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

Jodie Foster is an American actress and filmmaker. 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 acting debut at age five, in 1968 with the television sitcom Mayberry R.F.D., following which she appeared in a string of television series including Gunsmoke, The Doris Day Show, My Three Sons, Bonanza, and Kung Fu. Her film debut came with Disney's adventure film Napoleon and Samantha (1972). After receiving attention with roles in Tom Sawyer (1973), and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Foster rose to international prominence in 1976 at age 13 with three prominent releases; Taxi Driver, Bugsy Malone, and The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, with the first of these earning her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She continued to garner praise and became a teen idol with starring roles in a array of films including; Freaky Friday (1976), 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 courtroom drama The Accused (1988), for which she won the 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 appeared 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.

Acting credits

Television

Foster along with Rod Serling in the television series Ironside (1972)

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 in two parts (The Wonderful World of Disney)
1970	Daniel Boone	Rachel	TV series Season 6, episode 24: "Bringing Up Josh"
1970	Adam-12	Mary Bennett	TV series Season 3, episode 6: "Log 55 Missing Girl"
1970	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"
1972	Ghost Story (Circle of Fear)	Judy	TV series Season 1, episode 8: "House of Evil"
1972	The Paul Lynde Show	Maggie	TV series Season 1, episode 5: "To Commune or Not to Commune"
1972	My Sister Hank	Henrietta 'Hank' Bennett	TV movie
1972	The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan	Anne Chan (voice)	TV series
1972	Ironside	Pip Morrison	TV series Season 5, episode 20: "Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Murder"
1973	Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice	Elizabeth Henderson	TV series
1973	Rookie of the Year	Sharon Lee	TV movie
1973	Alexander	Sue	TV movie
1973	The Partridge Family	Julie	TV series Season 3, episode 18: "The Eleven Year Itch"
1973	Love Story	Ellie Madison	TV series Season 1, episode 10: "The Youngest Lovers"
1973	Kung Fu	Alethea Patricia Ingram	TV series Season 1, episode 10: "Alethea"
1973	The New Perry Mason	Hildy Haynes	TV series Season 1, episode 6: "The Case of the Deadly Deeds"
1973	The Addams Family	Pugsley Addams (voice)	TV series
1974	Smile, Jenny, You're Dead (the pilot film for Harry O)	Liberty Cole	TV movie
1974	Paper Moon	Addie Loggins	TV series
1975	Medical Center	Ivy	TV series Season 6, episode 17: "The Captives"
1975	The Secret Life of T. K. Dearing	T.K. Dearing	TV movie
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 appearance in episode 8
2009	The Simpsons	Maggie Simpson (voice)	TV series Episode: "Four Great Women and a Manicure"
2014	Makers: Women Who Make America	Narrator	TV series Episode: "Women in Space"
2024	True Detective	Liz Danvers	Season 4 Also executive producer

Filmmaker credits

See also

• List of awards and nominations received by Jodie Foster

References

External links

• Jodie Foster at IMDb
• Jodie Foster at AllMovie
• 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