Meet Steven Spielberg’s wife of 30-plus years, Kate Capshaw: she’s been an actress, producer, painter, model and teacher – and is the matriarch of the acclaimed director’s extended, blended family

Apr 16 , 2025

Steven Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw are going strong after more than three decades of marriage. Photo: Reuters

Spielberg and Capshaw met during the making of the Harrison Ford classic Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but didn’t get together until years later – after his divorce from actress Amy Irving

Amid the mixed responses to Disney’s new live-action Snow White, leading lady Rachel Zegler opened up about how she bagged the title role. She revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that it was a “glowing recommendation” Webb received about her from Steven Spielberg, who directed her in the Oscar-winning film West Side Story, that helped her book the part.

Rachel Zegler in a scene from Disney’s live-action version of Snow White. Photo: Disney via AP

Zegler isn’t the first to find their breakout role while working with the War Horse director. Actors like Gwyneth Paltrow, Christian Bale and Drew Barrymore all found their big breaks in Hollywood through a Spielberg film, but did you know that the director met his own wife, Kate Capshaw, when he cast her for one of his movies? Here’s everything to know about Spielberg’s wife.

Kate Capshaw’s background

Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw at the 1999 Oscars, in Los Angeles. Photo: AFP

Capshaw, 71, born Kathleen Sue Nail, hails from Fort Worth, Texas. Her mother, Beverley Sue, was a cosmetologist and travel consultant; father Edwin worked for an airline. She’s a University of Missouri alumna, having studied history education and special education.

What does Kate Capshaw do for work?

Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw met when he cast her in 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, starring Harrison Ford. Photo: @stevenspielbergfans/Instagram

Capshaw taught Missouri children with learning disabilities, per People. After quitting – she told Entertainment Tonight she didn’t find it “stimulating” – she moved to New York with husband Robert Capshaw and embarked on a modelling career. After their split, she turned to acting and made her debut in TV series The Edge of Night. She subsequently appeared in films including Black Rain (1989) and Just Cause (1995). In 2022, Capshaw produced and gave art direction on Marcus Mumford’s Spielberg-directed music video, “Cannibal”. She’s also an artist, her paintings featuring in exhibitions.

How did she meet Steven Spielberg?

Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg at the 2002 premiere of his film Minority Report, in New York. Photo: AP

Per People, Capshaw and Spielberg met when he cast her in 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, starring Harrison Ford. The following year the Oscar-winning director, now 78, married Carrie actress Amy Irving, eventually moving in with Capshaw after his divorce in 1989. Spielberg and Capshaw married in 1991, Capshaw converting to Judaism for him.

Meet Steven Spielberg’s wife of 30-plus years, Kate Capshaw: she’s been an actress, producer, painter, model and teacher – and is the matriarch of the acclaimed director’s extended, blended family

Spielberg and Capshaw met during the making of the Harrison Ford classic Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but didn’t get together until years later – after his divorce from actress Amy Irving

Kate Capshaw’s background

What does Kate Capshaw do for work?

How did she meet Steven Spielberg?

Their blended family