Steven Soderbergh was born on January 14, 1963, in Atlanta, United States, as the second child of a family with six children. After his father, Peter Soderbergh, was appointed dean at Louisiana State University, the family moved to Baton Rouge. At the age of fifteen, Soderbergh enrolled in an animation class at his college and began shooting 16 mm short films using second-hand equipment, one of which was titled Janitor.

After graduating from college, Steven Soderbergh moved to Hollywood, where he worked as a freelance film editor. In 1985, he directed a concert video for the band Yes, which won a Grammy Award and became a major source of inspiration for his filmmaking career.

After a brief stay in Hollywood, Steven Soderbergh returned to Baton Rouge and completed the screenplay for Sex, Lies and Videotapes in just eight days—a project he had been developing for some time. The film revolutionized independent cinema and won the Palme d’Or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. At the age of twenty-six, Soderbergh became the youngest director ever to receive this award. The film generated a massive wave of attention comparable to the impact of Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction in the same era.

Following this breakthrough, he directed lower-budget projects such as Kafka, starring Jeremy Irons, and King of the Hill, which did not achieve major box office success. However, his commercial fortunes changed with Out of Sight (1998), starring Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney. This film marked the beginning of a long and productive collaboration between Soderbergh and Clooney.

The year 2000 proved to be a turning point in Steven Soderbergh’s career. Erin Brockovich, which earned Julia Roberts the Academy Award for Best Actress, brought him global recognition. The same year, he directed Traffic, a critically acclaimed social drama that won him the Academy Award for Best Director. With Traffic and Erin Brockovich, Soderbergh became the first director in the Academy’s sixty-year history to be nominated for Best Director twice in the same year.

Among his most commercially successful works is Ocean’s Eleven, featuring an ensemble cast including Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, George Clooney, and Andy Garcia. The film achieved worldwide box office success, grossing over 183 million dollars, and was followed by Solaris. He later completed the trilogy with Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen, both of which also achieved strong international box office results.

In addition to directing, Steven Soderbergh worked as a screenwriter on films such as Pleasantville by Gary Ross, Nightwatch by Scott McGehee, and The Daytrippers by Greg Mottola. In 2003, he directed the HBO political series K Street, co-produced by George Clooney. The series’ portrayal of political dynamics reportedly influenced Democratic Party leadership elections.

In 2004, he returned with Ocean’s Twelve, followed by films such as Bubble and The Good German. With Ocean’s Thirteen, he once again achieved major audience success. His later directorial works include The Argentine, Guerrilla, and Life Interrupted.

Awards
2013 – 65th Emmy Awards – Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or Movie (Behind the Candelabra)
2001 – 73rd Academy Awards – Best Director (Traffic)
1989 – 42nd Cannes Film Festival – FIPRESCI Prize (Sex, Lies and Videotapes)
1989 – 42nd Cannes Film Festival – Palme d’Or (Sex, Lies and Videotapes)

Filmography

Director
2017 – Logan Lucky
2014 – The Knick (TV Series)
2013 – Behind the Candelabra
2013 – Side Effects
2012 – Magic Mike
2011 – Haywire
2011 – The Last Time I Saw Michael Gregg
2011 – Contagion
2010 – And Everything Is Going Fine
2009 – The Informant!
2009 – The Girlfriend Experience (TV Series)
2009 – The Girlfriend Experience
2008 – Che
2008 – Che: Guerrilla
2007 – Ocean’s Thirteen
2006 – The Good German
2005 – Bubble
2004 – Ocean’s Twelve
2004 – Eros
2003 – K Street (TV Series)
2002 – Full Frontal
2002 – Solaris
2001 – Ocean’s Eleven
2000 – Traffic
2000 – Erin Brockovich
1999 – The Limey
1998 – Out of Sight
1995 – Underneath
1993 – King of the Hill
1991 – Kafka
1989 – Sex, Lies and Videotapes

Screenwriter
2008 – Che: Guerrilla
2002 – Solaris
1997 – Nightwatch
1995 – Underneath
1993 – King of the Hill
1989 – Sex, Lies and Videotapes

Producer
2015 – Magic Mike XXL
2014 – The Knick (TV Series)
2011 – His Way
2005 – Unscripted (TV Series)
2002 – Insomnia

Cinematographer
2015 – Magic Mike XXL
2014 – The Knick (TV Series)
2013 – Behind the Candelabra
2012 – Magic Mike
2011 – Haywire
2011 – Contagion
2009 – The Informant!
2008 – Che
2008 – Che: Guerrilla
2007 – Ocean’s Thirteen
2006 – The Good German
2005 – Bubble
2004 – Ocean’s Twelve
2003 – K Street (TV Series)
2002 – Full Frontal
2002 – Solaris
2001 – Ocean’s Eleven
2000 – Traffic

Actor
2011 – The Last Time I Saw Michael Gregg
2009 – The Dr. Oz Show (Himself – Guest) (TV Series)
2004 – Le Grand Journal de Canal+ (Himself) (TV Program)
2002 – Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (Himself)

Source: Biyografiler.com