01of 151978: Close Encounters of the Third KindSunset Boulevard/Corbis/GettyFirst-time Oscar nomineeSteven Spielbergwas up against a stacked Best Director category at the 50th Academy Awards. He ultimately lost out to Woody Allen forAnnie Hall. Other nominees in the category included Fred Zinnemann forJulia, George Lucas forStar Warsand Herbert Ross forThe Turning Point.
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1978: Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty

First-time Oscar nomineeSteven Spielbergwas up against a stacked Best Director category at the 50th Academy Awards. He ultimately lost out to Woody Allen forAnnie Hall. Other nominees in the category included Fred Zinnemann forJulia, George Lucas forStar Warsand Herbert Ross forThe Turning Point.
02of 151982: Raiders of the Lost ArkSunset Boulevard/Corbis/GettyAlthough Best Director nomineeSpielberglost out to Warren Beatty forRedsat the 54th Academy Awards, the first installment of theIndiana Jones franchisestill went home with five Oscars that night. It won Best Art Direction, Sound, Film Editing, Visual Effects and Ben Burtt and Richard L. Anderson received a Special Achievement Award for sound effect editing.The other directors that also lost out to Beatty in the Best Director category were Louis Malle forAtlantic City, Hugh Hudson forChariots of Fireand Mark Rydell forOn Golden Pond.
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1982: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Although Best Director nomineeSpielberglost out to Warren Beatty forRedsat the 54th Academy Awards, the first installment of theIndiana Jones franchisestill went home with five Oscars that night. It won Best Art Direction, Sound, Film Editing, Visual Effects and Ben Burtt and Richard L. Anderson received a Special Achievement Award for sound effect editing.
The other directors that also lost out to Beatty in the Best Director category were Louis Malle forAtlantic City, Hugh Hudson forChariots of Fireand Mark Rydell forOn Golden Pond.
03of 151983: E.T. the Extra-TerrestrialHenry Thomas inE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.Bruce Mc Broom/Universal/Kobal/ShutterstockThe following year at the 55th Academy Awards, Spielberg nabbed two nominations, this time for Best Picture, shared with Kathleen Kennedy, and Best Director. Although the film was a huge success in theaters andbecame a cultural phenomenon, Spielberg lost in both categories to Richard Attenborough forGandhi.
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1983: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Henry Thomas inE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.Bruce Mc Broom/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock

The following year at the 55th Academy Awards, Spielberg nabbed two nominations, this time for Best Picture, shared with Kathleen Kennedy, and Best Director. Although the film was a huge success in theaters andbecame a cultural phenomenon, Spielberg lost in both categories to Richard Attenborough forGandhi.
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1986: The Color Purple
Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock
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1987: Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award
Bettmann/Getty

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1994: Schindler’s List

The 66th Academy Awards marked the first time Spielberg would win not one, but two Oscars, forSchindler’s List, which starred Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Kingsley. The director of the historical drama won both Best Picture, shared with Gerald R. Molen and Branko Lustig, and Best Director.
07of 151999: Saving Private RyanDreamWorks/ Everett CollectionSpielberg won Best Director again at the 71st ceremony forSaving Private Ryan, which starred Tom Hanks and Matt Damon. The war film was also nominated for Best Picture — alongsideElizabeth,Life Is BeautifulandThe Thin Red Line— but lost out toShakespeare in Love.If Spielberg would’ve won in the Best Picture category, he would’ve shared the honor with Ian Bryce, Mark Gordon and Gary Levinsohn.
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1999: Saving Private Ryan
DreamWorks/ Everett Collection

Spielberg won Best Director again at the 71st ceremony forSaving Private Ryan, which starred Tom Hanks and Matt Damon. The war film was also nominated for Best Picture — alongsideElizabeth,Life Is BeautifulandThe Thin Red Line— but lost out toShakespeare in Love.
If Spielberg would’ve won in the Best Picture category, he would’ve shared the honor with Ian Bryce, Mark Gordon and Gary Levinsohn.
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2006: Munich

During the 78th Awards, Spielberg was recognized with his 10th and 11th Oscar nominations: one for Best Picture, shared with Kathleen Kennedy and Barry Mendel, and Best Director.
That year, Ang Lee won the director category withBrokeback Moutain(the first Asian American to do so) and Paul Haggis and Cathy Schulman shared their win for Best Picture for their filmCrash.
09of 152007: Letters from Iwo JimaMerie W. Wallace/Warner Bros.The following year, Spielberg, Clint Eastwood and Robert Lorenz were nominated for Best Picture, but lost to Graham King’sThe Departed.Other nominated films included Alejandro González Iñárritu’sBabel, David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf and Marc Turtletaub’sLittle Miss Sunshineand Andy Harries, Christine Langan and Tracey Seaward’sThe Queen.
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2007: Letters from Iwo Jima
Merie W. Wallace/Warner Bros.

The following year, Spielberg, Clint Eastwood and Robert Lorenz were nominated for Best Picture, but lost to Graham King’sThe Departed.Other nominated films included Alejandro González Iñárritu’sBabel, David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf and Marc Turtletaub’sLittle Miss Sunshineand Andy Harries, Christine Langan and Tracey Seaward’sThe Queen.
10of 152012: War HorseAndrew Cooper/DisneyThe 84th Academy Awards' Best Picture category was home to nine films that year, Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy’sWar Horsebeing one of them. The other eight includedThe Descendants,Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,The Help,Hugo,Midnight in Paris,Moneyball,TheTree of Lifeand the film that won the category,The Artist.
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2012: War Horse
Andrew Cooper/Disney

The 84th Academy Awards' Best Picture category was home to nine films that year, Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy’sWar Horsebeing one of them. The other eight includedThe Descendants,Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,The Help,Hugo,Midnight in Paris,Moneyball,TheTree of Lifeand the film that won the category,The Artist.
11of 152013: LincolnTwentieth Century FoxThe following year, Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy’sLincolnwas in the running for Best Picture with eight other contenders:Argo,Amour,Beasts of the Southern Wild,Django Unchained,Les Misérables,Life of Pi,Silver Linings PlaybookandZero Dark Thirty.Argowon and producers Grant Heslov,Ben Affleckand George Clooney took home the prestegious statuettes.
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2013: Lincoln
Twentieth Century Fox

The following year, Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy’sLincolnwas in the running for Best Picture with eight other contenders:Argo,Amour,Beasts of the Southern Wild,Django Unchained,Les Misérables,Life of Pi,Silver Linings PlaybookandZero Dark Thirty.
Argowon and producers Grant Heslov,Ben Affleckand George Clooney took home the prestegious statuettes.
12of 152016: Bridge of SpiesJaap Buitendijk/DisneySpielberg, Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger’s historical thriller was nominated for Best Picture, along withSpotlight,The Big Short,Brooklyn,Mad Max: Fury Road,The Martian,The RevenantandRoom, but in the end,Spotlightwon and Producers Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust took home their statuettes.
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2016: Bridge of Spies
Jaap Buitendijk/Disney

Spielberg, Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger’s historical thriller was nominated for Best Picture, along withSpotlight,The Big Short,Brooklyn,Mad Max: Fury Road,The Martian,The RevenantandRoom, but in the end,Spotlightwon and Producers Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust took home their statuettes.
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2018: The Post
Niko Tavernise.

14of 152022: West Side Story20th Century StudiosAtlast year’s ceremony, Spielberg was recognized in the Best Director and Best Picture categories for his remake of the 1961 original film. He was up against fellow directors Kenneth Branagh, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Paul Thomas Anderson and Jane Campion, who won forThePower of the Dog.West Side StorybattledBelfast,CODA,Don’t Look Up,Drive My Car,Dune,King Richard,Licorice Pizza,Nightmare AlleyandThe Power of the Dogfor Best Picture. If he won, Spielberg would have shared the Picture prize will co-producer Kristie Macosko Krieger.
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2022: West Side Story
20th Century Studios

Atlast year’s ceremony, Spielberg was recognized in the Best Director and Best Picture categories for his remake of the 1961 original film. He was up against fellow directors Kenneth Branagh, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Paul Thomas Anderson and Jane Campion, who won forThePower of the Dog.
West Side StorybattledBelfast,CODA,Don’t Look Up,Drive My Car,Dune,King Richard,Licorice Pizza,Nightmare AlleyandThe Power of the Dogfor Best Picture. If he won, Spielberg would have shared the Picture prize will co-producer Kristie Macosko Krieger.
15of 152023: The FabelmansMerie Weismiller Wallace/UniversalThe director’s latest work is a semi-autobiographical drama about a boy who uses movie-making to gain a better understanding of his world, and it’s been earning Oscar buzz for months. After winning big at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival,Spielberg called it"the most personal film I’ve ever made.“The movie is up for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the 2023 awards, in addition to Spielberg’s Best Director nod, earning the 76-year-old three total nominations.
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2023: The Fabelmans
Merie Weismiller Wallace/Universal

The director’s latest work is a semi-autobiographical drama about a boy who uses movie-making to gain a better understanding of his world, and it’s been earning Oscar buzz for months. After winning big at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival,Spielberg called it"the most personal film I’ve ever made.”
The movie is up for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the 2023 awards, in addition to Spielberg’s Best Director nod, earning the 76-year-old three total nominations.
source: people.com