Steven Spielberg Fast Facts

CNN Editorial Research

Updated 0237 GMT (1037 HKT) December 4, 2021

Steven Spielberg, who turns 67 on Wednesday, December 18, has directed 27 movies over four decades and won three Academy Awards, including two for Best Director. His movies have grossed more than $9 billion, and Spielberg is worth several billion himself, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/profile/steven-spielberg/" target="_blank">according to Forbes magazine</a>. Take a look back at the career of one of the world's greatest visual storytellers.
Photos: Steven Spielberg: The man behind the camera
Steven Spielberg: The man behind the camera – Steven Spielberg, who turns 67 on Wednesday, December 18, has directed 27 movies over four decades and won three Academy Awards, including two for Best Director. His movies have grossed more than $9 billion, and Spielberg is worth several billion himself, according to Forbes magazine. Take a look back at the career of one of the world's greatest visual storytellers.
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Spielberg, left, talks with actors Goldie Hawn, William Atherton and Michael Sacks on the set of his 1974 film "The Sugarland Express." Prior to that, Spielberg had directed television shows and made-for-TV movies. Spielberg's first film in 1964, "Firelight," was about UFOs attacking a town.
Photos: Steven Spielberg: The man behind the camera
Steven Spielberg: The man behind the camera – Spielberg, left, talks with actors Goldie Hawn, William Atherton and Michael Sacks on the set of his 1974 film "The Sugarland Express." Prior to that, Spielberg had directed television shows and made-for-TV movies. Spielberg's first film in 1964, "Firelight," was about UFOs attacking a town.
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Spielberg, arms crossed, and his camera crew wade in water on the set of "Jaws" at Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. The 1975 film made $60 million in its first month, which in 2013 dollars would be equal to about $256 million. "Jaws" was the highest-grossing movie of all time until "Star Wars."
Photos: Steven Spielberg: The man behind the camera
Steven Spielberg: The man behind the camera – Spielberg, arms crossed, and his camera crew wade in water on the set of "Jaws" at Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. The 1975 film made $60 million in its first month, which in 2013 dollars would be equal to about $256 million. "Jaws" was the highest-grossing movie of all time until "Star Wars."
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Spielberg, right, listens to actor Richard Dreyfuss on the set of the 1977 science-fiction film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." The film earned Spielberg his first Oscar nomination for Best Director.
Photos: Steven Spielberg: The man behind the camera
Steven Spielberg: The man behind the camera – Spielberg, right, listens to actor Richard Dreyfuss on the set of the 1977 science-fiction film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." The film earned Spielberg his first Oscar nomination for Best Director.
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Actor Toshiro Mifune, left, listens as Spielberg runs through a scene from "1941" with him and co-star Christopher Lee. The 1979 comedy, a satirical film about hysterical Californians preparing for a Japanese invasion after Pearl Harbor, was considered a bust.
Photos: Steven Spielberg: The man behind the camera
Steven Spielberg: The man behind the camera – Actor Toshiro Mifune, left, listens as Spielberg runs through a scene from "1941" with him and co-star Christopher Lee. The 1979 comedy, a satirical film about hysterical Californians preparing for a Japanese invasion after Pearl Harbor, was considered a bust.
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Spielberg works on a miniature set for "Raiders of the Lost Ark." The 1981 movie would be the first in the highly successful Indiana Jones film franchise.
Photos: Steven Spielberg: The man behind the camera
Steven Spielberg: The man behind the camera – Spielberg works on a miniature set for "Raiders of the Lost Ark." The 1981 movie would be the first in the highly successful Indiana Jones film franchise.
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Spielberg, wearing a hat, works with actors Peter Coyote, Henry Thomas and Dee Wallace during the filming of "E.T.; The Extra-Terrestrial" in 1982. As of 2013, the movie had made more than $792 million worldwide.