Jodie Foster Biography
Exceptionally mature, talented child actor of the 1970s who made the transition to adult stardom. Initially managed by her divorced mother Brandy, the young Foster was the family's principal breadwinner. She gradually took control of her own career, meticulously shaping her development through a careful selection of projects and expert tailoring of her public image. Her rise from child star to Oscar-winning actor to feature film director appears unprecedented and her added status as a producer has made her one of Hollywood's exceedingly few female talents to achieve on such a high level in so many areas.
Foster began in commercials, most notably baring her buns at age three in a classic ad for Coppertone sun tanning products. She appeared as a regular and in guest shots in series TV and made several features for Disney before leaving an indelible impression with her controversial performance in "Taxi Driver" (1976), as the teenage prostitute who inspires Robert De Niro's deranged personal crusade. Foster followed that Oscar-nominated performance with appearances in several features including the uneven gangster musical spoof "Bugsy Malone" (1976) playing Miss Tallulah, a bawdy speakeasy queen; "The Little Girl Who Lived Down the Lane" (1977) in the title role of a young murderer; and "Carny" (1980) as a teen runaway who joins up with a couple of carnival hustlers.
Even with her burgeoning career, Foster remained an excellent student, graduating from the Los Angeles Lycee Francais in 1980 as class valedictorian and going on to study literature at Yale. She survived a spate of unwanted publicity surrounding John Hinckley, Jr.'s assassination attempt on President Reagan in 1981, which he claimed was done to impress Foster. While studying at Yale, she squeezed in appearances in films and TV, most notably as a member of an unconventional family in the film "The Hotel New Hampshire" (1984), that provided a bridge to impressive adult acting in films like the moody and potent "Five Corners" (1987).