Steven Spielberg's Biography

Steven Spielberg is widely considered to be the most successful film director in the history of cinema. His films have grossed $10 billion and his imagination has captivated tens of millions of people around the world. After establishing his reputation with blockbuster films such as Jaws, ET, Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones, he began to explore serious topics such as justice, slavery, women’s rights, corruption, and morality of war in films such as Saving Private Ryan, Lincoln, The Color Purple, The Post, Munich and Bridge of Spies.

His films also have delivered compelling narratives of Jewish history and present-day events, including the Holocaust, terrorism, and the maturing of the State of Israel. Spielberg’s 1993 masterpiece Schindler’s List has had a profound impact on humanity’s perception and awareness of the Holocaust. Fifty years after the Shoah, Spielberg’s film fostered a strong emotional connection with this tragedy for a vast, global audience – touching the post-war generations in a way that no other medium could. Spielberg channeled all of his proceeds from Schindler’s List to fund philanthropic causes – both Jewish and non-Jewish. In 1994, he established the USC Shoah Foundation, dedicated to preserving Holocaust survivor testimonies. Concerned with prevention of genocide, the Foundation also works to preserve the memory of other 20th century atrocities – in Cambodia, Armenia and Rwanda. Over 55,000 survivor testimonies have been recorded to-date.

Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw founded the Righteous Persons Foundation, which has made more than $100 million in grants to various Jewish organizations. Through the Wunderkinder Foundation, Spielberg has given extensively to health, arts, youth and education.