Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, BD Wong, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight, Joseph Mazzello, and Ariana Richards; and its first sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), with Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Vince Vaughn, Pete Postlethwaite, and Peter Stormare; and Amistad (1997), with Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Films in the early to mid 2000s includes A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), with Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O’Connor, Brendan Gleeson, and William Hurt; Minority Report (2002), with Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max von Sydow, Neal McDonough, Lois Smith, Kathryn Morris, Mike Binder, and Tim Blake Nelson;,Catch Me of You Can (2002), with Leonardo DiCaprio, Hanks, and Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Nathalie Baye, Amy Adams, and James Brolin; The Terminal (2004), with Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci, Diego Luna, and Chi McBride; War of the Worlds (2005), with Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, and Tim Robbins; and Munich (2005), with Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Ciarán Hinds, Mathieu Kassovitz, Hanns Zischler, and Geoffrey Rush – earning him Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Picture.

He received consecutive Best Picture nominations for War Horse (2011), with Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, Niels Arestrup, Jeremy Irvine, David Thewlis, Tom Hiddleston, and Benedict Cumberbatch; and Lincoln (2012), with Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, and Tommy Lee Jones – the latter also earning him a Best Director nomination. He received two more Best Picture nominations for Bridge of Spies (2015), with Hanks and Mark Rylance; and The Post (2017), with Meryl Streep, Hanks; Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, David Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Carrie Coon, Alison Brie, and Matthew Rhys.

Other films from the late 2000s to 2010s include Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), with Ford, Cate Blanchett, AllenRay Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent, and Shia LaBeouf; The Adventures of Tin Tin (2011), with Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Craig, Nick Frost, and Simon Pegg; The BFG (2016), with Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Penelope Wilton, Jemaine Clement, Rebecca Hall, Rafe Spall, and Bill Hader; and Ready Player One (2018), with Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, T.J. Miller, Pegg, and Rylance.

He received consecutive Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture for West Side Story (2021), with Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Brian D’Arcy James, Corey Stoll, and Rita Moreno;and The Fabelmans (2022), with Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Gabriel LaBelle, Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord, Jeanie Berlin, David Lynch, and Judd Hirsch – the latter he also received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

He co-founded Amblin Entertainment and DreamWorks Pictures, where he has also served as a producer or executive producer for several successful films including Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist (1982), with JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, and Beatrice Straight; Joe Dante’s Gremlins (1984), Robert Zemeckis‘ Back to the Future (1985), Richard Donner‘s The Goonies (1985), Barry Sonnenfeld‘s Men in Black (1997). He’s also collaborated on various projects with fellow filmmaker and lifelong friend, George Lucas. He’s also received Best Picture nominations for films he didn’t direct, including Clint Eastwood’s Letters to Iwo Jima (2006), with Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryō Kase, and Shidō Nakamura; and Maestro (2023), with Carey Mulligan, Bradley Cooper (who also directed), Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, and Sarah Silverman.

Each review will be linked to the title below.

(*seen originally in theaters)

(**seen rereleased in theaters)

Director

  • The Last Gun (1959) – short
  • Fighter Squad (1961) – short
  • Escape to Nowhere (1961) – short
  • Firelight (1964) – partially lost
  • Slipstream (1967) – unfinished short
  • Amblin’ (1968) – short
  • Night Gallery (1969) – TV movie
  • Duel (1971) – TV movie
  • Something Evil (1972) – TV movie
  • Savage (1973) – TV movie
  • The Sugarland Express (1974)
  • Jaws (1975)**
  • Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)**
  • 1941 (1979)
  • Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)**
  • E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)**
  • Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) – directed with John Landis, Joe Dante, & George Miller
  • Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)**
  • The Color Purple (1985)
  • Empire of the Sun (1987)
  • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)**
  • Always (1989)
  • Hook (1991)*
  • Jurassic Park (1993)
  • Schindler’s List (1993)
  • The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)*
  • Amistad (1997)
  • Saving Private Ryan (1998)**
  • The Unfinished Journey (1999) – documentary short
  • A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
  • Minority Report (2002)*
  • Catch Me If You Can (2002)
  • The Terminal (2004)
  • War of the Worlds (2005)
  • Munich (2005)
  • Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)*
  • The Adventures of Tintin (2011)*
  • War Horse (2011)
  • Lincoln (2012)
  • Bridge of Spies (2015)
  • The BFG (2016)
  • The Post (2017)
  • Ready Player One (2018)*
  • West Side Story (2020)
  • The Fabelmans (2022)*
  • Disclosure Day (2026)

Other

  • I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978) – directed by Robert Zemeckis – executive producer
  • The Blues Brothers (1980)** – directed by John Landis – cameo
  • Used Cars (1980) – directed by Robert Zemeckis – executive producer
  • Continental Divide (1981) – directed by Michael Apted – executive producer
  • Poltergeist (1982) – directed by Tobe Hooper – also co-writer, story
  • Gremlins (1984)** – directed by Joe Dante
  • The Goonies (1985)** – directed by Richard Donner
  • Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) – directed by Barry Levinson
  • Fandango (1985) – directed by Kevin Reynolds – uncredited
  • An American Tail (1986) – directed by Don Bluth – executive producer
  • The Money Pit (1986) – directed by Richard Benjamin– executive producer
  • Batteries Not Included (1987) – directed by Matthew Robbins – executive producer
  • Three O’Clock High (1987) – directed by Phil Joanou – uncredited executive producer
  • Innerspace (1987) – directed by Joe Dante – executive producer
  • Harry and the Hendersons (1987) – directed by William Dear – uncredited executive producer
  • Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)** – directed by Robert Zemeckis – Executive Producer
  • The Land Before Time (1988) – directed by Don Bluth – executive producer
  • Back to the Future Part II (1989)** – directed by Robert Zemeckis – executive producer
  • Tummy Trouble (1989) – directed by Rob Minkoff & Frank Marshall – executive producer – short
  • Dad (1989) – directed by Gary David Goldberg – executive producer
  • Arachnophobia (1990) – directed by Frank Marshall – executive producer, uncredited second unit director
  • Dreams (1990) – directed by Akira Kurosawa – executive producer
  • Back to the Future Part III (1990)** – directed by Robert Zemeckis – executive producer
  • Roller Coaster Rabbit (1990) – directed by Rob Minkoff & Frank Marshall – executive producer – short
  • Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) – directed by Joe Dante – executive producer
  • Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) – directed by John Patrick Shanley – executive producer
  • An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991)* – directed by Phil Nibbelink & Simon Wells – executive producer
  • Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992) – directed by Rich Arons, Ken Boyer, Kent Butterworth, Barry Caldwell, Alfred Gimeno, Art Leonardi, &!Byron Vaughns – executive producer
  • Trail Mix-Up (1993) – directed by Barry Cook – executive producer – short
  • We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story (1993) – directed by Dick Zondag, Ralph Zondag, Phil Nibbelink, & Simon Wells – executive producer
  • The Flintstones (1994)* – directed by Brian Levant – executive producer
  • Casper (1995)* – directed by Brad Silberling – executive producer
  • Balto (1995) – directed by Simon Wells
  • Twister (1996) – directed by Jan de Bont – executive producer
  • Men in Black (1997)* – directed by Barry Sonnenfeld – executive producer
  • The Mask of Zorro (1998) – directed by Martin Campbell – executive producer
  • Deep Impact (1998) – directed by Mimi Leder – executive producer
  • Wakko’s Wish (1999) – directed by Liz Holzman, Rusty Mills, & Tom Ruegger – executive producer
  • Jurassic Park III (2001) – directed by Joe Johnston – executive producer
  • Vanilla Sky (2001) – directed by Cameron Crowe – cameo
  • Men in Black II (2002)* – directed by Barry Somnenfeld – executive producer
  • Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)* – directed by Jay Roach – cameo as himself
  • The Legend of Zorro (2005) – directed by Martin Campbell – executive producer
  • Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) – directed by Rob Marshall – producer
  • Monster House (2006) – directed by Gil Kenan – executive producer
  • Flags of Our Fathers (2006) – directed by Clint Eastwood – producer
  • Letters to Iwo Jima (2006) – directed by Clint Eastwood – producer
  • Transformers (2007)* – directed by Michael Bay – executive producer
  • Eagle Eye (2008) – directed by D.J. Caruso – executive producer
  • Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)* – directed by Michael Bay – executive producer
  • The Lovely Bones (2009) – directed by Peter Jackson – executive producer
  • Hereafter (2010) – directed by Clint Eastwood – executive producer
  • True Grit (2010)* – directed by Joel & Ethan Coen – executive producer
  • Paul (2011)* – directed by Greg Mottola – voice cameo as himself
  • Super 8 (2011)* – directed by J.J. Abrams – producer
  • Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)* – directed by Michael Bay – executive producer
  • Cowboys & Aliens (2011)* – directed by Jon Favreau – executive producer
  • Men in Black 3 (2012) – directed by Barry Sonnenfeld – executive producer
  • Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) – directed by Michael Bay – executive producer
  • The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014) / directed by Lasse Hallström – producer
  • Auschwitz (2015) – directed by James Moll – producer – documentary short
  • Jurassic World (2015) – directed by Colin Trevorrow – executive producer
  • Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) – directed by Michael Bay – executive producer
  • Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) – directed by J. A. Bayona – executive producer
  • First Man (2018) – directed by Damien Chazelle – executive producer
  • Bumblebee (2018)* – directed by Travis Knight – executive producer
  • Men in Black: International (2019) – directed by F. Gary Gray – executive producer
  • Jurassic World Dominion (2022) – directed by Colin Trevorrow – executive producer
  • Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)* – directed by Steven Caple Jr. – executive producer
  • Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) – directed by James Mangold – executive producer
  • Maestro (2023) – directed by Bradley Cooper – producer
  • The Color Purple (2023) – directed by Blitz Bazawule – producer
  • Twisters (2024) – directed by Lee Isaac Chung – executive producer
  • Music by John Williams (2024) -directed by Laurent Bouzereau – producer – documentary
  • Transformers One (2024) – directed by Josh Cooley – executive producer
  • Jurassic World Rebirth (2025) – directed by Gareth Edwards – executive producer
  • Hamnet (2025) – directed by Chloé Zhao – producer