Steven Spielberg

Business Leader1 list appearance

Education & Early 8mm Films: Grew up in Haddon Township, New Jersey and Scottsdale, Arizona. Eagle Scout who fulfilled his photography merit badge by directing a nine-minute 8mm film called *The Last Gunfight*. Attended Arcadia High School in Phoenix and Saratoga High School in California (graduated 1965). Rejected three times by the USC School of Cinema-Television due to a 'C' grade average; attended California State University, Long Beach, dropping out in 1968 after Universal Studios offered him an unprecedented seven-year directing contract. Returned to CSULB 34 years later, completing his coursework and earning his Bachelor of Arts in Film and Electronic Arts in 2002. Architect of the Modern Blockbuster: Invented the summer blockbuster paradigm with *Jaws* (1975, first film to cross $100M). Redefined modern cinema across genres: *Close Encounters of the Third Kind* (1977), *Raiders of the Lost Ark* (1981, Indiana Jones franchise), *E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial* (1982, highest-grossing film of its era), *Jurassic Park* (1993, pioneering CGI via Industrial Light & Magic, $1.05B box office), *Schindler's List* (1993, sweeping 7 Oscars including Best Director and Best Picture), and *Saving Private Ryan* (1998, revolutionary Omaha Beach cinematography). Corporate Dominance & Philanthropy: Co-founded DreamWorks SKG in October 1994 alongside Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen (sold to Paramount in 2006 for $1.6B). Established the USC Shoah Foundation in 1994 with proceeds from *Schindler's List*, creating a digital visual history archive preserving over 55,000 video testimonies of Holocaust and genocide survivors. Married actress Kate Capshaw in October 1991; seven children. Owner of 282-foot superyacht *Seven Seas*.

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