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01
Screening Lawrence of Arabia 1962 with David Lean provided Spielberg with a live director’s commentary, which he considers one of the best moments of his life.
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02
When asked which of his films he would like to be remembered for, Spielberg chose E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 1982 and Schindler’s List 1993.
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03
A fan of video games, Spielberg finds their development intriguing.
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04
Directing a childbirth scene, Spielberg received a call that Amy Irving was giving birth to their son Max.
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05
Upon receiving his undergraduate degree 35 years after first entering college, the orchestra played the Indiana Jones theme as he walked across the stage.
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06
As a child, Spielberg snuck onto the Universal Studios lot during a tour and befriended an editor who taught him about filmmaking.
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07
His favourite directors include David Lean, Preston Sturges, Frank Capra, and Alfred Hitchcock.
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08
Spielberg spent five months developing the script for Rain Man 1988 but had to leave for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 1989, giving his notes to Barry Levinson.
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09
He almost directed Big 1988 but avoided stealing the thunder of his sister Anne Spielberg, who co-wrote the script.
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10
He is the godfather of Drew Barrymore and Gwyneth Paltrow.
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11
Indoor relaxation for Spielberg includes watching golf on TV and playing the video game Assassin’s Creed.
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12
His dog Elmer appeared in several films including Jaws 1975 and Close Encounters of the Third Kind 1977.
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13
Originally set to direct Cape Fear 1991, Spielberg recommended Martin Scorsese for the job and called him personally.
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14
The first major star he worked with was Joan Crawford on Night Gallery; she gave him advice and they became close friends.
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15
During filming of their Night Gallery episode, Spielberg gave Joan Crawford a single red rose in a Pepsi bottle, and she predicted he would become the biggest director of all time.
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16
In 1996, he purchased Clark Gable’s Oscar for It Happened One Night 1934 and returned it to the Academy for safekeeping.
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17
He often casts actors based on their performances in other works and rarely requires auditions for major roles.
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18
George Lucas wanted Spielberg to direct Return of the Jedi 1983, but a dispute with the Director’s Guild prevented it.
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19
His father Arnold Spielberg worked on the first commercially sold computer in 1950.
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20
Spielberg, along with George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, presented Martin Scorsese with his first Best Director award for The Departed 2006.
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21
According to the Los Angeles Business Journal, his estimated fortune is $2.8 billion, making him the 14th richest in the Los Angeles area.
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22
He is of Hungarian descent, his surname coming from an Austrian city.
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23
The film The Goonies 1985 was based on his childhood friends, whom he called the goon squad.
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24
He removes his name as a producer if he feels a film is not up to his standards.
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25
He co-founded DreamWorks SKG with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen.
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26
He personally offered the American Beauty 1999 script to Sam Mendes, who won the Oscar for Best Director on his debut feature.
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27
He is a huge fan of Steve Martin, Bill Murray, and Robin Williams, and considers them good friends.
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28
He turned down directing Deep Impact 1998 and The Mask of Zorro 1998 to work on Saving Private Ryan 1998.
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29
He has directed 17 actors in Oscar-nominated performances, with Daniel Day-Lewis, Mark Rylance, and Ariana DeBose winning.
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30
In Close Encounters of the Third Kind 1977, humans and aliens communicate through music and computers, reflecting his father’s computer science and mother’s music careers.
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31
In 1998, he received Germany’s Cross of Merit with star for his representation of history in Schindler’s List 1993.
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32
He attended California State University-Long Beach after being rejected by USC Cinema School twice.
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33
Early in his career, he gave a tour to Michael Crichton, who later worked with him on Jurassic Park 1993.
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34
He directed six of AFI’s 100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies, including Jaws at #2 and Raiders of the Lost Ark at #10.
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35
Entertainment Weekly voted him the 11th Greatest Director of all time.
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36
In 2002, he graduated from California State University Long Beach with a degree in film, submitting Schindler’s List as his senior project.
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37
He owns one of the original Rosebud sleds from Citizen Kane 1941.
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38
He flew Will Smith to his Hamptons home via helicopter to offer him the part in Men in Black 1997.
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39
Despite George Lucas’s push for digital, Spielberg advocates for shooting on film, with support from Martin Scorsese and Oliver Stone.
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40
He confessed to having a phobia of furniture with feet.
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41
His father served in World War II on the South East Asian Front.
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42
Besides producing The Goonies 1985, he also directed at least one scene.
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43
According to Teri Garr, he told her on set that one of his favorite movies is Viva Las Vegas 1964.
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44
Although supporting gun control, he owns a large gun collection and is an excellent marksman.
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45
He was the first living person to have a playable Lego mini-figure modeled after him, sold with Lego Studios sets.
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46
He is the most represented filmmaker on AFI’s 100 Most Inspiring Movies list with five films, three in the top ten.
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47
Eight of his films appear in the 5th edition of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.
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48
He received the Distinguished Public Service Award, the U.S. Navy’s highest civilian honor, on Veterans Day 1999 for Saving Private Ryan.
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49
After a great working relationship on Gremlins 1984, he produced Chris Columbus’s scripts, but later fired Columbus from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 1989 due to script issues.
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50
There are seven children in the Capshaw-Spielberg family: Theo, Sasha, Sawyer, Mikaela, Destry, Jessica, and Max.
