Jodie Foster - Biography

Last Editor: bryan.astley				Jodie Foster Biography -   Name : Jodie Foster Birth Date : November 19, 1962 Birth Place : Los Angeles, California, USA Birth Name : Alicia Christian Foster Height : 5'4 Education : Yale University (majored in Literature; graduated; B.A.; magna cum laude) College Lycée Français (as the best of her class) Nationality : American Occupation : actress, producer, director Claim to fame : as Sarah Tobias in The Accused (1988)

Jodie Foster Trivia -

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 "Sexiest Stars" in film history (#45) (1995). Was supposed to be commencement Speaker for Smith College in Massachusetts, but eventually had to decline (2000). As a child, was attacked by a lion and carried briefly in its mouth while filming Disney's Napoleon and Samantha (1972). Earned a B.A. in literature and graduated from Yale University (1985). Gave birth to Charles Bernard Foster on 20 July 1998 and Kit Bernard Foster on 29 September 2001. 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" list (October 2007). Received an honorary doctorate from Yale University (1997). Born to Lucius Fisher Foster III, an Air Force colonel turned real estate agent, and Evelyn 'Brandy' Ella Almond, a film producer, her father left the family after few months before her birth. Graduated in 1980 as the class valedictorian from the private academy Lycée Français in Los Angeles. Was reading by the time she was three years old. Fluent in French by age 14, she spoke her own lines in the 1977 film Moi, fleur bleue (1977) and the 2004 film Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004). Sister of Buddy Foster and Connie Foster. Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1976" in John'Willis' Screen World, Vol. 28 (1976). Born Alicia Christian Foster, her three siblings insisted on calling her "Jodie.". Made her acting debut in a Coppertone suntan lotion commercial when she was 3 years old. For Sommersby (1993), Foster learned how to handle a horse-pulled buckboard. Was offered a role in Me and Rubyfruit (1989) twice and turned it down. Has two convertibles. Enjoys kickboxing, yoga, karate, aerobics, and weightlifting and collects fancy kitchenware and B&W photos. Loves organic food. Her favorite book is "Franny and Zooey" by J.D. Salinger. Received an Honorary Degree from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Gave the Class Day speech at Yale in 1993 and received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Yale in 1997. Got the role of Annabel Bradsford in the comedy Maverick (1994) after Meg Ryan turned it down. CBS was billed $12,000 for her hair and makeup for her appearance on "60 Minutes II" (1999), December 1999 to promote Anna and the King (1999). This total was later determined to be incorrect and inflated. Youngest host of "Saturday Night Live" (1975) until Drew Barrymore hosted in 1982. Was replaced by Ashley Judd for the lead in Double Jeopardy (1999). Starred as Addie Pray in the short-lived TV show "Paper Moon" (1974), which was originally a movie starring Tatum O'Neal. Never liked "All in the Family" (1971) because "it seemed to be doing the same thing each week." Got the role of Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) after Michelle Pfeiffer turned it down. Was stalked by John Hinckley during her college years, who attempted to assassinate US President Ronald Reagan to impress her (30 March 1981). Father Lucius Foster left the family when Jodie's mother was a few months pregnant with her. Born at 8:14 AM PST. Was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine in 2002. Shut down production company Egg Pictures in late 2001 to spend more time with her children. Was first choice to play the role of Princess Leia in the original "Star Wars" trilogy but could not get out of her contract with Disney. George Lucas then decided to make Princess Leia older. Replaced Nicole Kidman in the role of "Meg Altman" in Panic Room (2002) at the last minute when Kidman injured herself. Recorded a number of songs for her film Moi, fleur bleue (1977), including "Je T'Attends Depuis La Nuit Des Temps," "When I Looked at Your Face" and "La Vie C'est Chouette." Measurements: 34B-24-33 1/2 (Souce: Celebrity Sleuth magazine). Was in a serious relationship with Cydney Bernard since they met on the set of the movie Sommersby (1993) until they broke up in 2008. Her Oscar-winning role as Clarice Starling from her 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs (1991) was ranked #6 in the American Film Institute's "Heroes" list in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains (2003) (TV). Her sister, Connie Foster, was her stand-in during the more explicit scenes in Taxi Driver (1976). In 2001, decided not to reprise the role of Clarice Starling in Hannibal (2001). The role eventually went to Julianne Moore. Is doubled by stuntwoman Jill Stokesberry in most of her films, starting with Sommersby (1993). She was voted the 57th "Greatest Movie Star" of all time by Entertainment Weekly. Considers her role in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) to be a counterpart to her role in Taxi Driver (1976). In Taxi Driver (1976), she is a woman in bondage who has to be rescued. In The Silence of the Lambs (1991), she rescues the captive woman. In an interesting twist, her pimp in Taxi Driver (1976) was played by Harvey Keitel, who went on to play her future mentor, Jack Crawford, in Red Dragon (2002). Ranked #4 in VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid Stars" Her production company, Egg Pictures, is named after the character played by Seth Green in The Hotel New Hampshire (1984) in which Jodie starred. Never revealed who was the father of her two children. It is said that an anonymous donor is the biological father of Charles and Kit. She was fluent in Italian by the age of 18. Producer of Freaky Friday (2003) Andrew Gunn had initially hoped she would be game to play the mother, as Foster had played the daughter in the original film Freaky Friday (1976). Foster declined, in part because of concerns that the casting stunt would overshadow the movie's overall merit. She was all set to star in the TV film The Best Little Girl in the World (1981) (TV). Unfortunately an actors' strike prevented the film from being made. By the time the production was ready to go, Jodie was already studying at Yale. The leading role went to Jennifer Jason Leigh. Her performance as Sarah Tobias in The Accused (1988) is ranked #56 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006). She was the Commencement Speaker at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in May 2006 and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the school. Ranked #4 on VH-1's 100 Greatest Kid Stars of All Time. In an article published on 5 September 2006, Foster told The New York Times that she is such a "'serious N.P.R. [National Public Radio]-head' - the sort of person who will sit in her garage listening to the car radio until a show is over" that she changed her character in The Brave One from a newspaper reporter to the host of a public radio show. Starred in two failed TV shows based on successful movies: "Paper Moon" (1974) and "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" (1973). Revealed during a 2005 interview on the French talk show "Le Grand Journal" that she knows the words to the French national anthem, "La Marseillaise", but does not know "The Star-Spangled Banner". Was member of the dramatic jury at the Sundance Film Festival in 1989. Her favorite actress is Meryl Streep. Her favorite actor is Robert De Niro. Ranked #30 on EW's The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood (2007). An asteroid, 17744 Jodiefoster, was named after her (1998). Attended Yale University at the same time as Jennifer Beals. Considered Randy Stone her best friend until his death. Her family celebrates both Christmas and Channukah. Made an acceptance speech at a breakfast for Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment, where she paid tribute to her longtime companion Cydney Bernard, ending all speculations about her sexual orientation (December 2007). Has a fear of snakes. Rock group Asia wrote the song 'Alibis' about her. Broke up with longtime companion Cydney Bernard. [May 2008] Has said that her only regret is that she would love to live life without knowing what it's like to be famous. Turned down the role of "Violet" for Pretty Baby (1978), that ultimately went to Brooke Shields. She refused to play the role, since she didn't want to be typecast as the underage prostitute she played in Taxi Driver (1976). Turned down the role of "Catherine Tramell" for Basic Instinct (1992), that ultimately went to Sharon Stone. Rated No. 36 in the 2008 Power 50 issue of Out magazine. Was offered the lead role in The Exorcist (1973) sequel Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), but the role returned to Linda Blair. She turned down the offer in order to play Annabel in Freaky Friday (1976). The Game (1997) was originally written as a star vehicle for her, but the project changed direction and the female lead became male. Sean Penn won the part over Kevin Bacon and Alec Baldwin, who were considered for the role. Turned down the character of Elvira Hancock in Scarface (1983). Turned down the lead role for Adventures in Babysitting (1987) that went to Elisabeth Shue. Was considered by Sergio Leone for the role of Deborah Gelly in his final movie Once Upon a Time in America (1984), but the role went to Elizabeth McGovern. Was considered for the role of Sister Agnes in Agnes of God (1985), but the role went to Meg Tilly. Turned down the role of Sally Albright in When Harry Met Sally... (1989). The part went to Meg Ryan. Turned down the role of Madison in Splash (1984). The part went to Daryl Hannah. Was considered for the role of Sarah Connor in The Terminator (1984), but the role went to Linda Hamilton. Was considered for the role of Viola in Shakespeare in Love (1998). Gwyneth Paltrow got the part. Turned down the role of Angel in Little Darlings (1980). Kristy McNichol played the part. Turned down the role of Tracy in Woody Allen's Manhattan (1979). The part went to Mariel Hemingway. Turned down the role of Charlie Blackwood in Top Gun (1986). Kelly McGillis (her co-star in The Accused (1988)) got the part. Was considered for the role of Vivian in Pretty Woman (1990), but the part went to Julia Roberts. Turned down the role of Suzanne Stone in To Die For (1995). The part went to Nicole Kidman. Turned down the role of Amanda in The Bad News Bears (1976). The part went to Tatum O'Neal. Turned down the role of Annie Reed in Sleepless in Seattle (1993). Meg Ryan got the part. Was considered for the role of Allison Reynolds that was played by Ally Sheedy in The Breakfast Club (1985). Turned down the role that was played by Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink (1986). Friends with Mel Gibson. Foster was pursued by an obsessed fan named John Hinckley, Jr. Hinckley came up with a plan to impress her by attempting to assassinate Ronald Regan but missed him and wounded James Brady. Hinckley has been in a psychiatric hospital ever since.

Jodie Foster Detailed Biography -

Alicia Christian Foster, Jodie was born November 19, 1962, in Los Angeles, California. Her father, Lucius, left the family before her birth, leaving Alicia and her three siblings to be raised by their Hollywood publicist mother, Evelyn Foster. Given her occupation, Evelyn had little problem finding acting work for those of her children that expressed interest in taking it on, and Alicia made her first on-screen appearance at the age of three, in a Coppertone sunscreen commercial. Further commercial work followed, as did small roles on television series such as Mayberry R.F.D. and The Partridge Family, and Foster made her debut film appearance in 1972, in Disney's Napoleon and Samantha. Foster's interest in acting did not wane as she entered her teenage years, and she continued her film work, albeit for the most part restricted to quirky roles in children's movies. Foster enjoyed an advantage over other child actors in that her performances were not restricted to a single language: a student at Los Angeles' Lyc�e Francais, Jodie's French was sufficiently fluent by age 14 for her to win a role in 1977's Moi, Fleur Bleue, as well as a number of other French films. Yet Foster's childhood success should not be solely attributed to her linguistic abilities. Even before her appearance in Moi, Fleur Bleue, Foster had demonstrated an acting talent impressive enough to earn a casting call to 1976's Taxi Driver. The film proved to be a contemporary classic, and Foster's role in it, as a teenage prostitute, won her critical acclaim as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. By age 14, Foster had made the big break that most seasoned actors envy. Throughout the remainder of her high school years, Foster persisted in expanding her professional experience with film and television appearances. While tending to her burgeoning career, Foster continued to attend courses at the Lyc�e Francais, and in 1980 accomplished the feat of not merely graduating on schedule, but as class valedictorian. Her academic accolades were acknowledged, and Foster was accepted at Yale University, where she began attending lectures in English Literature that fall. She continued to do film and television appearances until her 1985 graduation, with honors, from Yale. By this point Foster was a seasoned veteran in the entertainment industry and had little trouble finding consistent work, although a follow-up to Taxi Driver continued to elude her. Her patience was rewarded in 1988, when she was cast as rape victim Sarah Tobias in The Accused. The movie was well received, and Foster's performance in it earned her a Golden Globe, a National Board of Review Award as well as an Oscar for Best Actress. Her reputation consolidated, Foster went on to her next Oscar-winning performance, as FBI rookie agent Clarice Starling in 1991's The Silence of the Lambs. This particular Best Actress Academy Award marked her third nomination and her second trophy before the age of 30, a first among Hollywood women. Having established herself as a high-caliber actor, Foster expanded her professional experience in 1991, founded a production company, Egg Productions and made her directorial debut with Little Man Tate, which she also starred in. She again assumed the role of a prostitute in 1992 in Woody Allen's Shadows and Fog, and directed her second film, Nell, in 1994, the same year she starred in the comedy Maverick alongside Mel Gibson. By the late '90s, with a wealth of experience and acclaim behind her, Foster was in a position to pick and choose roles. In doing so, she exhibited a sense of integrity rare in celebrity circles, reserving her performances to those instances where it was the character, rather than the monetary compensation, that stimulated her. After a brief reprieve from film work, Jodie made her return to the big screen in 2002, subbing in for an injured Nicole Kidman in David Fincher's box-office hit, Panic Room. A number of other projects were: Foster providing her voice for DreamWorks' animated feature Tusker, and is currently directing Claire Danes in the movie, Flora Plum. She also recently acquired the film rights to the Margaret Atwood novel Alias Grace, and has long fostered plans to direct, produce and star in a biography of controversial filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl. Since her Yale days, Jodie has continued to foster a private personal life. She has given birth to two sons since 1998 and raised them both as a single mother, keeping the identity of the father(s) secret. To this day she refuses to comment on the John Hinckley incident, and, for the most part, restricts her interviews to questions regarding her professional accomplishments, of which there is an abundance to discuss.