Jodie Foster filmography

Foster at the premiere of Home for the Holidays (1995)

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

Key
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

Director
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"
Producer
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