Steven Spielberg

Profession: Director

Nationality:

Biography: One of the most popular, successful, acclaimed and influential directors in film history, Spielberg was one of the founding pioneers of the New Hollywood era of the mid-60s to the late-80s.

Spielberg's career was launched in the 1970s with films like "Jaws" (1975) which became the highest-grossing film of all time and set the stage for the modern blockbuster. His following films, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977) and "Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981) were massively successful. His 1982 film "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" once again gave him the highest-grossing film of all time. In 1993 he again had the highest-grossing film ever with "Jurassic Park".

His films have also addressed issues such as slavery, war and terrorism in films like "The Color Purple" (1985), "Empire of the Sun" (1987), "Schindler's List" (1993), "Saving Private Ryan" (1998) and "Lincoln" (2012). Spielberg won the Academy Award for Best Director for both Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan.

He is noted for his long collaborations with people such as actor Tom Hanks, composer John Williams, producer Kathleen Kennedy and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski. The unadjusted gross of his films exceeds $9 billion, making him the highest-grossing film director in history, and his personal wealth is estimated at $3 billion.

Born: December 18, 1946
Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Age: 77 years old

Generation: Baby Boomer
Chinese Zodiac: Dog
Star Sign: Sagittarius