Legendary director Steven Spielberg has three Oscar trophies, a pair of BAFTAs and a shelf full of lifetime achievement awards, but there’s one thing the university dropout has never had: a film degree.
All that has changed, however, as the 55-year-old filmmaker has finally completed the course of study he began at California State University more than three decades ago.
Steven dropped out of the Long Beach, California, institution in 1968 to launch his career in film. He re-enrolled about a year ago and, through writing essays and working on independent projects, has finished up his degree in film and electronic arts. “Completing the requirements for my degree 33 years after finishing my principal education marks my longest post-production schedule,” quipped the director, who first made a splash with the original summer blockbuster, Jaws, in 1975.
The decision to finish what he’d started was obviously not based on finances or career prospects. “I wanted to accomplish this for many years as a thank you to my parents for giving me the opportunity for an education and a career,” he says. “And as a personal note for my own family – and young people everywhere – about the importance of achieving their college education goals. But I hope they get there quicker than I did.” The ET director plans to attend the California State University Long Beach 2002 graduation ceremony later this month sporting a cap and gown, alongside 5,000 other graduates.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
