Nancy Spielberg (born June 7, 1956) is an American film producer who has produced multiple documentaries on Jewish and Israeli history. She is the third youngest sister of director and producer Steven Spielberg.[1]
Early life and education
editShe was born on June 7, 1956, the youngest of four children. Her family moved to Phoenix, Arizona in February 1957, when she was 7 months old, when her father, Arnold Spielberg, was hired by General Electric. Her family attended synagogue only a couple times each year, but often had Shabbat meals.[2] Their neighbors and children at school sometimes made antisemitic remarks towards her and her family.[3][4]
The family went on to relocate to California, and Nancy's parents divorced in 1966.[3] Following the divorce, Spielberg returned to Arizona with her mother.[5] She began attending an Orthodox Jewish school in the fifth grade, alongside her older sister Anne.[4] The household also began keeping kosher.[4]
She initially attended UCLA,[5] and later studied writing at Sarah Lawrence College and The New School in New York.[4]
Career
editShe started working on her brother Steven Spielberg's early films.[6]
Spielberg produced the 2014 documentary Above and Beyond, which told the story of the origins of the Israeli Air Force.[2][7]
In 2016, Spielberg was a co-executive producer for the documentary On the Map, directed by Dani Menkin, which followed the Israeli national basketball team as they won the 1977 European Cup.[8] She worked again with Menkin while producing the 2019 documentary Picture of His Life, about Israeli nature photographer Amos Nachoum,[9] and the 2020 documentary Aulcie, about the titular basketball player Aulcie Perry.[10]
In 2021, Spielberg became a part of Jewish Story Partners, an initiative launched by her brother and his wife.[11]
In 2022, Spielberg served as a consultant for The Fabelmans, a film by Steven Spielberg loosely based on his and his sisters' childhoods.[12]
Filmography
edit| Year | Film | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Chernobyl Heart | Consultant | [2] | |
| 2011 | Elusive Justice: The Search for Nazi War Criminals | Executive producer | [2] | |
| 2014 | Above and Beyond | Producer | [7] | |
| 2016 | On the Map | Co-executive producer | [5] | |
| 2017 | Who Will Write Our History | Producer | [13] | |
| 2019 | Picture of His Life | Executive producer | [9] | |
| 2020 | Aulcie | Executive producer | [10] | |
| 2022 | The Fabelmans | Consultant | [12] | |
| 2023 | Closed Circuit | Producer | [14] | |
| Vishniac | Executive producer | [14][15] |
Personal life
editIn 1983, Spielberg married Shimon Katz.[4] The couple had two daughters: Jessica Katz, who performed on The Voice Israel in 2014,[16] and Melissa Katz.[4]
As of 2015, Spielberg and her husband lived in Riverdale, New York. Spielberg considers herself a Modern Orthodox Jew.[4]
References
edit- ^ Tugend, Tom (2012-06-13). "A close encounter with Steven Spielberg's dad". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ a b c d Schleier, Curt (2015-01-28). "Why Nancy Spielberg Made a Movie About the Israeli Air Force". The Forward. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
- ^ a b Goldenberg, Anna (2015-04-23). "Close Encounters of the Steven Spielberg Kind in Arizona". The Forward. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Producer Nancy Spielberg reflects on finding, forming Jewish identity". Jewish Journal. 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
- ^ a b c "Who is Nancy Spielberg? 'The Fabelmans' director Steven's sister details 'difficult' moments with family". MEAWW. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
- ^ "Nancy Spielberg". Jewish Story Partners. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
- ^ a b "U.S. Pilots Who Fought for Israel Star in Movie by Spielberg's Sister". Haaretz. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
- ^ Scheck, Frank (2016-11-29). "'On the Map': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ a b Scheck, Frank (2020-06-17). "'Picture of His Life': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ a b "The story of Black American basketball player and Jewish convert Aulcie". The Jerusalem Post. 2021-11-12. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ Tugend, Tom (2021-04-16). "Spielberg Launches Drive to Film Jewish Stories". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
- ^ a b Spielberg, Nancy (2022-11-19). "Nancy Spielberg: This is how it feels watching your life on screen". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
- ^ Leichman, Abigail Klein (2022-01-26). "'Who Will Write Our History'". Jewish Standard. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
- ^ a b Martin, Bradley (2023-05-08). "Nancy Spielberg: 'We have to get people back into the theater'". Jewish News Services. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
- ^ "'Vishniac': The great story of a great photographer told in documentary". The Jerusalem Post. 2023-05-13. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
- ^ Caspi, David (2014-06-03). "Steven Spielberg's Niece Competes on 'The Voice' Israel (Exclusive Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-01-28.