Steven Spielberg

Steven Allan Spielberg KBE (born on December 18, 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio but raised in the suburbs of Haddonfield, New Jersey and Scottsdale, Arizona) is an Oscar winning Jewish American film director and producer whose films range from science fiction to historical drama to horror. He is noted in recent years for his willingness to tackle emotionally powerful issues, such as the horrors of the Holocaust in Schindler's List, slavery in Amistad, and the hardships of war in Saving Private Ryan. One consistent theme in his work is a childlike, even naïve, sense of wonderment and faith, as attested by works such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., Hook and A.I..

Into a new century

2001-2004

In 2001, Spielberg filmed fellow director and friend Stanley Kubrick's final project, , a project planned by the two directors for many years but which Kubrick was unable to finish during his lifetime. The futuristic story of a humanoid android longing for love, A.I. featured groundbreaking visual effects, but unfortunately was not the blockbuster film Spielberg had hoped for. The film polarized both critics and audiences, some stating that the film was overly long and pretentious, while others believed it to be a masterpiece.

Related Topics:
2001 - Stanley Kubrick - Android

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In recent years, Spielberg has consolidated his popularity with more mainstream fare such as Minority Report (2002), starring Tom Cruise as a futuristic cop on the run from his own fate; and Catch Me If You Can (also in 2002), a biopic based on the life of Frank Abagnale (with Leonardo di Caprio and Tom Hanks), which completed the director's unofficial "Running Man" trilogy following both A.I.: Artificial Intelligence and Minority Report. Spielberg used Hanks again in 2004 for The Terminal, the story of an East European traveller who has to live in a terminal at JFK International Airport.

Related Topics:
Minority Report - 2002 - Tom Cruise - Catch Me If You Can - Frank Abagnale - Leonardo di Caprio - Tom Hanks - 2004 - The Terminal - East European - Terminal - JFK International Airport

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War of the Worlds

Spielberg's latest released film, a modernized adaptation of War of the Worlds, featuring Tom Cruise, was released in the U.S. on June 29, 2005. As with past Spielberg films, Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) provided the special effects.

Related Topics:
War of the Worlds - Tom Cruise - June 29 - 2005 - Industrial Light and Magic

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In his films E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Spielberg portrayed alien visitors as potentially friendly for human beings willing to connect with them. War of the Worlds marked a departure from those optimistic themes; more violent alien invaders visiting havoc on the earth.

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Upcoming projects

On the same day as the release of War of the Worlds, Spielberg began shooting Munich, a film about the events following the Munich Massacre. The film, formerly known as Vengeance, is written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner and screenwriter Charles Randolph. The movie is said to be an examination of the murder of eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, followed by the event's aftermath in which Israel's intelligence agency hunted down and killed each of the perpetrators. The project is predicted to be extremely controversial due to the sensitivity of the Israel-Palestine conflict, and may be upsetting to the Jewish American community, which has generally respected Spielberg's work in the past. Because of the controversial nature of his subject, Spielberg has consulted a wide range of authorities to avoid the threat of causing possible agitation and further violence in the Middle East. New York Times columnist David Halbfinger notes: "Mr. Spielberg has sought counsel from advisers ranging from his own rabbi to the former American diplomat Dennis Ross, who in turn has alerted Israeli government officials to the film's thrust. Mr. Spielberg has also shown the script to Mr. Ross's old boss, former President Bill Clinton. Mr. Clinton's aides said Mr. Spielberg reached out to him first more than a year ago and again as recently as Tuesday. Mr. Spielberg is also being advised by Mike McCurry, Mr. Clinton's White House spokesman, and Allan Mayer, a Hollywood spokesman who specializes in crisis communications."

Related Topics:
Munich - Munich Massacre - Vengeance - Pulitzer Prize - Tony Kushner - Charles Randolph - 1972 - Munich Olympics - Dennis Ross - Bill Clinton - Mike McCurry - Allan Mayer

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Also in the works are an Abraham Lincoln bio-pic starring Liam Neeson as the 16th President of the United States, and a 4th Indiana Jones film. Both are scheduled for release in 2007.

Related Topics:
Abraham Lincoln - Bio-pic - Liam Neeson - President of the United States - 2007

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He is also serving as the executive producer of Memoirs of a Geisha, an adaptation of the best-selling novel by Arthur Golden, a film he was previously attached to as director. Spielberg is also an executive producer on the critically acclaimed 2005 TV miniseries Into the West. He is also co-executive producing the new Transformers live action film with Brian Goldmer, an employee of Hasbro.

Related Topics:
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden - Into the West - Transformers - Brian Goldmer - Hasbro

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In 2005, Empire magazine created a list of the 50 greatest film directors of all time. Spielberg was number one on the list.

Related Topics:
2005 - Empire

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Currently, he has won two Academy Awards for Best Director, one for Schindler's List and another for Saving Private Ryan.

Related Topics:
Academy Awards - Best Director - Schindler's List - Saving Private Ryan

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