February 11, 2017 | Josh Mendelssohn

Acclaimed Facts About Steven Spielberg


Steven Allan Spielberg, is an American director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the founding pioneers of the New Hollywood era, as well as being viewed as one of the most popular directors and producers in film history. Enjoy these facts about Steven Spielberg.


Steven Spielberg Facts

1. Movies of summer

Spielberg was credited for starting the tradition of the summer blockbuster after his 1975's mega hit Jaws cleared $100 million at the box office.

Steven Spielberg in suit Gage Skidmore, Flickr

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2. Blood Money

Schindler's List was considered to be the most expensive black and white film ever made but Spielberg didn’t accept any payment for his work on this movie. He stated that any money accepted would be “blood money”, considering the Holocaust.

Steven Spielberg at event Jamie McCarthy, Getty Images

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3. I can see it

He claims Richard Dreyfuss is his alter-ego.

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Richard DreyfussJohn Minihan, Getty Images

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4. From a young age

When he was a child, he snuck onto the lot of Universal Studios during a tour and befriended an editor who showed him a few things about filmmaking.

Steven Spielberg with hand up Vince Bucci, Getty Images

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5. Breeds excellence

Steven is the godfather of Drew Barrymore and Gwyneth Paltrow. Gwyneth is known to call him 'Uncle Morty'.

Steven Spielberg and  Gwyneth Paltrow facing the camera Evan Agostini, Getty Images

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6. He's done alright

According to Forbes' "400 Richest People In America," Spielberg's fortune is an estimated $2.5 billion.

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Steven Spielberg, Kate Capshaw in front of a table Alan Light, Flickr

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7. His Masterpieces

When asked what are the films he's made he would like to be remembered for, he said E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Schindler's List (1993).

Steven Spielberg  at E.T. PremiereKevin Winter, Getty Images

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8. Don't you say that!

According to his interview on the series Inside the Actors Studio, his favorite curse word is "Rats"!

Steven Spielberg in suit  at and event Joseph Sohm, Shutterstock

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9. Everybody lost here...

His longtime friend George Lucas originally wanted him to direct the third entry of the original Star Wars trilogy, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) and Spielberg was eager to do so, but Lucas was unsuccessful in getting him the job because of his dispute with the Director's Guild at the time.

Lucas, Spielberg facing the cameraVince Bucci, Getty Images

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10. Serial winner

He has directed ten films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture:

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Jaws (1975), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), The Color Purple (1985), Schindler's List (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Munich (2005), War Horse (2011), Lincoln (2012) and Bridge of Spies (2015). Of these, Schindler's List (1993) is the only one to have won the award.

Director Steven Spielberg attends the 88th Annual Academy AwardsKevin Winter, Getty Images

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11. Set the mood

According to friend and veteran film editor Michael Kahn, Spielberg will not watch a cut of his film without temp music.

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Temp music is music used in production that conveys the mood or atmosphere of the scene.

Steven Spielberg and Michael Kahn at an event Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images

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12. Friends in high places

Spielberg very close with George Lucas and Oprah Winfrey. He was also best friends with Robin Williams until he passed away.

Robin Williams, Steven Spielberg at event speaking to each otherFrazer Harrison, Getty Images

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13. And the winner is...

For an AFI survey, Spielberg designated Lawrence of Arabia as his favourite film.

Lawrence of ArabiaColumbia Pictures, Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

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14. Ghostwriting

When promoting A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), which he wrote, he was asked why he had not written a film in the 19 years since Poltergeist (1982). He replied that the gap was not that long because he actually does rewrites on most of the scripts that he directs.

Steven Spielberg and Kate CapshawEverett Collection, Shutterstock

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15. Loves Bond...girls.

A lifelong fan of the 007 movies, Spielberg named Honor Blackman as his favorite Bond girl. Blackman played Bond girl Pussy Galore in Goldfinger.

Honor Blackman sitting on a couch posing Jack Munch, Getty Images

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16. Through adversity

He struggled with dyslexia his whole life but was not diagnosed until very recently (around 2007).

Steven Spielberg at premiere facing the camera Dick Thomas Johnson, Flickr

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17. Lego Maniac

Steven Spielberg was the first living person to have a playable Lego mini-figure modelled after him.

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It was sold with several sets as part of the Lego Studios product range in the early 2000s.

Steven Spielberg attends Cannes Film Festival - 2013Denis Makarenko, Shutterstock

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18. Multitasker

He is at his most productive and creative when working on more than one project at a time, be it as producer and/or director: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) + Poltergeist (1982) / Schindler's List (1993) + Jurassic Park (1993) / War Horse (2011) + The Adventures of Tintin (2011), etc.

Spielberg On SetKeystone, Getty Images

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19. Get that scary couch outa here!

Steven confessed to host James Lipton that he has a phobia about "furniture with feet".

James Lipton at the 2017 Creative Emmy AwardsKathy Hutchins, Shutterstock

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20.  The creed is strong with this one

Spielberg's favorite indoor relaxation pursuits are watching golf on TV and playing the popular game "Assassin's Creed".

Assassin's Creed OriginsBagoGames, Flickr

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21. Knows how to excite

He directed six of the American Film Institute's 100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies:

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Jaws (1975) at #2, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) at #10, Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) at #31, Jurassic Park (1993) at #35, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) at #44 and Saving Private Ryan (1998) at #45.

Steven Spielberg speaking at an event Carlo Allegri, Getty Images

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22. Pull!

Spielberg is an excellent shot with a shotgun. Actor Shia LaBeouf once said about his shooting, "He's an Olympic shot. The hand-eye co-ordination of that man is unlike anything I've ever seen.

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If he weren't a great director, he could be one of our greatest snipers".

Actor Shia LaBeouf at premiere on red carpet Ian Gavan, Getty Images

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23. Pitch in or pull out

Steven pulled out of his role as advisor to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, reacting to the Chinese government's inaction over the genocide in Darfur (February 2008).

Steven Spielberg during the Opening Ceremony of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic GamesClive Mason, Getty Images

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24. Helps out his friends

His dog Elmer starred in several of his films including Jaws (1975) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).

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Jaws - 1975 "Get Out Of The Water"Universal, Jaws (1975)

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25. The Dons

He, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola presented Martin Scorsese with his first ever award for Best Director, for The Departed (2006).

Steven Spielberg during the 79th Annual Academy AwardsKevin Winter, Getty Images

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26. I like the part when it goes bang!

Steven owns one of the largest gun collections on the East Coast. He does shoot, but only privately.

Steven Spielberg attends a premiereDavid Livingston, Getty Images

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27. It was destiny

Early in his career, while working for Universal Studios, he was asked to give a tour to a special guest who had just sold the film rights to one of his books to the studio.

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That guest was Michael Crichton, who later worked with Spielberg on Jurassic Park (1993).

Michael Crichton in black suitJon Chase, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

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28. For the best anyways

When Steven used product placement in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), he used Reese's Pieces only because M & M's parent company didn't want their product associated with aliens and UFOs.

Steven Spielberg and ETPikawil, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

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29. No questions please

To date, he has never provided a director's commentary on any of his films DVDs.

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Steven Spielberg speaks onstageMichael Loccisano, Getty Images

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30. No auditions necessary

He often casts new actors based on their performances in other works. Steven rarely does auditions for major roles.

Steven Spielberg at event pointing at frontMike Coppola , Getty Images

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31. Not a good guy

Stephen Spielberg admitted he "completely panicked" and had nightmares after learning that a man had been stalking him. Jonathan Norman was sentenced to 25 years to life, for stalking Spielberg and threatening to rape him.

Steven Spielberg at premiere Jeff Spicer, Getty Images

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