Oscars 2023: Steven Spielberg’s history at the awards as 2023 marks debut nomination in one category

He has continuously entertained moviegoers for over 40 years, ever since his debut pitted a hapless driver against an ominous big rig in a sleepy American town. Steven Spielberg has been a constant for Hollywood for several reasons; a constant box office return, a constant proponent of going to the cinema, and a constant award nominee.

Though despite his, as of counting, 155 award wins that include a Kennedy Center honour, a Cecil B. DeMille Award and an AFI Life Achievement Award, he has only ever managed to scoop three Oscars throughout his career. In 2023, Steven Spielberg will also see his debut nomination in a category, despite being revered across the decades.

Ask anyone, Oscar win or not, if Steven Speilberg is one of the best directors in cinematic history and their response is if not top of the list, definitely in contention as of cinema’s most beloved, creative forces who may be on the Mount Rushmore of directors - who else ends up there is open for discussion, but Spielberg rightly belongs there. At least if you asked Dawson Leary, he’ll give you that answer.

Be it his harrowing takes on the horrors of war, either on the frontline (Saving Private Ryan) or surviving as the world has turned on its civilians (Schindler’s List), Spielberg can captivate and emoting a message with these films, while still taking audiences on a flight of fancy - be it through E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial or Tom Cruise facing off against alien invaders in War of the Worlds; his second collaboration with the Top Gun: Maverick star.

Peoplworld looks at some of the firsts for Steven Spielberg, as he once again graces the red carpet at this year’s Academy Awards Ceremony 2023, coming live from Los Angeles on Sunday evening (Monday morning GMT.)

First Oscar nomination - 1978 (Close Encounters of the Third Kind)

Though he was already a popular commodity at the box office after releasing the summer blockbuster Jaws (considered the first of the ‘high-concept’ summer movies to rake in box office cash), it took a work dealing with what’s up above to earn him an Oscar nod rather than what lay beneath (it’s Bruce - the shark from Jaws.)

Steven Spielberg’s 1977 film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which once again saw the director work with Richard Dreyfuss, earned the director his first-ever nod at the Academy Awards, however it was for Best Picture on this occasion. Spielberg would repeat this feat four years later as Raiders of the Lost Ark marked his second Oscar nomination.

First Best Director nomination - 1983 (E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial)

Spielberg’s first directors’ nod came a year after his last Best Picture nomination, once again looking to the skies for inspiration in the form of E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial in 1982. A combination of the innocence of youth as a young Elliot looks to help the titular alien along with the harshness of growing up learning about loss, E.T was the perfect combination of Spielberg’s ability to weave different concepts into one movie.

The film was a smash hit at the box office, having a record eight weekends with a gross of over $10 million, a feat not matched until Home Alone (1990), and set a modern era record for being at number one for 16 weeks in total. For his part, Spielberg received his first director’s nod with the film however lost out to the 55th Academy Awards juggernaut that year, Gandhi - directed by Sir Richard Attenborough.

First Oscar win - 1994 (Schindler’s List)

Schindler’s List was a deeply personal work for Steven Spielberg, as he was unsure if he was mature enough to helm a work dealing with the Holocaust. However, Spielberg finally decided to take on the project when he noticed that Holocaust deniers were being given serious consideration by the media. Schindler’s List came out in 1993 and was lauded as one of the director’s best works - and potentially the pinnacle of his talents at this stage.

Spielberg’s film was an early favourite at the 66th Academy Awards, earning several nominations, including a Best Actor nod for star Liam Neeson. But 16 years after his first Oscar nomination, Spielberg finally earned the biggest prize Hollywood has to offer; picking up not only Best Picture that year, but finally claiming the Best Director award to boot.

Schindler’s List came out in 1993, the same year as another blockbuster Spielberg feature, Jurassic Park, leading the director to take a brief sabbatical until 1997 when he started thinking about his next historical epic.

Second Best Director win - 1999 (Saving Private Ryan)

It would be a return to the horrors of war and the hopefulness that sometimes blossoms under intense adversity which would lead Steven Spielberg to his next Oscar win. Saving Private Ryan had a torrid time in the UK with the BBFC and morality crusaders due to its visceral use of violence to portray the Allies storming the beaches of Normandy.

Critics felt there was a double standard that a movie with this much carnage would only be rated at 15 certificate while others movies that had equal amounts of gore would be charged with an 18 certificate. The censors’ board for their part explained their reasoning - such were the atrocities of the Second World War that they felt a 15 certificate would allow younger people to watch some of the historical details Spielberg provided.

The film once again was viewed as an Oscar certainty, with Spielberg picking up his second Best Director award and only his third Oscar in his lifetime. However, the film was beaten to the Best Picture award in what was deemed as a shock in awards history; Shakespeare In Love pipped it to win the coveted Best Picture award.

First Best Screenplay nomination - 2023 (The Fablemans)

Which all leads us to this weekend’s ceremony, which sees Spielberg once again earn nods for Best Director and Best Picture. It also marks the first time that Spielberg has been nominated in a category that he has yet to ever feature in - Best Original Screenplay.

Given The Fablemans is another very personal project of Steven Spielberg, based around his own life growing up and his early affinity to the cinema, the nod alongside Tony Kushner marks the first time that the illustrious director has been nominated in this category. That it comes 35 years after his very first Oscar nod goes to show that sometimes it’s better late than never - even when it comes to a cinematic maestro such as Steven Spielberg.

The 95th Academy Awards screens on Sky Showcase in the United Kingdom on Sunday 12 March 2023 from midnight.