From child star to the director's chair: Jodie Foster's career highlights

Foster's career began as a child. She appeared in a television advert in 1965, aged just three. By 1968, she was acting in TV shows and films, mostly for Disney. Her feature film debut was in the adventure drama 'Napoleon and Samantha,' which features a lovely old lion and a youthful Michael Douglas.

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'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore' (1974) -

More film work followed. But it was her role as Audrey, a tomboyish girl with delinquent tendencies, in 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore' that turned heads, including that of the film's director, Martin Scorsese.

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'Taxi Driver' (1976) -

As a child actor, Foster was growing up fast. Scorsese had already recognized her maturity and cast her as a child prostitute in 'Taxi Driver,' a role she later described as a "life-changing experience." A critical and commercial success, 'Taxi Driver' earned her a Best Actress in a Supporting Role BAFTA, and a supporting actress Academy Award nomination.

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'Bugsy Malone' (1976) -

That same year she appeared in the British gangster musical comedy 'Bugsy Malone,' with all roles played by children. Critically acclaimed, the movie garnered Foster two more BAFTA awards.

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'The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane' (1976) -

She rounded 1976 off with this mystery-thriller in which she plays a young girl living alone and who harbors a secret and dangerous life.

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'Moi, fleur bleue' (1977) -

As a youngster, Jodie Foster attended Lycée Français de Los Angeles, and she speaks fluent French. In 1977, she spent six months living and working in France, where she starred in 'Moi, fleur bleue,' known in English as 'Stop Calling Me Baby!'

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'Foxes' (1980) -

The actress gained positive reviews for her performance in 'Foxes,' the plot of which revolves around a group of teenage girls coming of age in suburban Los Angeles towards the end of the disco era. Her next movie, also made in 1980, was 'Carny,' which marked her final film appearance before she took a sabbatical from acting to attend Yale University.

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Yale University -

Foster became a full-time student at Yale in fall 1980, and her acting career slowed down in the following five years. She majored in literature, writing her thesis on Toni Morrison. Foster later stated that going to college was "a wonderful time of self-discovery." However, she struggled to find work after graduating in 1985. She's pictured in this snapshot among other incoming Yale students.

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John Hinckley incident -

While at Yale, Jodie Foster was stalked by John Hinckley, Jr., who had developed an obsession with her after watching 'Taxi Driver.' On March 30, 1981, Hinckley attempted to assassinate US President Ronald Reagan. Subsequently jailed, the would-be assassin was released from institutional psychiatric care under strict conditions in 2016. The experience was difficult for Foster, and she has rarely spoken publicly about it. However, during a 1999 edition of '60 Minutes' she said: "I never wanted to be the actress who was remembered for that event. Because it didn't have anything to do with me. I was kind of a hapless bystander. But [...] what a scarring, strange moment in history for me, to be 17 years old, 18 years old, and to be caught up in a drama like that."

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'The Accused' (1988) -

Jodie Foster's breakthrough role into adult roles couldn't have been more compelling than as a survivor of sexual assault in 'The Accused,' a legal drama based on a real criminal case. One of the first films to deal with the horrors of sexual assault and its aftermath on a victim's life, 'The Accused' was a commercial and critical success.

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Best Actress Oscar win -

An Academy Award for Best Actress was among the many accolades bestowed on Foster for her performance in 'The Accused.'

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'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991) -

The actress waited three years before embarking on her next film project, 'The Silence of the Lambs.' Interestingly, director Jonathan Demme was initially skeptical about casting Foster as Clarice Starling. He later credited her for helping him define the character. The film subsequently became one of the biggest hits of the year, and the actress later named the role as one of her favorites.

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Second Oscar win -

Besides lifting the Academy Award for Best Actress, Foster won Golden Globe and BAFTA awards for her portrayal of Starling. She's pictured here with "Hannibal Lecter" (Anthony Hopkins) with his Best Actor Oscar.

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'Little Man Tate' (1991) -

At the end of 1991, Foster released her first feature film as a director, 'Little Man Tate.' The drama, about a child prodigy who struggles to come to terms with being different, also costarred the actress, and received positive reviews from critics.

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'Sommersby' (1993) -

'Sommersby' was praised for the performances and chemistry of its lead actors, Foster and co-star Richard Gere, in this romantic period drama, which is based on the 1982 French movie 'The Return of Martin Guerre.'

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'Maverick' (1994) -

Actress Meg Ryan was originally cast as Annabelle Bransford in this Western comedy, a role eventually taken by Foster, who along with Mel Gibson and James Garner helped make it a commercial and critical success.

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'Nell' (1994) -

Foster won a Screen Actors Guild Award and was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her performance as Nell Kellty, a young woman whose isolated upbringing has led her to speak a seemingly indecipherable language.

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'Contact' (1997) -

Fittingly perhaps, Foster scooped a Saturn Award for Best Actress after being chosen to make first contact with extraterrestrial life in this intriguing science fiction drama, which is a film adaptation of Carl Sagan's 1985 novel of the same name.

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'Panic Room' (2002) -

Jodie Foster replaced Nicole Kidman as Meg Altman in this atmospheric thriller in which a mother and daughter (Kristen Stewart) are trapped in a panic room after their home is broken into by a criminal gang. David Fincher's film was well received, with Foster nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actress.

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'Flightplan' (2005) -

In 'Flightplan,' Foster plays a woman whose daughter vanishes during an overnight flight. Despite achieving global box-office success, the movie received mixed reviews.

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'Inside Man' (2006) -

Foster's next film, Spike Lee's masterful heist thriller 'Inside Job,' was critically acclaimed, as well as being a box-office smash. The actress was in good company, with Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, and Christopher Plummer among the sterling cast.

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'Carnage' (2011) -

After 'Inside Man,' Foster began concentrating more on directing, although she found time to appear in the Roman Polanski-directed 'Carnage' alongside John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz. Foster earned a Golden Globe for Best Actress nomination.

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Cecil B. DeMille Award -

In January 2013, Jodie Foster was handed the honorary Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 70th Golden Globe Awards, an honor bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) for "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment."

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'Elysium' (2013) -

Neill Blomkamp (of 'District 9' fame) directed this dystopian science fiction film set in 2154, in which Foster appears alongside Matt Damon. It was a modest success and received generally positive reviews from critics.

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Relationships -

Foster first publicly acknowledged her sexual orientation in 2007. She had met Cydney Bernard on the set of 'Sommersby' and was in a relationship with her from 1993 to 2008. They have two children together. In April 2014, Foster married actress and photographer Alexandra Hedison (pictured) after a year of dating.

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Back in the director's chair -

After 'Elysium,' Foster returned to television to direct episodes in several TV shows. In 2016, she was back on the big screen directing 'Money Monster,' which stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts.

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Golden Globes return -

Jodie Foster made a triumphant and heartwarming return to the Golden Globes in 2021 as she won Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film 'The Mauritanian' (2020). "I just never expected to ever be here again," she said. It called upon her last time at the awards show, when she received 2013's Cecil B. DeMille Award and when she made her famous coming-out speech. Eight years later, she shared a sweet kiss with her wife on-screen, and the progress was positively heartwarming.

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Walk of Fame -

Pictured: Jodie Foster makes a star turn in Tinseltown in May 2016 as she's honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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From child star to the director's chair: Jodie Foster's career highlights

Jodie Foster turns 59 today

19/11/21 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Retrospective

Jodie Foster began her professional career as a child model and actress before achieving global fame in Martin Scorsese's seminal picture 'Taxi Driver.' Soon afterwards, she successfully transitioned into adult roles, appearing in a string of equally successful movies including 'The Accused' and 'Silence of the Lambs.' A two-time Oscar winner, Foster is also an accomplished film director, a role she's focusing more and more on these days.

Click on the following gallery for a celebration of the life and work of one of cinema's most gifted, creative, and intelligent individuals.