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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).

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. Following her graduation, she made a series of smaller films 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). During this decade, she also made her directorial debut with the family dramas Little Man Tate (1991), and 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). 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

Film

Television

Filmmaker credits

See also

• List of awards and nominations received by Jodie Foster

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

• Actress filmographies
• Director filmographies
• American filmographies