Spielberg Official

Despite his early passion, Spielberg faced significant setbacks before his career took off:

One of the most famous legends of Spielberg's early years involves him "breaking into" Hollywood. As a young film enthusiast, he reportedly: Spielberg

: After getting a three-day visitor pass for Universal Studios from a chance encounter on a bus, he simply kept showing up after it expired. This led him to become the youngest director

Spielberg's professional breakthrough came when his 22-minute short film, (1968), was shown at the Atlanta Film Festival. This led him to become the youngest director ever to sign a long-term deal with a major Hollywood studio at just 20 years old. Age & Innocence - DGA * : Undiagnosed with dyslexia until his 60s,

* RICHARD SCHICKEL: There's a popular myth that you got started in the film business when you snuck on to the Universal lot. ... *

: Undiagnosed with dyslexia until his 60s, he was often labeled "lazy" by school administrators and bullied by classmates.