JAWS is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is based on Peter Benchley's 1974 novel of the same name and stars Roy Scheider as police chief Martin Brody, Richard Dreyfuss as oceanographer Matt Hooper, Robert Shaw as shark hunter Quint, Murray Hamilton as Mayor Larry Vaughn, and Lorraine Gary as Brody's wife, Ellen. The film follows Brody and Hooper as they hunt a great white shark that has been preying on swimmers at the fictional beach resort of Amity Island. JAWS is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made and is often credited with inventing the summer blockbuster.