Grab Some Popcorn for This Quiz on Steven Spielberg Movies

In 1968, Steven Spielberg wrote and directed his first short film, “Amblin’,” while attending California State University, Long Beach. After leaving college to work for Universal Television, Spielberg began his professional career directing episodic TV projects. It wasn’t until 1971 that he ventured into feature films with the action-thriller “Duel.”

The CGI-animated “The Adventures of Tintin” (2011) stands out among Steven Spielberg’s filmography as his first animated feature. Spielberg had long been involved in animation before then, though; his production company was responsible for the 1990s television cartoons “Tiny Toon Adventures” and “Animaniacs.” The director has cited animator Hayao Miyazaki’s 2001 film “Spirited Away” as a major influence, calling it possibly “better than any Disney film [he’s] ever seen.”

Steven Spielberg has a historic aversion to sequels, though he’s broken his own rule a couple of times. Spielberg not only helmed all the sequels of the “Indiana Jones” franchise, but also directed “The Lost World” (1997), the second installment of “Jurassic Park.” Spielberg decided to helm the project because he hadn’t directed in three years and wanted something financially secure. He also wanted to make a less serious movie than his previous film, “Schindler’s List” (1993).

Steven Spielberg originally offered the role of paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in “Jurassic Park” to his longtime colleague Harrison Ford, who declined for undisclosed reasons, paving the way for New Zealand actor Sam Neill’s casting. Many years earlier, Spielberg reportedly wanted Tom Selleck to play the part of Indiana Jones, a role that later went to Ford, who continues to play the archaeologist to this day.

Though he wanted to direct “Poltergeist” (1982), Steven Spielberg was contractually forbidden from helming the horror movie due to his contract with Universal Pictures. Instead, Spielberg took on the role of executive producer and passed directorial duties to Tobe Hooper. Spielberg originally asked author Stephen King to write the screenplay, but King’s book publisher asked for too much money, so Spielberg, along with Michael Grais and Mark Victor, co-wrote the script.

The shark puppet used in the 1975 film “Jaws” was nicknamed “Bruce” among crew members, a reference to Spielberg’s lawyer, Bruce Ramer. Like most film stars, Bruce had his own makeup artist who kept the shark polished and clean whenever he got scuffed. The moniker also inspired the shark character Bruce in the 2003 Pixar film “Finding Nemo.”

Steven Spielberg received his first nomination in the Best Director category for “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” in 1978, but he didn’t win that year. He fell short in that category, as well as in the Best Picture category for his work as a producer, several times afterward, but all that changed in 1994. That year, Spielberg took home his first two Oscars — for both Best Director and Best Picture — for the historical drama “Schindler’s List.”

“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982) spent a record 16 total weeks in the top spot at the U.S. box office. The movie was beloved by audiences and critics alike, earning nine Oscar nominations and winning four. The film is also credited with increasing the popularity of the candy Reese’s Pieces, which played a key role in the plot. Producers originally wanted to use M&M’s candy instead, but were rebuffed by that brand.

It should come as no surprise that the mega-hit “Jurassic Park” (1993) is the highest-grossing movie directed by Steven Spielberg, taking in more than $1 billion at the box office. Second on the list is “E.T. the Extraterrestrial” (1982), which grossed nearly $800 million, followed by the fourth installment of the “Indiana Jones” franchise, “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (2008), which earned just shy of that amount.

Wyoming’s Devils Tower plays a key role in Spielberg’s 1977 film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” In 1906, Devils Tower was named the first U.S. national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt. In the film, several characters become unknowingly obsessed with the stone monolith, which stands more than 1,000 feet tall. They ultimately converge at the site, where they encounter an alien mothership.

Author Alice Walker initially pushed back on the choice to have Steven Spielberg direct the 1985 film adaptation of her novel “The Color Purple.” Walker wanted a director who had experience being Black in America, but producer Quincy Jones insisted on Spielberg. The film was a major success and served as the acting debuts of Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, both of whom earned Oscar nominations for their performances. The film received eight additional Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.

Steven Spielberg was inspired to create “Saving Private Ryan” (1998) as a tribute to his father, who served in the U.S. Army during World War II. To ensure the film’s accuracy, the lead actors went through a 10-day boot camp where they lived in tents and ate MREs. The movie is memorable for its opening scene, which depicts Allied forces storming the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, and cost $12 million of the movie’s entire $70 million budget to make.

In the early 1970s, Steven Spielberg reached out to John Williams after hearing the composer's work on “The Reivers” (1969) and “The Cowboys” (1972). The pair officially kicked off their working relationship with the 1974 movie “The Sugarland Express.” Together, they have worked on 29 films, including “Jaws” (1975), “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981), “E.T. the Extraterrestrial” (1982), “Jurassic Park” (1993), and most recently, “The Fabelmans” (2022).

Beginning with 1981’s “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” and culminating with 2023’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” the “Indiana Jones” franchise is one of Spielberg’s most successful cinematic endeavors. Spielberg worked on the movies with “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, whose dog, a malamute named Indiana, inspired the character’s name.

The 1993 historical drama “Schindler’s List,” directed and produced by Spielberg, chronicles the life of Oskar Schindler, a businessman who saved the lives of more than 1,000 Jewish people during the Holocaust of World War II. In the film, Schindler is portrayed by actor Liam Neeson. The movie won Best Picture at the Oscars, and earned Spielberg an award for Best Director as well.