How can we forget the despair-prone Wilhelmina Scott, known as Willie, who outdoes and excites Indiana Jones in The Temple of Doom (1984)? To play the singer with a (very) strong character, Steven Spielberg chose Kate Capshaw. At that time she was just beginning her acting career.
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Willie Scott played by Kate Capshaw in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1984) © “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” / Paramount Pictures
Kathleen Sue Nail – her real name – was born in Texas, then grew up in Missouri before trying her luck in New York after the collapse of her first marriage. She owes her stage name to her first husband, Robert Capshaw, to whom she was married from 1976 to 1980.
A role and a husband
In 1981, Kate Capshaw got her first role in the soap opera The Edge of Night. But it was really her meeting Steven Spielberg that changed her life: he gave her the most important role of her career alongside Harrison Ford and he became her husband.
Kate Capshaw with Steven Spielberg in 1991 © Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg actually married in 1991 after the actress converted to Judaism for the director. Together they adopted two children, Theo (1988) and Mikaela (1996), and had three children, Sasha (1990), Sawyer (1992) and Destry Allyn (1996).
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Enough to create a large blended family with Jessica Capshaw, born from Kate Capshaw’s first marriage, and Samuel Max Spielberg, result of Steven Spielberg’s previous union with Amy Irving. Family that kept the actress very busy.
Cinematic retirement
In the 1990s, between her three pregnancies, Kate Capshaw continued filming. She notably appeared in Rendez-vous avec le destin (1994), Life During Wartime (1997) and even Recipient Unknown (1999). But she finally retired in 2002 to take care of her children.
However, Kate Capshaw hasn’t really left her cinema friends. She continued to see them at every awards show, at every festival that Steven Spielberg is (regularly) invited to. And that’s without counting the next generation. And yes, dogs don’t make cats, as the saying goes.
cinema family
In the Capshaw-Spielberg family there is Jessica, an actress like her mother. From 2009 to 2018, she notably played Arizona Robbins in the series “Grey’s Anatomy”.
There is also Max Spielberg, the creator of video games. The eldest Théo and Sasha came to the music. They even formed a band together: Wardell.
Kate Capshaw, Theo, Steven Spielberg, Sasha, Sawyer and Jessica in 2006 © Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic
Sawyer Spielberg is an actor. We saw him in his father’s film “Pentagon Papers” (2017), but also in the horror film “Honeydew” (2020).
Mikaela Spielberg entered the porn industry as an actress and director.
After all, Destry Allyn is the director. She shot her first short film in 2022 and is currently preparing a feature film. The succession is secured.