A lot of folks might consider Steven Spielberg to be – if not the best – then the most important director in Hollywood in the past, oh, 50 years.
Since his directorial full-length feature debut in 1971 with Duel, Spielberg has wowed audiences, brough groundbreaking technology to the big screen, and given us some all-time memorable films. Remember, this is the guy who directed Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurrasic Park, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, Minority Report, Lincoln, and The Post. Spielberg has an incredibly high batting average in Hollywood.
He’s competing at the 95th Academy Awards this year with perhaps his most personal film yet, The Fabelmans, a semi-autobiographical film he directed and co-wrote. It’s a mix of a coming-of-age story, a family drama, and a fun study on film history. It centers around a boy named Sammy, an aspiring filmmaker grappling with his dysfunctional family. It also features a short, wild performance from Judd Hirsch.
It’s not the first time Spielberg has been nominated for an Oscar, of course. The 76-year-old was first nominated for Best Director in 1978 for Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The Fabelmans is his ninth Best Director nomination, and films directed by Spielberg have been nominated for Best Picture seven times, the first being E.T. in 1983.
And should Spielberg win for The Fabelmans, it won’t be his first Oscars win either.
He’s won Best Director twice, both for films in the 1990s; 1994’s Schindler’s List and 1999’s Saving Private Ryan. The former, Schindler’s List, also garnered Spielberg his lone Best Picture win.
When Spielberg was nominated for Best Director this year for The Fabelmans, he tied Martin Scorsese for the second-most all-time nominations in the category with nine. William Wyler has the most with 12.
And should Spielberg win Best Director for The Fabelmans, he will join Wyler and Frank Capra in a three-way tie for second place for the most wins with three. John Ford has the most Best Director wins with four.
As for Best Picture? Well, it seems like Spielberg thinks Top Gun: Maverick should win. Perhaps his public endorsement of the film would be enough for his Minority Report collaborator Tom Cruise.