10 Things You Dont Know About Steven Spielberg

10 Things You Don’t Know About Steven Spielberg

Through Steven Spielberg’s collection of iconic films, we learn about him as a person. But, did you know these 10 things about the director?

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Steven Spielberg is a true master of his craft as he is the second richest director in the world, George Lucas is the first, and has directed almost 40 movies during his career. His movies include Ready Player One, Jaws, Jurassic Park, and Saving Private Ryan, and that’s just to name a few of his massively successful films.

Steven Spielberg has been a household name since the 1970’s and his fan base spans several generations. But how did he become the huge success he is today? What events have shaped his career? Let’s find out. Here are 10 things you didn’t know about Steven Spielberg:

10 Interest in Film-making Began with Boy Scouts

So how does such an incredibly talented, successful director get his start? For Steven Spielberg it was through Boy Scouts. During his time in Boy Scouts, Spielberg reached the highest level of eagle scout and he also discovered his love of directing.

He came across a bump in the road on his way to earning his photography badge as his dad’s camera was broken. So Spielberg asked if he could instead create a short video using his dad’s video camera to earn his badge. He created a 9-minute film titled The Last Gunfight.

9 Earned $1 Profit for His First Film

Steven Spielberg is worth billions as he has earned several millions, sometimes hundred millions from his films. But this was not an overnight situation, every successful person has a starting point. When Spielberg was only 16 years old he created his first film, a sci-fi film titled Firelight.

He had a small budget of $500, his high school friends, his clarinet, and his garage to create his masterpiece. The film was shown at the Phoenix Little Theater in Arizona and the ticket sales earned him a whopping $1 profit. So it wasn’t quite as popular as Raiders of the Lost Ark, but everyone’s got to start somewhere.

8 Youngest Director Ever Signed to a Long-term Contract Deal

Steven Spielberg has made film history several times throughout his career, but the first time he did it, he was only 20 years old. When Spielberg was attending California State University, he got an unpaid internship at Universal Studios in the editing department.

During his internship he was allowed to create a short film titled Amblin. The short film received high praises and several awards which caught the attention of Sidney Sheinberg, Universal Studios’s vice president. Sheinberg offered Spielberg a 7-year directing contract, making him the youngest director ever signed to a long-term contract.

7 Earned His College Degree in 2002

Spielberg’s career began to take off while he was still a CSU student, so he decided to drop out of college to work full time at Universal Studios. While Spielberg went on to become one of the most respected directors and even earning five honorary doctorates, he always regretted not finishing his degree.

In 2002, at the age of 55 and 34 years after he originally attended CSU, he officially earned his B.A. in Film Production and Electronic Arts and wore his cap and gown at graduation. Spielberg stated he did it for his kids and for all young people so they would know the importance of achieving their college goals.

6 Shared His California Estate with other Hollywood Elites

If a person is worth billions of dollars, how do they choose to spend their money? Well if someone’s Steven Spielberg, they buy a house that other Hollywood elites previously owned including Cary Grant, Barbara Hutton, and Gone with the Wind producer David Selznick.

Spielberg purchased his California estate in 1989 and 2000 for nearly $7 million. Spielberg stated he was interested in the home due to its size and its beautiful view, but finding out David Selznick once lived in the home while he was producing Gone with the Wind sealed the deal. Spielberg sold his home in 2015 for $26 million.

5 Owns 2.5% of the First Star Wars

George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are great friends who have always believed in each other’s work. In 1976 the two proved how much they supported each other with a trade of sorts. When George Lucas visited the set of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, he felt it was going to be a huge hit.

George Lucas also felt Star Wars would be a bust, which lead to the trade. They would each give each other 2.5% of their earnings from their films. Star Wars went on to become one of the biggest box office hits of all time which earned Steven Spielberg $40 million while Lucas earned $13 million from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

4 Didn’t take a Salary for Schlinder’s List

Spielberg has made dozens of influential films over the years, but the one that had the most impact on him was his 1993 film Schlinder’s List. Not only did the emotionally inspiring movie earn several prestigious awards including the Oscar for Best Director, it also earned over $300 million which Spielberg never took a penny of.

Spielberg stated it would be “blood money” if he took a profit from Schlinder’s List as its message was more important than monetary reward. Instead he used the funds to set up the Shoah Foundation which honors the survivors of the Holocaust. Spielberg might not have gotten money from the film, but he did get school credit as he used Schlinder’s List for his advanced filmmaking class.

3 James Bond has Turned Him Down Twice

Many fans would believe such an accomplished director as Spielberg would be able to direct any movie he wanted. But that’s not the case as he has been turned down twice by the producer of James Bond. Early on in Spielberg’s career he approached James Bond director, Albert Broccoli about directing one of the films.

Broccoli told Spielberg he needed more experience before directing a James Bond film. Spielberg took his advice and after releasing Schlinder’s List, Spielberg approached the topic again. This time Spielberg was told they couldn’t afford him.

2 His Dog was a Star

Spielberg is not the only star in his family as his now passed on cocker spaniel, Elmer, was cast in several of his films. Elmer was actually cast in more of Spielberg’s films than any one human actor as Elmer appeared in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1941, The Sugarland Express, The Wiz, and Jaws.

While several dogs die in Spielberg’s films as it has been stated he’s the only one who has the guts to kill the dog, Spielberg is a dog lover. Spielberg stated in an interview in 1977 that Elmer is a very spoiled cocker spaniel.

1 Diagnosed with Dyslexia

It seems as if nothing can stop Steven Spielberg, not even a learning disability like dyslexia. In his school years, Spielberg was often bullied for his inability to read well as he was suffering from dyslexia and sadly no one knew at the time.

Spielberg didn’t get his diagnosis until he was 60 years old, after he had earned billions of dollars, several prestigious awards, and his Bachelor’s degree. Steven Spielberg truly is not only an icon, but an inspiration as he never let a setback stop him from becoming one of the most beloved directors of all time.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/unknown-steven-spielberg-trivia-facts/

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