The Top 5 Steven Spielberg movies on the day the legendary director turns 78
The famous director was born on this day in 1946
The Top 5 Steven Spielberg movies on the day the legendary director turns 78
Steven Allan Spielberg was born on December 18, 1946, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He began making 8mm movies as a teenager growing up in Arizona. After his parent’s divorce, he and his father then moved to California. It was there that what started as an unpaid internship at Universal Studios became a professional career, making Spielberg one of the youngest directors ever signed to a long-term deal by a Hollywood studio. Spielberg would go on to direct many of the most successful films of all time.
Steven Allan Spielberg was born on December 18, 1946, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Raised in a Jewish family, Spielberg spent his early years in Haddon Township, New Jersey, and later Phoenix, Arizona. His father, Arnold Spielberg, was an electrical engineer, and his mother, Leah, was a concert pianist and restaurateur. Spielberg’s passion for storytelling and filmmaking emerged at a young age when he started making short films with his family’s 8mm camera. Spielberg’s first taste of success came during his teenage years when he created Escape to Nowhere, a World War II film that won a local prize. After being denied admission to the University of Southern California’s prestigious film program, he attended California State University, Long Beach, while simultaneously pursuing opportunities in Hollywood. His big break came in 1968 when his short film Amblin’ impressed Universal Studios executives, earning him a contract as a television director.
Spielberg made his feature-film debut with The Sugarland Express (1974), but it was Jaws (1975) that cemented his status as a master filmmaker. Often credited as the first modern blockbuster, Jaws broke box office records and set the stage for Spielberg’s illustrious career. Over the next few decades, he directed some of the most iconic films in cinema history, including Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Indiana Jones series (1981–2008), Jurassic Park (1993), and Schindler’s List (1993), which won seven Academy Awards, including Best Director.
Spielberg’s work often blends spectacle with deep emotional resonance, tackling a variety of genres and themes. His later films include Saving Private Ryan (1998), Minority Report (2002), Lincoln (2012), and The Fabelmans (2022), a semi-autobiographical film about his early life and passion for filmmaking.
Spielberg married actress Amy Irving in 1985, but the couple divorced in 1989. He later married actress Kate Capshaw in 1991, whom he met while working on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Together, they have seven children, including both biological and adopted kids. Spielberg’s Jewish heritage and personal experiences have profoundly influenced his work, particularly films like Schindler’s List and Munich.
Today, he remains actively involved in filmmaking and production through his company Amblin Entertainment and DreamWorks Pictures, which he co-founded in 1994. Beyond his cinematic endeavors, Spielberg is a passionate philanthropist, supporting various causes, including Holocaust education, children’s welfare, and arts funding. Here is a look back at what we think are his top 5.
By Ken Warren
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