Kate Capshaw facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kate Capshaw
Capshaw in January 1984
Born	Kathleen Sue Nail (1953-11-03) November 3, 1953 (age 71) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Missouri
Occupation	Actress producer painter
Years active	1981–2001
Spouse(s)	Robert Capshaw ​ ​ (m. 1976; div. 1980)​ Steven Spielberg ​ (m. 1991)​
Children	6, including Jessica, Destry, and Sasha
Relatives	Arnold Spielberg (father-in-law)

Kate Capshaw (born Kathleen Sue Nail on November 3, 1953) is an American painter and former actress. She is most famous for playing Willie Scott, a nightclub singer, in the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984). The film was directed by Steven Spielberg, who she later married.

After her role in Indiana Jones, she starred in many other movies. Some of her well-known films include SpaceCamp (1986), Black Rain (1989), and The Love Letter (1999). After retiring from acting, she became a painter. Her artwork has even been displayed in famous museums.

Early Life and Name

Kate Capshaw was born in Fort Worth, Texas. Her birth name was Kathleen Sue Nail. Her father, Edwin, worked for an airline, and her mother was named Beverly.

In 1976, she married a marketing manager named Robert Capshaw. They had a daughter, Jessica Capshaw, who also became an actress. When they divorced in 1980, Kathleen decided to keep the last name Capshaw. She used "Kate Capshaw" as her professional name when she started her acting career.

Acting Career

Capshaw in June 1984

To follow her dream of becoming an actress, Capshaw moved to New York City. Her first role was on a TV soap opera called The Edge of Night. A soap opera is a TV show with dramatic stories that continue every day.

Her big break came when she was cast as the lead female character, Willie Scott, in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984). She starred alongside Harrison Ford, who played the famous adventurer Indiana Jones. The movie was a prequel to the hit film Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).

After Indiana Jones, Capshaw starred in several other movies. In 1986, she played a frustrated camp instructor in SpaceCamp. She also appeared in the action movie Black Rain (1989) with Michael Douglas and the thriller Just Cause (1995) with Sean Connery.

In 1999, she both produced and starred in the movie The Love Letter. Her last acting role was in a 2001 TV movie called A Girl Thing.

Life as a Painter

After her acting career, Capshaw discovered a new passion: art. In 2009, she began to study drawing and painting, focusing on portraits. A portrait is a painting of a person.

She painted portraits of homeless young people, and her work received major recognition. In 2019, three of her paintings were chosen as finalists for a competition at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

In 2024, she had her own art show at the Pérez Art Museum Miami. The show was inspired by her talks with a local barber and community leader in Miami.

Personal Life

While filming Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Capshaw met the director, Steven Spielberg. They became close and later married on October 12, 1991. Before their marriage, Capshaw, who was raised as an Episcopalian, converted to Judaism, which is Spielberg's faith.

Together, Capshaw and Spielberg have a large family with seven children.

• Jessica Capshaw – Kate's daughter from her first marriage.
• Max Samuel Spielberg – Steven's son from his first marriage to actress Amy Irving.
• Theo Spielberg – A son Kate adopted before her marriage to Steven, who later adopted him too.
• Sasha Rebecca Spielberg
• Sawyer Spielberg
• Mikaela George Spielberg – A daughter they adopted together.
• Destry Spielberg

In a fun moment in 2023, Capshaw and former First Lady Michelle Obama made a surprise appearance on stage at a Bruce Springsteen concert in Barcelona, Spain. They sang backup vocals and played the tambourine for the song "Glory Days".

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Kate Capshaw para niños