Steven Spielberg

Steven Allan Spielberg was born December 18, 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Throughout his teenage years, he made 8 mm adventure movies with his friends; he charged 25 cents admission to see the films while his sister sold popcorn. At age 13, he won an award for a 40-minute film titled Escape to Nowhere. After graduating high school, Spielberg attended film school at the University of Southern California, but was unsuccessful. His career began as an intern for the editing department of Universal Studios. During this time, he produced his first short film for theatrical release, Amblin, and later took the name as the name of his production company, Amblin Entertainment.

Based on the strength of his work, Universal contracted Spielberg for four TV films including Duel, Something Evil, and Savage. The production of Jaws in 1975 was an enormous success making Spielberg a house-hold name. It was nominated for Best Picture. In 1977, he wrote and filmed Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It won Oscars in two categories.

In 1981, Spielberg teamed with George Lucas for the first Indiana Jones film, Raiders of the Lost Ark. E.T. The Extraterrestrial was released in 1982 and was nominated for nine Academy Awards. He followed this with Poltergeist, The Twilight Zone and The Goonies by 1985. Other notable works by Steven Spielberg include: Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, and Saving Private Ryan. To date, the adjusted gross of Spielberg films exceeds $8.5 billion worldwide.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind "Earth's greatest adventure had begun. The world was being readied for Close Encounters of the Third Kind. To Claude LeCombe, director of an international silence group, it meant the culmination of a search that drove him to the globe's farthest corners. To Jillian Guiler, it meant the last shred of hope for the recovery of her little son who disappeared on the most extraordinary night of her life. To Roy Neary, it meant an answer to the startling mystery that had increasingly driven him to the emotional edge. And to the rest of humanity, it meant the beginning of the most dramatic event in the history of the world. It will lead to the inescapable conclusion: we are not alone." Original Publication: Delacorte Press, December 1977 This Edition: Dell, December 1977 Cover Art: Dan Perri Format: Paperback Notes: Review:

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