Holocaust survivors in his grandmother's kitchen taught young Spielberg to count
In Cincinnati, Steven Spielberg's grandmother taught English to Holocaust survivors, and one of them taught the boy his numbers using the tattoo on his forearm, turning a six into a nine. Decades later Spielberg made Schindler's List and became the highest-grossing director in history, with films earning almost 11 billion dollars.
Spielberg was born on 18 December 1946 in Cincinnati, the only boy among four children. His mother, Leah, played piano on the concert stage and later managed a kosher dairy restaurant; his father, Arnold, was an electrical engineer who worked on early computers. His paternal grandparents were Ukrainian Jews. The family later lived in Haddonfield, New Jersey, and Phoenix before he moved to California and studied film. He said the meaning of that arithmetic lesson from a survivor only struck him much later in life.
Television came first, and Duel (1971) was his directing debut. The Sugarland Express in 1974 was his first cinema release and began a partnership with the composer John Williams lasting decades. Jaws, in 1975, made his name universal, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and the first three Indiana Jones films built what is often described as the modern blockbuster. Jurassic Park in 1993 briefly became the highest-grossing film ever made.
The same year brought Schindler's List, frequently named among the greatest films, which won him best director and best picture. Saving Private Ryan in 1998 earned him a second directing Oscar. His range stretches from Lincoln and Bridge of Spies to The Adventures of Tintin, West Side Story and The Fabelmans, a family drama from 2022. As co-founder of Amblin Entertainment and DreamWorks he also produced hits such as Back to the Future and Band of Brothers.
Seven of his films sit in the Library of Congress's National Film Registry. His honours include an honorary knighthood in 2001 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, and with Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony wins he is one of 22 people to complete an EGOT. Forbes puts his fortune at 5.3 billion dollars or more.
Source: Steven Spielberg
