MOVIE DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER

Boy Wonder.

Growing up in the suburbs of Phoenix, Steven Spielberg took part in all the typical activities of boyhood, but he was also making movies. He used an 8-mm camera to record family events, such as birthdays and vacations, and also to film dramas (especially horror stories) starring his three younger sisters. Sheltered by his parents, Spielberg was not allowed to see many movies beyond Disney films, but the first theatrical feature he ever saw was Cecil B, DeMille's circus extravaganza The Greatest Show on Earth. In high school Spielberg shot dozens of short movies. His first full-length attempt was Firelight, a science-fiction movie focusing on a group of scientists puzzled by mysterious lights in the sky that turn out to be unfriendly aliens. By this time all Spielberg wanted was to make movies, but his poor grades kept him out of California's major film schools. He settled...