FIRST OFF . . .

The three-year marriage of director Steven Spielberg and his actress wife, Amy Irving, is over and they have decided to divorce, a spokesman for the couple said Monday. A joint statement from Irving and Spielberg said: “Our mutual decision, however difficult, has been made in a spirit of caring. And our friendship remains both personal and professional.” Spielberg and Irving, who have a son named Max, have made financial and property arrangements, but have yet to file court papers. Irving’s most recent role was in “Crossing Delancey Street.” Spielberg has been a leading Hollywood director since his 1975 box office hit, “Jaws,” which was followed by “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “E.T.” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” His other movies include “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Color Purple.”