Jodie Foster – biography, photos, facts, family, kids, affairs, wife, height and weight 2019

Jodie Foster’s biography

Jodie Foster is a blessing to the world film industry. This beautiful actress with a peculiar fate is basically a genius – her IQ is among the highest in Hollywood, and in 1988 an asteroid was named in her honor.

Early life

Her real name is Alicia Christian Foster. She was born in Los Angeles on November 19, 1962. Alicia is the fourth child of Lucius and Evelyn Foster. Her father, ex-military, who decided to take up entrepreneurship, abandoned his family even before their youngest was born. Evelyn was an art expert and film critic. Her profession was not enough to make ends meet for her family, but her connections were the reason why Alicia ended up in the showbiz.

When she was just two years old, the doll-like beautiful girl was already shooting ads for kids’ make-up and clothing brands. When she got older, she started taking part in entertaining shows on TV, and when she was 6 – she played her first role in the series My Three Sons.

Jodie played her first role at the age of 6

In 1972, Alicia appeared in the Disney movie Napoleon and Samantha with Michael Douglas. On set, due to the negligence of the tamer, the lion attacked Alicia. However, everything turned out to be alright, as the bite marks were superficial and healed quickly.

The actress chose her pseudonym to honor Josephine Dominguez, or short Jo Die, who was a friend of her mother’s and had helped her a lot after her husband left.

Little actress on the big screen

In 1974, Jodie appeared in the movie of a barely known director at that time, called Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. His name was Martin Scorsese, and after two years, in his drama Taxi Driver, she played the role of a naïve cynical underage prostitute. Robert De Niro also starred in the movie, and the role of the pimp was played by Harvey Keitel.

Still from the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore

The drama acquired high recognition and made both the director and the actors famous. For her role, the young actress received the BAFTA and other awards, but her popularity had almost cost her life.

The mentally-ill son of the oil right overlord John Hinckley, still amazed by the movie, started stalking the actress. He wrote her letters, poems and asked her to marry him. Her life became a nightmare, which continued for 5 years and ended with his arrest when he attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan. After the search of his home, a note addressed to Jodie was found. In the note, he confessed that he decided to commit this crime to prove his love for the young actress.

The actress had been stalked for 5 years by a mentally-ill fan

During these 5 years of hell, Jodie continued to appear in movies as she always had a security detail on set, and her house was packed with cameras. People were following the story with a manic interest, and some of them even blamed the actress for provoking the situation.

Jodie continued her work. From 1974 to 1979, she appeared in the musical comedy Bugsy Malone, in the family fantasy Freaky Friday and in the horror The Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, the role in the latter earning her a Saturn award.

Still from the movie The Girl Who Lives Down the Lane

In 1980, Jodie enrolled at the prestigious Yale university, which she graduated with a degree in English literature. During her university years, she managed to polish her acting skills and study foreign languages at the same time.

A star against her will

Time passed and people had already forgotten the commotion with the stalker. It seems that they forgot about the youngest actress too. After her graduation, Jodie, during two years, didn’t get any offers. Surprisingly enough, she was quite happy about it, as she dreamed about living a peaceful life and dedicating herself to literature. However, life took a different turn.

At the end of the 80s, the yellow press got a hold of seminude photos of the actress. Their source is unknown, but some people think that her mother and sister, being in dire need of money, sold the photos to the paparazzi, on which the 15-year-old girl posed for her sister, preparing for her role in Taxi Driver. Jodie refrained from commenting.

The 24-year-old girl gave the impression of a prude, not having any boyfriend, not attending any parties and leading a quite secluded life. Some started calling her a lesbian, and one tabloid stooped to the lowest level possible – they published an announcement seeking out the actress’s female lovers, promising a reward in the amount of 100,000 dollars for any information about her intimate life.

The 24-year-old actress led a secluded life

The craze around Jodie’s personal life led to a renewed interest in her acting. In 1987, the actress agreed to play a part in Five Corners. The pay was decent and Jodie liked the plot. On top of that, she co-starred with Tim Robbins, and, as a result, the viewers got another glimpse of the actress’s mesmerizing talent.

In 1987, the actress accepted to play in Five Corners

Jodie’s next appearance was in Siesta, where she co-starred with Ellen Barkin, Gabriel Byrne and British heartbreaker Julian Sands. Isabella Rossellini also starred in the movie.

The year of 1988 was a bumpy one for the actress. She wasn’t eager to accept the offer from director Jonathan Kaplan. The movie The Accused told the story of an abuse survivor, who was trying to get the culprits punished. Jodie, quite familiar with the victim part, accepted the role mostly with the intention of wrestling down her own demons. For her role as Sarah, Jodie got her first Oscar, the Italian Award Donatello and a Golden Globe.

She earned her second Oscar in 1991. The adaptation of the movie about a brilliant maniac, who, the brave FBI intern is trying to use in order to catch another maniac, has been recognized as one of the best thrillers in the history of the film industry. The role of the maniac in The Silence of the Lambs belonged to Anthony Hopkins.

The Silence of the Lambs - Trailer

The detective drama Sommersby, where Jodie co-starred with Richard Gere, was the peak of 1993. Even though the movie didn’t earn any awards, the critics were enchanted by it. The plot and the brilliant acting cast, where Jodie’s talent shone through, turned the movie into a classic American film.

From her works between 1994 - 2000, we can highlight the western Maverick, where she co-starred with Mel Gibson and Alfred Molina, and the fantasy thriller Contact, with Matthew McConaughey and James Woods.

Contact - Trailer

The role of Eleanor in the abovementioned movie is one of her most favorite. The movie preaches kindness and portrays the beauty of the world, free of all material attachment. Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson.

Best roles

With the dawn of the new century, Jodie Foster became more radiant, making her fans happy with new works. From the roles she played between 2002 to 2016, the actress herself highlights the role of Meg Altman in the thriller of 2002 Panic Room. Trying to escape from intruders, her heroine was forced to hide in a secret room, which almost turned into a death trap for her and her daughter. The director was David Fincher, with stars such as Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto and young Kristen Stewart.

The movie Flightplan, where the actress co-starred with Sean Bean and Peter Sarsgaard, was based on the movie of the iconic Hitchcock - The Lady Vanishes, and it was appreciated by the viewers due to its interesting plot twist and Jodie Foster’s brilliant acting.

The role of Erica in the 2007 drama-thriller The Brave One earned her a Golden Globe nomination.

The Brave One - Trailer

At the end of 2013, Jodie appeared in the role of secretary of defense in Elysium, co-starring with Matt Damon and Diego Luna.

Director

Starting 2007, Jodie seldom appeared in any movies; she grew fond of directing at the beginning of the 90s. Her debut as a director took place in the distant 80s. She was one of the co-creators of the fantasy project Tales from the Darkside.

Starting 2007, Jodie acted less and dedicated herself to directing

The first full-length movie directed by Jodie Foster was the touching Little Man Tate (1991). It tells the story of a gifted child; the roles were played by Dianne West and Jodie herself and their performance was highly appreciated by the critics.

Little Man Tate - Trailer

Among her work as a director, the one that stands out the most is the drama The Beaver with Mel Gibson, and the thriller Money Monster with George Clooney and Julia Roberts.

Jodie Foster’s personal life

On the set of Siesta, Jodie had a crush on actor Julian Sands. However, her psychological trauma caused by the harassment of Hinckley, prevented her from pursuing her feelings. No other information is known about her relationships with men.

There’s little to nothing known about her affairs

In 1988, the actress gave birth to her first son, Charles, and in 2001 to her second - Christopher. The biological father of her children still remains a mystery. However, some rumors were leaked into the press which led to believe that the actress reverted to artificial insemination and that she selected the donors according to their IQ.

At the end of 2007, it became known that the rumors about Jodie’s sexual orientation were true. During many years, she had been in a relationship with writer Cydney Bernard. Her next partner was singer Sophie Hawkins.

In 2013, Jodie confessed publicly to being a lesbian, and introduced her partner, Alexandra Hedison, whom she married officially in 2014. The family lives quite secludedly, they rarely give any interviews.

Jodie Foster now

In 2017, Jodie directed an episode in the popular series Black Mirror, and in 2018 she played a role in the thriller Hotel Artemis, together with Jeff Goldblum.

Hotel Artemis - Trailer (2018)