Jodie Foster

Early life

Foster was born as Alicia Christian Foster to Lucius Foster III (* 16. April 1922) and Evelyn 'Brandy' Foster (born Schmidt; German ancestry; * 21. September 1928) in Los Angeles, California. She attended an exclusive prep school, the Lycee Frani§ais de Los Angeles, before going to Yale University where she earned a B.A. in literature and graduated magna cum laude in 1985. While at Yale, Foster, like fellow 1985 Yale graduate Jennifer Beals of Flashdance fame, led a fairly normal life, considering her celebrity status. She would often spend time with friends at the local dive bar Anchor, and she occasionally partied in the haunts of one of the secret societies, the Manuscript Society (a scene recounting such an event is noted in Tom Perrotta's novel Joe College).

Early career

She made nearly 50 film and television appearances before she attended college. She began her career at age three as the Coppertone Girl in a television commercial and debuted as a television actress in a 1968 episode of Mayberry R.F.D. Her first film appearance came in the 1970 TV movie Menace On The Mountain. Foster made a number of Disney movies, including Napoleon and Samantha (1972), One Little Indian (1973), Freaky Friday (1976) and Candleshoe (1977). She also co-starred with Christopher Connelly in the 1974 TV series version of Paper Moon and alongside Martin Sheen in the 1976 cult classic The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane. As a teenager, Foster made several appearances on the French pop 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."

Jodie Foster as the pre-teen prostitute "Iris" in Taxi Driver (1976), the role that jumpstarted her career and earned her an Academy Award nomination.

At age 14, Foster was nominated for the Academy Award For Best Supporting Actress for her role as a pre-teen prostitute in Martin Scorsese's film, Taxi Driver opposite Robert De Niro. De Niro's character, the deranged Travis Bickle, intends to "save" her from life on the streets. When that doesn't work, he tries to assassinate a presidential candidate.

In 1981, John Hinckley, Jr. shot U.S. President Ronald Reagan and three other people. He claimed his motive was to impress Foster. He had become obsessed with her after seeing the film repeatedly, and he stalked her while she attended Yale, sending her love letters to her campus mail box and even talking to her on the phone. This caused intense discomfort to Foster, who has been known to walk out of interviews if Hinckley's name is even mentioned. The punk band Jodie Foster's Army is named in reference to Hinckley's actions.

Transition to adult roles

Unlike child stars such as Shirley Temple or Tatum O'Neal, Foster successfully made the transition to adult roles, but not without initial difficulty. She gained significant weight while at Yale and, after several unsuccessful films post-Taxi Driver, was forced to audition for her role in The Accused. She won the part and the first of her two Golden Globes and Academy Awards as Best Actress for her role as a gang-rape survivor. She earned her second in what is arguably her most famous role, Clarice Starling, opposite Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, in the 1991 film, The Silence of the Lambs.

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 extra-terrestrial life in the SETI project. In 1998, an asteroid, 17744 Jodiefoster, was named in her honor.

Branching out

In the 1990s Foster began to branch out into other aspects of film besides acting. She made her directorial debut in 1991 with Little Man Tate, a critically acclaimed drama about a child prodigy, in which she also co-starred. 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, and she began working as a producer in 1994 with the acclaimed Nell, the story of young woman raised in an isolated place who has to return to civilization.

Like many American actors who are rarely seen promoting products in their own country, Foster has appeared in a number of commercials in Japan, mostly in the 1990s. These have included advertisements for the Honda Civic, Keri cosmetics, Mt. Rainier ice coffee, and the Pasona Temporary Agency.

Recent roles

After taking time away from the spotlight, Foster returned in the 2005 blockbuster Flightplan. Foster portrayed a woman whose daughter disappears on an airplane that Foster's character, an engineer, had helped to design.

Foster's most recent film, Inside Man, a thriller co-starring Denzel Washington and Clive Owen, was released on March 24, 2006, and opened at #1 at the box office. Her next film will be The Brave One, a thriller that is being filmed in New York City, both in Manhattan and Brooklyn. It is directed by Neil Jordan and co-stars Terrence Howard. Commenting on her latest roles, Foster has said that she enjoys appearing in mainstream genre films that have a "real heart to them."

Personal life and recognition

Foster has been with partner Cydney Bernard for over a decade, and the two have two sons, Charles (b. 1998) and Kit (b. 2001).

She gave the Class of 2006 University of Pennsylvania commencement address on May 15, 2006, the university's 250th Commencement. The university also conferred on her the Doctor of Arts (honoris causa) degree for her lifelong achievement and contribution to film in both acting and directing . Her commencement address is available in webcast (jump to 1:44:08) and mp3 format.

Trivia

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 "Sexiest Stars" in film history (#45). [1995]

Hosted Saturday Night Live at age 14, making her the youngest person to host at that time until Drew Barrymore hosted at 7 years of age.

Had to pull out of Double Jeopardy (1999) because she became pregnant.

Ranked #18 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time."

She has two sisters and a brother, Lucinda "Cindy" Foster (born 1954), Constance "Connie" Foster (b. 1955), and Lucius "Buddy" Foster (b. 1957).

During the filming of both Taxi Driver and The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane her stand-in was her older sister, Connie.

As a result of attending an exclusive French-speaking private school in Los Angeles, Foster is fluent in French. She has performed in French-language films, such as Un long dimanche de fiani§ailles (2004), and dubs her own voice in American movies for releases in French speaking countries.

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" b/w "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.

The skater punk band JFA (Jodie Foster's Army) was named in her honor.

There have been at least 20 punk, hardcore, heavy metal, New Wave and No Wave recordings that directly or indirectly reference Foster, included works by UK Subs, PH2, Half Japanese, Sonic Youth, Darlington and Caustic Christ. Foster's voice has been sampled from interviews and film performances and included on some tracks.

Canadian poet R. W. Watkins dedicated a 2002 broadside of haikus to "Foster on her 40th." The haiku are based on her 1976 film The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (and the 1974 novel of the same name by Laird Koenig), and were expanded to 24-page chapbook-size for a 2005 republication by Nocturnal Iris Publications. The new edition features at least one avant-garde drawing of Foster by Watkins dating from 1988. Watkins also publishes the fanzine Cellar, which concentrates on Foster's early and/or darker cinematic work, as well as that of Koenig, and (in particular) the point at which their careers intersect: The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane.

Is undefeated on Celebrity Jeopardy! (she defeated Nathan Lane and Harry Connick Jr. in February 2001).

Quotes

"Kids talk like sailors now. Adults don't want to know." -- at age 14.

On the advantages of being an actress who is months from turning 40: "They've lived longer, they're more confident about their choices and they don't have to be hip and cool anymore, which I think is a godsend - you make really bad choices when you are trying to be hip." -- April 2004

"If I fail, at least I will have failed my way."

On Foster Child, her brother, Buddy Foster's unauthorized biography about her: "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."

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2007	Sugarland	Sweety	Announced
The Brave One	Erica	In Production
Bratz: the Movie	Mrs. Milton	Announced
2006	Inside Man	Madeline White
2005	Flightplan	Kyle Pratt
2004	A Very Long Engagement (Un long dimanche de fiani§ailles)	Elodie Gordes
2003	Abby Singer	Herself
	2002	Panic Room	Meg Altman
	The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys	Sister Assumpta	Also producer
1999	Anna and the King	Anna Leonowens
1998	The Uttmost	Herself	Documentary
1997	Contact	Dr. Ellie Arroway
	1994	Nell	Nell Kellty	Also producer Academy Award nomination - Best Actress
	Maverick	Mrs. Annabelle Bransford
1993	Sommersby	Laurel Sommersby
1992	Shadows and Fog	Prostitute
	1991	Little Man Tate	Dede Tate	Also director
	The Silence of the Lambs	Clarice Starling	Academy Award - Best Actress Oscar
1990	Catchfire	Anne Benton	aka Backtrack
	1988	The Accused	Sarah Tobias	Academy Award - Best Actress Oscar
	Stealing Home	Katie Chandler
	1987	Siesta	Nancy
	Five Corners	Linda
1986	Mesmerized	Victoria Thompson	Also co-producer
	1984	The Blood of Others (Le Sang des autres)	Heli¨ne Bertrand
	The Hotel New Hampshire	Frannie Berry
1983	Svengali	Zoe Alexander
1982	O'Hara's Wife	Barbara O'Hara
	1980	Foxes	Jeanie
	Carny	Donna
	1977	Candleshoe	Casey Brown
	Casotto	Teresina Fedeli	aka Beach House
	Stop Calling Me Baby! (Moi, fleur bleue)	Isabelle Tristan (aka Fleur bleue)
	1976	The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane	Rynn Jacobs
	Freaky Friday	Annabel Andrews
	Bugsy Malone	Tallulah
	Taxi Driver	Iris Steensma	Academy Award nomination - Best Supporting Actress
	Echoes of a Summer	Deirdre Striden	aka The Last Castle
1975	The Secret Life of T.K. Dearing	T.K. Dearing	TV
	1974	Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore	Audrey
	Smile, Jenny, You're Dead	Liberty Cole	TV
1973	Rookie of the Year	Sharon Lee	TV
Alexander, Alexander	Sue	TV
The Addams Family	Pugsley (voice)	TV
Kung Fu	Alethea Patricia Ingram	TV
Tom Sawyer	Becky Thatcher
One Little Indian	Martha McIver
	1972	Kansas City Bomber	Rita
	Napoleon and Samantha	Samantha
	My Sister Hank	Henrietta "Hank" Bennett	TV
1970	Menace on the Mountain	Suellen McIver	TV

Award Nominations

Year	Group	Award	Won?	Film
1976	BAFTA	Best Supporting Actress and Best Newcomer	Yes	Bugsy Malone
1977	Golden Globe	Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy	No	Freaky Friday
1977	Academy Awards	Best Supporting Actress	No	Taxi Driver
1977	BAFTA	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	Yes	Taxi Driver
1978	Saturn Award	Best Actress	Yes	The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane
1988	Golden Globe	Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama	Yes	The Accused
1988	Academy Awards	Best Actress	Yes	The Accused
	1991	New York Film Critics Circle Awards	Best Actress		Yes		The Silence of the Lambs
	Academy Awards	Academy Award for Best Actress
	BAFTA	BAFTA Award for Best Actress
	Golden Globe Award	Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
1992	Saturn Award	Best Actress	No	The Silence of the Lambs
1995	Screen Actors Guild	Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture	Yes	Nell
1995	Academy Awards	Academy Award for Best Actress	No	Nell
1997	Golden Globe	Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama	No	Contact
1998	Saturn Award	Best Actress	Yes	Contact
2003	Saturn Award	Best Actress	No	Panic Room
2006	Saturn Award	Best Actress	No	Flightplan

Preceded by Cher for Moonstruck	Academy Award for Best Actress 1988 for The Accused	Succeeded by Jessica Tandy for Driving Miss Daisy
Preceded by Kathy Bates for Misery	Academy Award for Best Actress 1991 for The Silence of the Lambs	Succeeded by Emma Thompson for Howards End

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Source: Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License