Ever since he made his directorial debut with the hit indie flick Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), filmmaker Steven Soderbergh has been known for his input behind the camera. In 2000, the Atlanta native took Hollywood by storm with the biopic Erin Brockovich which brought Julia Roberts an Oscar and the drama Traffic, for which Soderbergh received his Academy Award. Since then, Steve directed Meryl Streep in The Laundromat (2019) and Let Them All Talk (2020); Terence Stamp in The Limey (1996); Channing Tatum in Haywire (2011), Magic Mike (2012), Side Effects (2013), Logan Lucky (2017), and Magic Mike’s Last Dance (2023). Soderbergh collaborated with Matt Damon on The Informant! (2009), Contagion (2011) and Behind the Candelabra (2013) as well as Ocean’s Eleven (2001), Ocean’s Twelve (2004), and Ocean’s Thirteen (2007) which also feature Brad Pitt and George Clooney. The latter actor starred in Soderbergh’s sci-fi drama Solaris (2002); war thriller The Good German (2006); and crime comedy Out of Sight (1998) which won the National Society of Film Critics award for Best Director. Of course, the auteur already won us over when he appeared onscreen in Schizopolis (1996). During a bedroom scene, Steven (and his hairy chest) can be seen with his then real-life wife Betsy Brantley. Through the years, Soderbergh has worked with Albert Finney, Benicio del Toro, Catherine Keener, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Irons, Jude Law, and Michael Douglas. Needless to say, he’s rubbed elbows with a lot of A-listers. Now, if only we could rub his T&A!
