Spielberg outbid by wife as stars raise £210k for charity at Lincoln premiere

Published on 22/01/2013 00:40

Hollywood director Steven Spielberg was outbid by his wife when the pair went head to head at a charity auction following the European premiere of his film Lincoln.

About €250,000 (£210,000) was raised after the screening and star-studded gala in Dublin for a hospice foundation, of which the film’s star, Daniel Day-Lewis, is a patron.

Spielberg, who directed the Oscar-nominated film, lost out to his other half – actress Kate Capshaw – who paid €43,000 for a set of etchings by U2 star Bono.

Other famous faces to attend the charity event included two-time Academy Award-winner Day-Lewis, his Lincoln co-star Sally Field, U2’s Bono and the Edge, and Olympic gold medallist Katie Taylor. Singer Sinead O’Connor performed late into the night and gave a rendition of her most famous track – Nothing Compares 2 U.

“She really made the night,” said an organiser.

“She jammed until the early hours of the morning. There must have been about 700 people on the dancefloor. She was phenomenal.”

The auction, in aid of Wicklow Hospice, raised €143,000. An additional estimated €107,000 was made through ticket sales for the Lincoln premiere – at €160 a head – sponsorship and raffle draws.

Day-Lewis – who plays US president Abraham Lincoln in the film – persuaded Spielberg to donate a number of props from the shoot, including a handmade knife, white gloves and miniature soldiers.

The Edge snapped up signed scripts of the film, while Ali Hewson, Bono’s wife, bid on a pair of Taylor’s boxing gloves.

About 900 invited guests attended the banquet following the first official European screening of the film at the Savoy Cinema on O’Connell Street.