Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg (December 18, 1946) is an acclaimed film maker who has directed, produced, and written numerous award-winning movies. He is the executive producer and story writer for The Goonies.

Life and career
Born on December 18, 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Spielberg had an interest in filmmaking as a child. He was eight when he made his first movie involving a train wreck made with his own toys. He made multiple amateur films with 8mm cameras in high school and the Boy Scouts. His first theatrical release was with Firelight, an independent science fiction movie with a budget of $500. While attending California State University, Long Beach, he was offered an internship with Universal Studios. After making an award-winning short film, Amblin', he was awarded with a directing contract for the studio, which he accepted.

After doing a handful of movies for Universal, Spielberg was offered to direct Jaws, which ultimately became his first major hit. Nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, it helped cement Spielberg as a household name and launched his career.

Following Jaws, he went on to direct and write Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which took inspiration from Firelight. This also proved to be a major success, netting him a nomination for the Best Director Oscar that year.

He directed a number of critically adored and successful films in the 80s, including E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Goonies, The Color Purple, Empire of the Sun, and the first three Indiana Jones films. During this time he also started his own production company, Amblin Entertainment, named after his first short film in the industry. The trend continued into the 90s with movies such as Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and Hook, and more serious films like Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan.

Other notable movies he made include AI: Artificial Intelligence, Minority Report, War of the Worlds, and The Adventures of Tintin.

Spielberg has also had an interest in the video games industry and had a hand in developing games such as Boom Blox and The Dig. He is also the creator of the popular Medal of Honor video game series.

Behind the scenes
Steven Spielberg was the one who initially came up with the story behind The Goonies, as a rag tag group of quirky kids bored on a rainy day.

He appeared in a cameo role as himself in the "part one" music video for Cyndi Lauper's "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough".