Jodie Foster is an American actress and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the greatest and most accomplished actors of her generation, Foster began her professional career as a child model at age three appearing in a Coppertone commercial. Following appearances in numerous advertisements, she made her television debut at age five, in a 1968 episode of the sitcom Mayberry R.F.D., following which she guest-starred in numerous television shows including Gunsmoke, The Doris Day Show, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, My Three Sons, Bonanza, and Kung Fu. Foster made her feature film debut with Disney's adventure film Napoleon and Samantha (1972). Following notable appearances as Becky Thatcher in the musical film Tom Sawyer (1973), and in Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Foster rose to international prominence in 1976 at age 13 with four prominent releases: Taxi Driver, Bugsy Malone, Freaky Friday, and The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, with the first of these earning Foster her first nomination for an Academy Award. She continued to garner praise and became a teen idol with starring roles in a array of films, including Candleshoe (1977), and Foxes (1980). During this period, Foster also made numerous european films, including the French comedy-drama Moi, fleur bleue (1977), and the Italian comedy Casotto (1978). By the end of the decade, Foster established herself as the most prominent child actor of the era.
A child prodigy, Foster decided to take a sabbatical from acting at the height of her teenage stardom for four years to attend Yale University. During this period she made five movies including Claude Chabrol's television film Le sang des autres (1983), and Tony Richardson's comedy The Hotel New Hampshire (1984), however none of them were major successes and following her graduation, Foster struggled to find substantial work. She made a series of independent films, including the experimental film Siesta (1987), and the comedy-drama Five Corners (1988), before having her breakthrough with the legal drama The Accused (1988), for which she won her first Academy Award for Best Actress. Her second Academy Award came for her portrayal of Clarice Starling in the psychological horror The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Other successful films in the 1990s were Sommersby (1993), Maverick (1994), Nell (1994), Contact (1997), and Anna and the King (1999). Foster made her debut as a director at age 14, when she directed a short film for BBC. Her first major directorial work came with a 1988 episode of the horror anthology series Tales from the Darkside. She made her feature film directorial debut with the family drama Little Man Tate (1991), and during this decade directed holiday comedy-drama film Home for the Holidays (1995).
During the 2000s, Foster starred in Panic Room (2002), The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002), A Very Long Engagement (2004), Flightplan (2005), Inside Man (2006), The Brave One (2007), and Nim's Island (2008). By 2005, Foster was named the world's highest-paid actress. During the 2010s, Foster focused more on directing and made her acting appearances intermittent, starring in just three films; Carnage (2011), Elysium (2013), and Hotel Artemis (2018). Her directorial work during this decade includes the films; The Beaver (2011), Money Monster (2016), and episodes of the television shows Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, Black Mirror, and Tales from the Loop.
During 2020s, Foster returned to more frequent acting work, winning her fourth Golden Globe Award for portraying attorney Nancy Hollander in the legal drama The Mauritanian (2021), and received her fifth Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of swimming coach Bonnie Stoll in the Netflix biopic Nyad (2023). Foster appeared in her first starring role on television and her first acting appearance in the medium in five decades as Chief Liz Danvers in the fourth season of HBO's crime anthology series True Detective, winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
Acting credits
† | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1972 | Napoleon and Samantha | Samantha | |
Kansas City Bomber | Rita | ||
1973 | Tom Sawyer | Becky Thatcher | |
One Little Indian | Martha McIver | ||
1974 | Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore | Audrey | |
1976 | Taxi Driver | Iris Steensma | |
Echoes of a Summer | Deirdre Striden | ||
Bugsy Malone | Tallulah | ||
The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane | Rynn Jacobs | ||
Freaky Friday | Annabel Andrews / Ellen Andrews | ||
1977 | Moi, fleur bleue | Isabelle Tristan / Fleur Bleue | |
Casotto | Teresina Fedeli | ||
Candleshoe | Casey Brown | ||
1980 | Foxes | Jeanie | |
Carny | Donna | ||
1982 | O'Hara's Wife | Barbara O'Hara | |
1984 | The Hotel New Hampshire | Frannie Berry | |
1986 | Mesmerized | Victoria Thompson | |
1987 | Siesta | Nancy | |
1988 | Five Corners | Linda | |
Stealing Home | Katie Chandler | ||
The Accused | Sarah Tobias | ||
1990 | Catchfire | Anne Benton | |
1991 | The Silence of the Lambs | Clarice Starling | |
Little Man Tate | Dede Tate | ||
Shadows and Fog | Dorrie | ||
1993 | Sommersby | Laurel Sommersby | |
It Was a Wonderful Life | Narrator | Voice Documentary | |
1994 | Maverick | Mrs. Annabelle Bransford | |
Nell | Nell Kellty | ||
1997 | Contact | Dr. Eleanor Arroway | |
1999 | Anna and the King | Anna Leonowens | |
2002 | The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys | Sister Assumpta | |
Panic Room | Meg Altman | ||
2003 | Abby Singer | Herself | |
2004 | A Very Long Engagement | Elodie Gordes | |
2005 | Flightplan | Kyle Pratt | |
2006 | Inside Man | Madeline White | |
2007 | The Brave One | Erica Bain | |
2008 | Nim's Island | Alexandra Rover | |
2011 | The Beaver | Meredith Black | |
Carnage | Penelope Longstreet | ||
2013 | Elysium | Secretary of Defense Jessica Delacourt | |
2018 | Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché | Narrator | Voice Documentary |
Hotel Artemis | Jean Thomas / The Nurse | ||
2021 | The Mauritanian | Nancy Hollander | |
2023 | Nyad | Bonnie Stoll | |
TBA | Vie Privée † | TBA |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1968–1970 | Mayberry R.F.D. | Fairy / Little Girl | TV series Season 1, episode 8: "The Church Play" Season 3, episode 5: "All for Charity" |
1969 | The Doris Day Show | Jenny Benson | TV series Season 1: "The Baby Sitter" |
1969–1971 | The Courtship of Eddie's Father | Joey Kelly | TV series Season 1, episode 8: "Bully for You" Season 2, episode 2: "A Loaf of Bread, a Bar of Soap and a Jar of Peanut Butter" Season 2, episode 13: "Gifts Are For Giving" Season 2, episode 20: "The Lonely Weekend" Season 2, episode 21: "The Magic Mrs. Rickles" |
1969 | Julia | Cindy Blanchard | TV series Season 2, episode 9: "Romeo and Julia" |
1969–1972 | Gunsmoke | Susan Sadler / Patricia / Marieanne | TV series Season 15, episode 13: "The Roots of Fear" Season 17, episode 15: "P.S. Murry Christmas" Season 17, episode 20: "The Predators" |
1970 | Menace on the Mountain | Suellen McIver | TV movie |
Daniel Boone | Rachel | TV series Season 6, episode 24: "Bringing Up Josh" | |
Adam-12 | Mary Bennett | TV series Season 3, episode 6: "Log 55 Missing Girl" | |
Nanny and the Professor | Angela | TV series Season 1, episode 4: "The Scientific Approach" | |
1971 | My Three Sons | Priscilla Hobson | TV series Season 11 |
1972 | Bonanza | 'Bluebird' | TV series Season 13, episode 24: "A Place to Hide" |
Ghost Story | Judy | TV series Season 1, episode 8: "House of Evil" | |
The Paul Lynde Show | Maggie | TV series Season 1, episode 5: "To Commune or Not to Commune" | |
The New Scooby-Doo Movies | Pugsley Addams | Voice TV series Season 1, episode 3: "Wednesday Is Missing" | |
My Sister Hank | Henrietta 'Hank' Bennett | TV movie | |
The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan | Anne Chan | Voice TV series, 16 episodes | |
Ironside | Pip Morrison | TV series Season 5, episode 20: "Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Murder" | |
1973 | Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice | Elizabeth Henderson | TV series |
Rookie of the Year | Sharon Lee | TV movie | |
ABC Afterschool Special | Sue | TV movie Episode: "Alexander" | |
The Partridge Family | Julie | TV series Season 3, episode 18: "The Eleven Year Itch" | |
Love Story | Ellie Madison | TV series Season 1, episode 10: "The Youngest Lovers" | |
Kung Fu | Alethea Patricia Ingram | TV series Season 1, episode 10: "Alethea" | |
The New Perry Mason | Hildy Haynes | TV series Season 1, episode 6: "The Case of the Deadly Deeds" | |
The Addams Family | Pugsley Addams | Voice TV series, 16 episodes | |
1974 | Smile, Jenny, You're Dead | Liberty Cole | TV movie |
Paper Moon | Addie Loggins | TV series | |
1975 | Medical Center | Ivy | TV series Season 6, episode 17: "The Captives" |
The Secret Life of T. K. Dearing | T.K. Dearing | TV movie | |
1983 | Svengali | Zoe Alexander | |
1984 | The Blood of Others | Hélène Bertrand | |
1996 | Frasier | Marlene | Voice TV series Episode: "Moon Dance" |
1997 | The X-Files | Betty | Voice TV series Episode: "Never Again" |
2005 | Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony | Herself | Guest Episode 8 |
2009 | The Simpsons | Maggie Simpson | Voice TV series Episode: "Four Great Women and a Manicure" |
2014 | Makers: Women Who Make America | Narrator | Voice TV series Episode: "Women in Space" |
2024 | True Detective | Liz Danvers | Season 4 |
Filmmaker credits
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1988 | Tales from the Darkside | Episode: "Do Not Open This Box" |
1991 | Little Man Tate | |
1995 | Home for the Holidays | |
2011 | The Beaver | |
2013–2014 | Orange Is the New Black | Two episodes ("Lesbian Request Denied", "Thirsty Bird") |
2014 | House of Cards | Episode: "Chapter 22" |
2016 | Money Monster | |
2017 | Black Mirror | Episode: "Arkangel" |
2020 | Tales from the Loop | Episode: "Home" |
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1986 | Mesmerized | Co-producer |
1994 | Nell | |
1995 | Home for the Holidays | |
1998 | The Baby Dance | Television film Executive producer |
2000 | Waking the Dead | Executive producer |
2002 | The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys | |
2007 | The Brave One | Executive producer |
2020 | Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché | Documentary Executive producer |
2024 | True Detective: Night Country | Executive producer |
Alok |
See also
References
External links
- Jodie Foster at IMDb
- Jodie Foster at the TCM Movie Database
- Jodie Foster filmography collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- Jodie Foster filmography on Charlie Rose