Filmmaker Steven Spielberg has broken an astonishing Oscars record: he is now the first person to score Best Director nominations at the awards in six different decades, further cementing himself as one of the GOATs. His most recent directing nod— his eighth overall —comes for his first-ever musical, West Side Story, which scored seven nominations in total.

Spielberg’s first directing nod came for 1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It was followed by his second for 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Arc, and his third the very next year for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. A fourth came for 1993’s Schindler’s List and a fifth for 1998’s Saving Private Ryan, and Spielberg scored a sixth and seventh for 2005’s Munich, and 2012’s Lincoln. He has won twice, for Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan. Because he also produces his movies, the filmmaker has been nominated for a total of nineteen Oscars, having also won the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award at the 1987 ceremony.

Sustaining a career — any career — for over six decades is amazing in itself, but populating it with classic after classic is almost unheard of. In addition to the quality of his films, Spielberg is also quietly one of the most prolific and unpredictable filmmakers around, having crafted a filmography that includes historical epics, war dramas, science-fiction sagas and at least one motion-capture adventure.

Steven Spielberg Making West Side Story
Image via 20th Century Studios

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Spielberg’s West Side Story directing nod pushed him past his contemporary Martin Scorsese, who has been nominated across five decades, for films such as Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed (his only win), Hugo, The Wolf of Wall Street, and The Irishman.

Additionally, Spielberg has become one of only four filmmakers—and one of only two living filmmakers—to have earned at least eight directing nods at the Oscars. Besides Scorsese, who has nine if you did the math above, Billy Wilder has eight and William Wyler has eleven. And as if all this wasn't enough, Spielberg also broke the record for most Best Picture nominations, with eleven. The film’s other nominated producer is Kristie Macosko Krieger.

West Side Story’s success at Tuesday’s nominations should come as much-deserved validation for the film, which bombed in its theatrical run. Released in December after being delayed by almost exactly a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, West Side Story opened to enthusiastic reviews but made only a little over $35 million at the domestic box office, against a reported $100 million budget. Best Picture nominees can typically expect a shot in the arm after the nominations are announced, but with a Disney+ release looming, it’ll be interesting to observe just how much more money the film can make in the coming days.

Next up, Spielberg is directing a semi-autobiographical film about his youth, titled The Fabelmans. Starring Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Paul Dano and newcomer Gabriel LaBelle, the film is set for, you guessed it, an awards-friendly release date in November. The Oscars will air on March 27.