Steven Spielberg: A Biography (Greenwood Biographies)

172 Pages·2007·1.16 MB·English

by  Kathi Jackson

STEVEN SPIELBERG
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STEVEN SPIELBERG
A Biography
Kathi Jackson
GREENWOOD BIOGRAPHIES
GREENWOOD PRESS
WESTPORT, CONNECTICUT . LONDON
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jackson, Kathi, 1951–
Steven Spielberg : a biography / Kathi Jackson.
p. cm. — (Greenwood biographies ISSN 1540–4900)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978–0–313–33796–3 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0–313–33796–9 (alk. paper)
1. Spielberg, Steven, 1946– 2. Motion picture producers and
directors—United States—Biography. I. Title.
PN1998.3.S65J33 2007
791.43023'3092—dc22
[B] 2006039109
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright ©2007 by Kathi Jackson
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2006039109
ISBN-13: 978–0–313–33796–3
ISBN-10: 0–313–33796–9
ISSN: 1540–4900
First published in 2007
Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.greenwood.com
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Copyright Acknowledgments
The author and publisher gratefully acknowledge permission for use of the following
material:
Richard Combs, “Primal Scream: An Interview with Steven Spielberg.” First published
in Sight and Sound , Spring 1977. Reprinted in Steven Spielberg Interviews , edited by Lester
D. Friedman and Brent Notbohm (Jackson: University of Mississippi, 2000). Permission
granted by Richard Combs, July 16, 2006.
Frank Sanello, Spielberg: The Man, The Movies, The Mythology (Dallas: Taylor
Publishing, 1996). Permission granted by Patricia Zline, Rowman Littlefi eld Publishing
Group. Lanham, MD.
Lester D. Friedman and Brent Notbohm, eds. Steven Spielberg Interviews (Jackson:
University of Mississippi, 2000).
Every reasonable effort has been made to trace the owners of copyright materials in this
book, but in some instances this has proven impossible. The author and publisher will be
glad to receive information leading to more complete acknowledgments in subsequent
printings of the book and in the meantime extend their apologies for any omissions.
To Westly and Trevor:
Once upon a time in the early 1980s there was a single mother of two young
boys, ages nine and three. During some of their silly times, they made lists
of whom their mom should marry and make their stepfather. Many famous
names came and went, but two always remained: Steven Spielberg and
George Lucas.
Many years later, the same mom was offered a chance to write a biography.
Her choices were Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. She chose Spielberg.
So, boys, I couldn’t give you Mr. Spielberg as a stepfather, so I’m giving him
to you as a book.
My love forever,
Mom

CONTENTS
Series Foreword xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction: The Spielberg Mystique xv
Timeline: Signifi cant Events in the Life of Steven Spielberg xxi
Chapter 1 The Formative Years, 1946–1968 1
First Encounters 3
The Frightened and Frightening Child 3
True Boyhood Home 4
The Boy Scouts 4
Discovering the Camera 5
Religion 7
Winning 8
California 9
Divorce 10
Universal Studios 10
Breaking into the Big Time 11
Chapter 2 From TV to Film, 1969–1977 15
Professional Directing Debut: N ight Gallery 15
viii CONTENTS
Break-Out Television Movie: D uel 16
Spielberg’s Forgotten Movie: Ace Eli and
Rodger of the Skies 18
Directing His First Feature Film:
The Sugarland Express 19
Jaws 20
Close Encounters of the Third Kind 24
Chapter 3 Director/Producer, 1978–1983 29
First Producing Project: I Wanna Hold Your Hand 29
The Bomb: 1941 29
Raiders of the Lost Ark 31
Poltergeist 33
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 34
Twilight Zone The Movie 37
Chapter 4 Real Life and Reel Life, 1984–1991 41
His First Company: A mblin Entertainment 41
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 42
Amy Irving 43
The Color Purple 44
Amazing Stories 45
Empire of the Sun 46
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 47
Always 48
A Second Chance at Marriage 48
Chapter 5 From Peter Pan to Company Man, 1991–1994 51
Hook 51
Jurassic Park 53
Speaking of Money 54
Schindler ’ s List 54
The Schindler/Spielberg Legacy 59
DreamWorks (SKG) 59
CONTENTS ix
Chapter 6 Into the New Millennium, 1994–2001 65
Taking a Break from Directing 65
The Lost World Jurassic Park 65
Amistad 67
Saving Private Ryan 69
Tom Hanks 73
A.I. Artifi cial Intelligence 74
Chapter 7 The Legend Continues, 2002–2005 79
Minority Report 79
Catch Me If You Can 80
The Terminal 82
War of the Worlds 83
Munich 86
Chapter 8 Awards and Fame, Good Works, Future
Projects, Acclaim 91
Awards 91
Fame 92
Downside of Fame 93
Good Works 93
Future Projects 95
Acclaim 97
Appendix A: Films Directed by Steven Spielberg 101
Appendix B: Films Produced by Steven Spielberg 103
Appendix C: Awards 107
Appendix D: Top-Grossing Films: All-Time Worldwide
Box-Offi ce Records 115
Appendix E: Charitable Organizations Supported by Spielberg 117
Bibliography 119
Index 139
About the Author 145
Photo essay follows page 64