8 Things You Didn’t Know About Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg is a screenwriter, producer, and director. He started his career in New Hollywood and is now the most commercially successful director of all time.
And here are the key facts that explain his meteoric and unprecedented rise from television intern to the most influential film director of all time.

8 Things You Didn’t Know About Steven Spielberg

1. Rejected By The Film School

Spielberg, of course, moved to Los Angeles after graduating from high school. He applied to the University of Southern California Film School three times and was turned down each time. He then applied to and was accepted by California State University. ^[1]

2. Wanted To Direct Bond Movies

Spielberg aspired to make a James Bond film as a young filmmaker in the 1970s. On two separate occasions, he pitched ideas to Albert “Cubby” Broccoli and even made a reference to Bond in Jaws. ^[2]

3. Doesn’t Like The Theme Song Of Jaws

John Williams’ haunting score to Jaws is one of the most iconic songs in film history, but Spielberg was not a fan of it at first. When Williams told him about his idea and continued to play those two notes, the director thought he was joking. ^[3]

4. Youngest Director To Be Signed To A Long-Term Plan

When Spielberg was offered a job as an intern at Universal Television, he dropped out of California State University. Sid Sheinberg, the Head of Universal Television, allowed Spielberg to write and direct Amblin, a 26-minute short film for theatrical release. Sid was blown away by the young filmmaker and took him under his wing.

5. Never Drank Coffee In His Life

Many people can’t even get out of bed in the morning without a cup of coffee, let alone rise to the top of the directorial ranks. Steven Spielberg has never drank from a cup. ^[4]

6. Suffered From Depression

Because Schindler’s List was so depressing, Spielberg experienced depression while filming it. He would call Robin Williams to cheer him up. What better way to lift people’s spirits?

7. Redonated Several Classic Oscars

Steven Spielberg has purchased and then donated Oscars to the Academy on several occasions in order to help the Academy preserve film history. Clark Gable won the Best Actor Oscar in 1934 for It Happened One Night, and Bette Davis won the Best Actress Oscar for Dangerous and Jezebel.

8. Suffered From Dyslexia

For many years, he went undiagnosed. He struggled to read and write and was bullied by his classmates. His reading difficulties were frequently misattributed to laziness, and the director was not diagnosed with dyslexia until he was 60 years old.