From Jaws to E.T., Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, The Color Purple, and Schindler’s List, Steven Spielberg is perhaps the most accomplished creative of the Hollywood Renaissance. The American filmmaker pioneered the New Hollywood era with ground-breaking projects that cemented the dominance of American cinema while influencing the movie industry worldwide. His fascination with motion pictures dates back to his childhood: he made his first movie at 12 and then won a statewide competition the following year with Escape to Nowhere, a 40-minute war film he made with his mates at school.
As a director, producer, and screenwriter, Steven Spielberg has also influenced the careers of multiple performers, propelling them to global stardom. For instance, he invited Will Smith to his home and offered him the Men in Black (1997) role, helping the actor achieve wider fame. Spielberg also offered Sam Mendes the American Beauty (1999) script, which won him an Oscar for Best Director in his feature film directorial debut. Likewise, he has directed several actors in performances nominated for the Academy Award, including Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Hanks, Liam Neeson, and Meryl Streep.
1. Steven Spielberg’s Father Was A Famous Pioneering Electrical Engineer And Computer Scientist
The iconic filmmaker was born on December 18, 1946, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Leah Adler and Arnold Spielberg. While his mother was a restaurateur and musician, his father was a computer scientist. Arnold Spielberg began devising radios with junk as a child. He built his own transmitter at age 15 and later designed airplane antennas for the U.S. Army Air Corps. His skills inspired him to study Electrical Engineering at the University of Cincinnati, after which he joined the RCA Corporation, working under its Advanced Development Department.
At RCA, he designed the first electronic library and developed a point-of-sale system that revolutionized computing in the retail industry. Arnold Spielberg also worked for General Electric, where he helped develop a series of computers. For his contributions, he received the 2006 IEEE Computer Pioneer Award.
2. The Brilliant Filmmaker Has A Learning Disability
Steven Spielberg is dyslexic; he was first diagnosed with the learning disorder at age 60. Upon his diagnosis, the talented filmmaker realized why he struggled with reading in school. The Jaws director learned to read two years later than his classmates. He dreaded being called upon to read a passage as he was often teased and bullied about it. This, in turn, made him dislike school. However, he admits he’s never felt like a victim—thanks to his caring parents and movies. “Movies really helped me… (it) kind of save me from shame,” he told Friends of Quinn, asserting that making movies was his great escape.
3. Steven Spielberg Was Once Accused Of Installing A Mind-Controlling Device In People’s Brain
The famous director had to file a restraining order against Diana Napolis, a conspiracy theorist who stalked and harrassed the filmmaker, claiming he operates a satanic cult in the basement of his home. Napolis accused Steven Spielberg and his wife of installing a microchip she called a “soul catcher” in her brain, insisting that the director and his cult members control her and others through it. Spielberg denied the allegations, expressing concerns about the safety and security of his family.
“I am concerned for my safety and security and for the safety and security of my family and others around me,” read his court statement, which also specified that he is “not involved with any form of manipulating Ms. Napolis’ mind or body through remote technology or otherwise.” The court granted his order, barring Napolis from coming 150 meters of Spielberg and his family. Napolis would later be jailed for the same allegations and harassment towards Jennifer Love Hewitt.
4. He Parted With $100 Million When He Divorced Amy Irving
Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving’s relationship began in 1976 when she auditioned for a role in his 1977 sci-fi, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. They began living together soon after but broke up in 1979. Spielberg and Irving reconnected and resumed dating in 1984, leading to their wedding in November 1985, five months after they welcomed their son Max Spielberg. The marriage packed up in 1989, resulting in one of the most expensive celebrity divorces in history. The court ignored the prenuptial agreement Spielberg signed on a napkin, awarding Irving half of his earnings in their four years of marriage, which amounted to $100 million.
5. Steven Spielberg’s Second Wife Reignited His Love In Judaism
Born and raised in a Jewish family, the Schindler’s List director grew up feeling embarrassed about his religious heritage. He didn’t fancy his parent’s Orthodox Jewish practices and gradually pulled away from the religion. This changed after he wedded retired American actress Kate Capshaw. Spielberg and Capshaw bonded on the set of his 1984 action-adventure Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Following the filmmaker’s divorce from Irving, he married Capshaw on October 12, 1991.
The former actress excitedly converted to Judaism before they exchanged vows, igniting a new passion for the religion within Spielberg. He credits Capshaw for bringing him back to the faith in Abigail Pogrebin’s 2007 book Star of David. “…She insisted on converting to Judaism. She spent a year studying, did the “mikveh,” the whole thing. She chose to do a full conversion before we were married… That, more than anything else, brought me back to Judaism,” said the filmmaker.
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