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Alicia Christian Foster, better
known as Jodie Foster (born November 19, 1962), is an American actress,
film director and producer.
Foster began acting in commercials at 3 years old, and her first
significant role came in the 1976 film Taxi Driver as the preteen
prostitute, Iris, for which she received a nomination for the Academy
Award for Best Supporting Actress. She won an Academy Award for Best
Actress in 1989 for playing a rape survivor in The Accused. In 1991, she
starred in The Silence of the Lambs as Clarice Starling, a gifted FBI
trainee, assisting in a hunt for a serial killer. This performance
received international acclaim and her second Academy Award for Best
Actress. She received her fourth Academy Award nomination for playing a
backwoods hermit in Nell (1994). Other popular films include Maverick
(1994), Contact (1997), Panic Room (2002), Flightplan (2005), Inside Man
(2006), The Brave One (2007) and Nim's Island (2008).
Foster's films have spanned a wide variety of genres, from family films to
horror. She has also won three Bafta Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a
Screen Actors Guild Award, a People's Choice Award, and has received two
Emmy nominations.
Foster was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of Evelyn 'Brandy' Ella (née
Almond) and Lucius Fisher Foster III. Her father, an Air Force
Lieutenant-Colonel (a veteran of the Battle of Britain and a highly
decorated airman) turned real estate broker, came from a wealthy
background and left his wife before Jodie was born. Foster's mother
supported them by working as a film producer. After appearing as a child
in several commercials, Foster made her first credited TV appearance on
The Doris Day Show. Her first film role was in the 1970 television movie
Menace on the Mountain, which was followed by several Disney productions.
Foster attended a French-language prep school, the Lycée Français de Los
Angeles, and graduated in 1980 as the valedictorian. As a teenager, Foster
frequently stayed and worked in France, and still speaks the language,
dubbing herself in French-language versions of most of her films. She
attended Yale University, and was a member of Calhoun College. She
graduated magna cum laude, earning a BA in literature in 1985. She was
scheduled to graduate in 1984 but the shooting of then-President Ronald
Reagan by John Hinckley, Jr., in which Hinckley's fascination with Foster
created unwanted adverse publicity for her, caused her to take a year-long
leave of absence from Yale. She later gave the Class Day speech at her
alma mater in 1994 and received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree
from the university in 1997.
She is fluent in French, and understands German and Italian.
Foster made nearly 50 film and television appearances before she attended
college. She began her career at age three as a Coppertone Girl in a
television commercial and debuted as a television actress in a 1968
episode of Mayberry R.F.D.[ In 1969, she appeared in an episode of
Gunsmoke, where she was credited as "Jody Foster". Although not a regular
on The Courtship of Eddie's Father, she appeared from time to time as
Eddie's friend Joey Kelly.[ She made her film debut in the 1970 TV movie
Menace on the Mountain and was featured as Tallulah in Bugsy Malone in
1976. As a child, Foster made a number of Disney movies, including
Napoleon and Samantha (1972) and One Little Indian (1973), and continued
to star in Disney films into her early teens. She also co-starred with
Christopher Connelly in the 1974 TV series Paper Moon and alongside Martin
Sheen in the 1976 cult film The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane. As a
teenager, Foster made several appearances on the French pop music circuit
as a singer. Commenting on her years as a child actress, which she
describes as an "actor's career", Foster has said that "it was very clear
to me at a young age that I had to fight for my life and that if I didn't,
my life would get gobbled up and taken away from me."[ She hosted Saturday
Night Live at age 14, making her the youngest person to host at that time
until Drew Barrymore hosted at the age of seven. She also said,
"I think all of us when we look back on our childhood, we always think of
it as somebody else. It's just a completely different place. But I was
lucky to be around in the '70s and to really be making movies in the '70s
with some great filmmakers – the most exciting time, for me, in American
Cinema. I learned a lot from some very interesting artists — and I learned
a lot about the business at a young age, because, for whatever reason, I
was paying attention; so it was kind of invaluable in my career."
Foster made her debut (and only official) musical recordings in France in
1977: two 7" singles, "Je T'attends Depuis la Nuit des Temps" b/w "La Vie
C'est Chouette" and "When I Looked at Your Face" backed with "La Vie C'est
Chouette." The A-side of the former is sung in French, the A-side of the
latter in English. The B-side of both is mostly spoken word and is
performed in both French and English. These three recordings were included
on the soundtrack to Foster's 1977 French film Moi, fleur bleue.
Foster starred in three films in 1976 — Taxi Driver, Bugsy Malone, and
Freaky Friday. She was nominated for the Academy Award For Best Supporting
Actress for her performance in Taxi Driver. She won two British Academy
Film Awards in 1977 — the BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer and the BAFTA
Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performances in Bugsy
Malone opposite Scott Baio and Taxi Driver opposite Robert De Niro. She
received a nomination for Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her
performance in Freaky Friday. As a teenager, she also starred in the
Disney adventure Candleshoe (1977) and the coming-of-age drama Foxes
(1980).
John Hinckley, Jr. became obsessed with Foster after watching Taxi Driver
a number of times, and stalked her while she attended Yale, sending her
love letters to her campus mail box and even talking to her on the phone.
On March 30, 1981, he attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald
Reagan (shooting and wounding Reagan and three others) and claimed his
motive was to impress Foster, then a Yale freshman. The media stormed the
Yale campus in April "like a cavalry invasion," and followed Foster
relentlessly. In 1982, Foster was called to testify during his trial.
After she responded to a question by saying that "I don't have any
relationship with John Hinckley," Hinckley threw a pen at her and yelled
"I'll get you, Foster!"
Another man, Edward Richardson, followed Foster around Yale and planned to
shoot her, but decided against it because she "was too pretty." This all
caused intense discomfort to Foster, who has been known to walk out of
interviews if Hinckley's name is even mentioned. In 1991, Foster cancelled
an interview with NBC's Today Show when she discovered Hinckley would be
mentioned in the introduction. Foster's only public reactions to this were
a press conference afterwards and an article entitled "Why Me?" that she
wrote for Esquire in December 1982. In that article she wrote that
returning to work on the film Svengali with Peter O'Toole "made me fall in
love with acting again" after the assassination attempt had shaken her
confidence. In 1999, she discussed the experience with Charlie Rose of 60
Minutes II.
Unlike other child stars such as Shirley Temple or Tatum O'Neal, Foster
successfully made the transition to adult roles, but not without initial
difficulty. Several of the films in her early adult career were
financially unsuccessful, such as The Hotel New Hampshire, Five Corners,
and Stealing Home. She had to audition for her role in The Accused. She
won the part and the first of her two Golden Globes and Academy Awards and
a nomination for a BAFTA Award as Best Actress for her role as a rape
survivor. She starred as FBI trainee Clarice Starling in the 1991 horror
film The Silence of the Lambs, for which she won her second Academy Award
and Golden Globe, and won her first BAFTA Award for Best Actress. This
"sleeper" film marked a breakthrough in her career, grossing nearly $273
million in theaters and becoming her first blockbuster.
Foster made her directorial debut in 1991 with Little Man Tate, a
critically acclaimed drama about a child prodigy, in which she also
co-starred as the child's mother. She also directed Home for the Holidays
(1995), a black comedy starring Holly Hunter and Robert Downey Jr. In
1992, Foster founded a production company called Egg Pictures in Los
Angeles. It primarily produced independent films until it was closed in
2001. Foster said that she did not have the ambition to produce "big
mainstream popcorn" movies, and as a child, independent films made her
more interested in the movie business than mainstream ones. Foster played
Laurel Sommersby in Sommersby opposite Richard Gere, who would comment
that "She's very much a close-up actress, because her thoughts are clear."
She starred in two films in 1994, first in the hugely successful western
spoof Maverick and later in Nell, in which she starred as an isolated
woman who speaks an invented language and must return to civilization.
Foster's performance earned her nominations for her fourth Academy Award,
a Golden Globe, an MTV Movie Award and won her a Screen Actors Guild Award
and a People's Choice Award. In 1997, she starred alongside Matthew
McConaughey in the sci-fi movie Contact, based on the novel by scientist
Carl Sagan. She portrayed a scientist searching for extraterrestrial life
in the SETI project. She commented on the script that "I have to have some
acute personal connection with the material. And that's pretty hard for me
to find." Contact was her first science fiction film, and her first
experience with a bluescreen. She commented,
"Blue walls, blue roof. It was just blue, blue, blue. And I was rotated on
a lazy Susan with the camera moving on a computerized arm. It was really
tough."
The film was another huge commercial success and earned Foster nominations
for numerous awards, including a Golden Globe. In 1998, an asteroid, 17744
Jodiefoster, was named in her honor. In 1999, Foster starred in the
non-musical remake of The King and I entitled Anna and the King, which
became an international commercial success.
In 2002, Foster took over the lead role in the thriller Panic Room after
Nicole Kidman dropped out due to a previous injury. The film costarred
Dwight Yoakam, Forest Whitaker, Kristen Stewart and Jared Leto and was
directed by David Fincher. It grossed over $30 million in its opening
weekend in the United States, Foster's biggest box office opening success
of her career so far. She then performed in the French-language film Un
long dimanche de fiançailles (A Very Long Engagement) (2004), speaking
French fluently throughout. Foster returned in the 2005 film Flightplan
which opened once again in the top position at the U.S. box office and was
a worldwide hit. Foster portrayed a woman whose daughter disappears on an
airplane that her character, an engineer, had helped to design.
In 2006, she starred in Inside Man, a thriller directed by Spike Lee and
co-starring Denzel Washington and Clive Owen, which again opened at the
top of the U.S. box office and became another international hit. In 2007,
she starred in The Brave One directed by Neil Jordan and co-starring
Terrence Howard, another urban thriller that opened at #1 at the U.S. box
office Foster's performance in the film would earn her a sixth Golden
Globe for Best Actress nomination and another People's Choice nomination,
for Favorite Female Action Star. Commenting on her latest roles, Foster
has said that she enjoys appearing in mainstream genre films that have a
"real heart to them".
In 2008, Foster starred in Nim's Island alongside Gerard Butler and
Abigail Breslin, portraying a reclusive writer who is contacted by a young
girl after her father goes missing at sea. The film was the first comedy
that Foster has starred in since Maverick in 1994, and was also a
commercial success.
Foster has two older sisters, Lucinda "Cindy" Foster (b. 1954), Constance
"Connie" Foster (b. 1955), and an older brother, Lucius Fisher "Buddy"
Foster (b. 1957). During the filming of both Taxi Driver and The Little
Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, Connie was her stand-in. Buddy Foster had
his own career for several years appearing in regular spots on television
shows such as Hondo and Mayberry, R.F.D. Foster and her brother have been
estranged for many years. In 1997, he wrote a book entitled Foster Child
in which he stated "I have always assumed Jodie was gay or bisexual." In
the book, he writes that she was conceived in her father's office three
years after their parents divorced when their mother went to him for child
support. He also claims that her name was changed from "Alicia" to "Jodie"
because it was a code "Jo D" for their mother's partner, Josephina
Dominguez. Jodie Foster called the book:
"A cheap cry for attention and money filled with hazy recollections,
fantasies and borrowed press releases. Buddy has done nothing but break
our mother's heart his whole life".
Foster is intensely private about certain aspects of her personal life,
notably her sexual orientation, which has been the subject of speculation.
In her teens, Foster was romantically involved with actor Scott Baio, her
costar in Bugsy Malone and Foxes. This is the only relationship of
Foster's that has been acknowledged. In July 2007, Baio told Entertainment
Weekly that he and Foster would make out on set.
Foster has two sons: Charles Foster (b. July 20, 1998) and Christopher
"Kit" Foster (b. September 29, 2001). Foster gave birth to both children,
but has not revealed the identity of the children's father(s). .
In December 2007, Foster made headlines when, during an acceptance speech
at Hollywood Reporter's "Women in Entertainment" event, she paid tribute
to film producer Cydney Bernard, referring to her as "my beautiful Cydney,
who sticks with me through the rotten and the bliss." Some media
interpreted this as Foster coming out, as Bernard was believed to be her
girlfriend since both met in 1992 during the filming of Sommersby. Foster
and Bernard never attended premieres or award ceremonies together, nor did
they ever appear to be affectionate with each other. However, Bernard was
seen in public with Foster's children on many occasions. On May 15, 2008,
several news outlets reported that Foster and Bernard had "called it
quits."
Foster is an atheist and does not follow any "traditional religion." She
has discussed the god of the gaps. Foster has "great respect for all
religions" and spends "a lot of time studying divine texts, whether it's
Eastern religion or Western religion." She and her children celebrate both
Christmas and Hannukah. Some sources claim that Foster is a member of
Mensa, however Foster herself denied that she is a member in an interview
on Italian TV network RAI. |
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The Beaver (2010) ....
Meredith Black
"The Simpsons" .... Maggie Simpson (1 episode, 2009)
- Four Great Women and a Manicure (2009) TV episode (voice) ....
Maggie Simpson
Motherhood (2009/I) (uncredited) .... Mom being stalked by paparazzi
Nim's Island (2008) .... Alexandra Rover
The Brave One (2007) .... Erica Bain
Inside Man (2006) .... Madeleine White
Flightplan (2005) .... Kyle Pratt
Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004) .... Elodie Gordes
... aka A Very Long Engagement (International: English title) (UK)
(USA)
Panic Room (2002) .... Meg Altman
The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002) .... Sister Assumpta
Anna and the King (1999) .... Anna Leonowens
Hollywood Salutes Jodie Foster: An American Cinematheque Tribute
(1999) (TV)
Contact (1997) .... Eleanor Arroway
"The X Files" .... Betty (1 episode, 1997)
... aka The X-Files (USA)
- Never Again (1997) TV episode (voice) .... Betty
"Frasier" .... Marlene (1 episode, 1996)
- Moon Dance (1996) TV episode (voice) .... Marlene
Nell (1994) .... Nell
Maverick (1994) .... Annabelle Bransford
Sommersby (1993) .... Laurel Sommersby
... aka Sommersby (France)
Shadows and Fog (1991) .... Prostitute
Little Man Tate (1991) .... Dede Tate
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) .... Clarice Starling
Catchfire (1990) .... Anne Benton
... aka Backtrack (USA: TV title (director's cut))
... aka Catchfire (Australia)
... aka Do It the Hard Way
Rabbit Ears: The Fisherman and His Wife (1989) (V) .... Storyteller
The Accused (1988) .... Sarah Tobias
... aka Appel à la justice (Canada: French title)
Stealing Home (1988) .... Katie Chandler
Siesta (1987) .... Nancy
Five Corners (1987) .... Linda
... aka 5 Corners (USA: video box title)
Mesmerized (1986) .... Victoria
... aka My Letter to George (International: English title)
... aka Shocked
Le sang des autres (1984) .... Hélène
... aka The Blood of Others (USA)
The Hotel New Hampshire (1984) .... Frannie Berry
Svengali (1983) (TV) .... Zoe Alexander
O'Hara's Wife (1982) .... Barbara O'Hara
Carny (1980) .... Donna
Foxes (1980) .... Jeanie
Candleshoe (1977) .... Casey
Casotto (1977) .... Teresina Fedeli
... aka Beach House (International: English title)
... aka The Beach Hut
Moi, fleur bleue (1977) .... Isabelle Tristan, AKA Fleur bleue
... aka Stop Calling Me Baby!
The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976) .... Rynn
... aka La petite fille au bout du chemin (France)
Freaky Friday (1976) .... Annabel Andrews
Bugsy Malone (1976) .... Tallulah
Taxi Driver (1976) .... Iris
Echoes of a Summer (1976) .... Deirdre Striden
... aka The Last Castle
"ABC Afterschool Specials" .... Sharon Lee / ... (3 episodes,
1973-1975)
- The Secret Life of T.K. Dearing (1975) TV episode .... T.K.
Dearing
- Rookie of the Year (1973) TV episode .... Sharon Lee
- Alexander (1973) TV episode .... Sue
"Medical Center" .... Ivy (1 episode, 1975)
- The Captives (1975) TV episode .... Ivy
"Paper Moon" .... Addie Pray (4 episodes, 1974)
- Green Gods (1974) TV episode .... Addie Pray
- Long Division (1974) TV episode .... Addie Pray
- Imposter (1974) TV episode .... Addie Pray
- Settling (1974) TV episode .... Addie Pray
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) .... Audrey
Smile Jenny, You're Dead (1974) (TV) .... Liberty Cole
... aka Don't Call the Police (USA: new title)
... aka Harry-O
"Love Story" .... Ellie Madison (1 episode, 1973)
- The Youngest Lovers (1973) TV episode .... Ellie Madison
"Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" .... Elizabeth Henderson (2 episodes,
1973)
- Nobody Wants to Talk About It (1973) TV episode .... Elizabeth
Henderson
- Can I Help It If She's Crazy About Me? (1973) TV episode ....
Elizabeth Henderson
"The New Perry Mason" .... Hildy Haynes (1 episode, 1973)
- The Case of the Deadly Deeds (1973) TV episode .... Hildy Haynes
"The Addams Family" (1973) TV series .... Pugsly Addams (unknown
episodes)
One Little Indian (1973) .... Martha
"Kung Fu" .... Alethea Patricia Ingram (1 episode, 1973)
- Alethea (1973) TV episode .... Alethea Patricia Ingram
Tom Sawyer (1973) .... Becky Thatcher
... aka A Musical Adaptation of Mark Twain's 'Tom Sawyer' (USA:
promotional title)
... aka Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer: A Musical Adaptation (USA: complete
title)
"The Partridge Family" .... Julie (1 episode, 1973)
- The Eleven-Year Itch (1973) TV episode .... Julie
"The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan" .... Anne Chan (14 episodes,
1972)
- The Chan Clan at Scotland Yard (1972) TV episode (voice) .... Anne
Chan
- The White Elephant (1972) TV episode (voice) .... Anne Chan
- The Greek Caper (1972) TV episode (voice) .... Anne Chan
- The Gypsy Caper (1972) TV episode (voice) .... Anne Chan
- The Mardi Gras Caper (1972) TV episode (voice) .... Anne Chan
(9 more)
"Ghost Story" .... Judy (1 episode, 1972)
... aka Circle of Fear (USA: new title)
- House of Evil (1972) TV episode .... Judy
"The Paul Lynde Show" .... Maggie (1 episode, 1972)
- To Commune or Not to Commune (1972) TV episode .... Maggie
Kansas City Bomber (1972) .... Rita
Napoleon and Samantha (1972) .... Samantha
My Sister Hank (1972) (TV) .... Henrietta 'Hank' Bennett
"My Three Sons" .... Priscilla Hobson / ... (6 episodes, 1971-1972)
- Lonesome Katie (1972) TV episode .... Priscilla Hobson
- Peanuts (1972) TV episode .... Priscilla Hobson
- Alfred (1972) TV episode .... Priscilla Hobson
- Proxy Parents (1971) TV episode .... Priscilla Hobson
- The Recital (1971) TV episode .... Susan
(1 more)
"Bonanza" .... Bluebird (1 episode, 1972)
... aka Ponderosa (USA: rerun title)
- A Place to Hide (1972) TV episode .... Bluebird
"Ironside" .... Pip Barker (1 episode, 1972)
... aka The Raymond Burr Show (USA: syndication title)
- Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Murder (1972) TV episode .... Pip Barker
"Gunsmoke" .... Marieanne Johnson / ... (3 episodes, 1969-1972)
... aka Gun Law (UK)
... aka Marshal Dillon (USA: rerun title)
- The Predators (1972) TV episode .... Marieanne Johnson
- P.S. Murry Christmas (1971) TV episode .... Patricia
- Roots of Fear (1969) TV episode (as Jody Foster) .... Susan Sadler
"The Courtship of Eddie's Father" .... Joey Kelly (5 episodes,
1969-1971)
- The Magic Mrs. Rickles (1971) TV episode .... Joey Kelly
- The Lonely Weekend (1971) TV episode .... Joey Kelly
- Gifts Are for Giving (1970) TV episode .... Joey Kelly
- A Loaf of Bread, a Bar of Soap and a Jar of Peanut Butter (1970)
TV episode .... Joey Kelly
- Bully for You (1969) TV episode .... Joey Kelly
"Adam-12" .... Mary Bennett (1 episode, 1970)
- Log 55: Missing Child (1970) TV episode .... Mary Bennett
"Mayberry R.F.D." .... Fairy / ... (2 episodes, 1968-1970)
- All for Charity (1970) TV episode .... Little Girl
- The Church Play (1968) TV episode (as Jody Foster) .... Fairy
"Daniel Boone" .... Rachel (1 episode, 1970)
- Bringing Up Josh (1970) TV episode (as Jodi Foster) .... Rachel
"Disneyland" .... Suellen McIver (2 episodes, 1970)
... aka Disney's Wonderful World (USA: new title)
... aka The Disney Sunday Movie (USA: new title)
... aka The Magical World of Disney (USA: new title)
... aka The Wonderful World of Disney (USA: new title)
... aka Walt Disney (USA: new title)
... aka Walt Disney Presents (USA: new title)
... aka Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (USA: new title)
- Menace on the Mountain: Part 2 (1970) TV episode .... Suellen
McIver
- Menace on the Mountain: Part 1 (1970) TV episode .... Suellen
McIver
Menace on the Mountain (1970) (TV) .... Suellen McIver
"Nanny and the Professor" .... Angela (1 episode, 1970)
- The Scientific Approach (1970) TV episode .... Angela
"Julia" .... Cindy Blanchard (1 episode, 1969)
- Romeo and Julia (1969) TV episode .... Cindy Blanchard
"The Doris Day Show" .... Jenny Benson (1 episode, 1969)
- The Baby Sitter (1969) TV episode .... Jenny Benson |
