Refusing to direct a "Jaws" sequel, he turned his attention from the seas to the skies and created the classic "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." It was another hit with another John Williams soundtrack, and Spielberg earned his first nomination for directing. The Indiana Jones films are landmarks of action movies. "E.T." is many people's favorite fantasy film and was the top-grossing film of all time for many years. "The Color Purple" was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. "Jurassic Park" set new standards for visual effects and breathless adventure and was released the same year as "Schindler's List," a watershed film in his career that was huge at the box office. In fact, "Schindler's List" was listed by the American Film Institute as one of the 10 Greatest Films Ever Made.
Spielberg co-founded Dream Works, the first new major Hollywood Studio, with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. Dream Works released its first picture, "Amistad," in 1997. It was based on the true story of the ship carrying enslaved Africans who rebelled against their captors. Next came "Saving Private Ryan" and another directing Academy Award, and his massive co-production of "Band of Brothers" for HBO. "Band of Brothers" was acclaimed as one of television's greatest triumphs and was showered with Golden Globe Awards and Emmy Awards.
In this young century, Spielberg has already produced what Billy Wilder described as the "most underrated film of the past few years," "A.I.," Stanley Kubrick's final unrealized project; two Tom Cruise blockbusters, "War of the Worlds" and "Minority Report"; and, most recently, the stunningly controversial "Munich," which was nominated for five Academy Awards.
For Spielberg, movies are his passion, and his compassion has made him a generous philanthropist. His projects include Starbright World, which helps hospitalized children; Righteous Persons Foundation, which distributes the profits from the film "Schindler's List"; and Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, which he founded to chronicle the testimony of Holocaust survivors. Spielberg is an entertainer, an artist and a humanist. The majority of his films "work on every level that a film can reach," wrote Ebert, because Spielberg has a "direct line to our subconscious."
Spielberg co-founded Dream Works, the first new major Hollywood Studio, with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. Dream Works released its first picture, "Amistad," in 1997. It was based on the true story of the ship carrying enslaved Africans who rebelled against their captors. Next came "Saving Private Ryan" and another directing Academy Award, and his massive co-production of "Band of Brothers" for HBO. "Band of Brothers" was acclaimed as one of television's greatest triumphs and was showered with Golden Globe Awards and Emmy Awards.
In this young century, Spielberg has already produced what Billy Wilder described as the "most underrated film of the past few years," "A.I.," Stanley Kubrick's final unrealized project; two Tom Cruise blockbusters, "War of the Worlds" and "Minority Report"; and, most recently, the stunningly controversial "Munich," which was nominated for five Academy Awards.
For Spielberg, movies are his passion, and his compassion has made him a generous philanthropist. His projects include Starbright World, which helps hospitalized children; Righteous Persons Foundation, which distributes the profits from the film "Schindler's List"; and Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, which he founded to chronicle the testimony of Holocaust survivors. Spielberg is an entertainer, an artist and a humanist. The majority of his films "work on every level that a film can reach," wrote Ebert, because Spielberg has a "direct line to our subconscious."
George Stevens Jr., who created the Honors in 1978 with Nick Vanoff, will produce and co-write the show for the 29th consecutive year. The Honors telecast has been honored with five Emmys for Outstanding Program as well as the Peabody Award for Outstanding Contribution to Television. THE 29th ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS is sponsored in part by General Motors and TIAA-CREF.
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