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Today, 08 November 2009

› Bok player ratings

Yesterday, 07 November 2009

› Malema’s life in danger

› Leicester sting Bok Bs

› Eskom chair faces the axe

› Nedbank, ANCYL make up

› Hofmeyr addresses Joost

Child prodigy turned superstar, honours graduate, Oscar winner, actress, producer, director - Jodie Foster is one of Hollywood's most accomplished celebrities.

Jodie Foster was born on November 19 1962. Two years later, she appeared in her very first television commercial. By the time she was eight, Foster had featured in 40 commercials and had made a number of appearances on television shows.

Managed by her mother Evelyn, who raised Jodie and her brother Buddy single-handedly, the young actress had her first encounter with the big screen in Disney's "Napoleon And Samantha" (1972). Maverick director Martin Scorsese recognised her talent and cast Foster as Ellen Burstyn's daughter in "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (1974). By the time Scorsese cast Foster in her first Oscar-nominated part as a 12-year-old prostitute in the hard-hitting "Taxi Driver" (1976), she had already portrayed characters in five feature films.

Foster followed up "Taxi Driver" with roles in Alan Parker's "Bugsy Malone" (1976) and Disney's "Freaky Friday" (1976). Although she showcased her versatility, critics felt that she had surpassed such adolescent parts and needed to appear in more meatier fare.

But the teenaged Foster focussed on her schooling at the expense of pursuing roles with greater depth. She attended the Le LycTe Frantais prep school in Los Angeles, graduating as class valedictorian - she delivered her valedictorian speech in flawless French. In 1980, she was accepted into Yale University where she studied Comparative Literature.

In 1981, would-be presidential assassin John Hinckley Jr shot Ronald Reagan, claiming that he did so in an attempt to impress the young "Taxi Driver" star. Any attempts to maintain a low profile during varsity were squashed. Foster was hounded by the media day-in and day-out. She published an essay expounding on the incident in Esquire magazine, titled "Why Me?". Years later, after refusing to discuss the bizarre scenario in any public interviews, she commented: "People go through worse shit. So I've always hated the 'poor me' idea. But it was a hard time. It took me many, many, many years to figure all that out."

Foster graduated from Yale with honours in 1985. She had continued to make films throughout her tertiary education years, but she only achieved both critical and commercial success in the Eighties when she starred in "The Accused" (1988), opposite Kelly McGillis.

Foster's role as a battling rape victim earned the actress her first Best Actress Academy Award. She bagged her second Oscar for her performance as FBI agent Clarice Starling in the multiple award-winning thriller, "The Silence Of The Lambs" (1991). Having truly come of age in front of the camera, Foster continued her process of maturation by making her directorial debut with the enchanting "Little Man Tate" (1991), in which she also starred.

She formed her own production company called "Egg Pictures" and developed vehicles for her to star in and to direct. Egg's first production, "Nell", garnered Foster yet another Academy Award nomination. Although she cornered the market on powerhouse dramatic performances, Foster proved she could do both comedy ("Maverick"-1994) and romance ("Sommersby"-1993) and showed that she was comfortable headlining a big-budget studio picture ("Contact"-1997).

Foster followed up directorial duties on "Little Man Tate" by producing and directing the quaint comedy-drama "Home For The Holidays" (1995). She is next set to direct the upcoming "Flora Plum", starring Claire Danes.

Her commitment to "Flora Plum" has caused Foster to opt out of the much anticipated "Silence Of The Lambs" sequel, titled "Hannibal". She will most likely follow up her turn in "Anna And The King" with the title role in the upcoming "Alias Grace", an adaptation of a Margaret Atwood novel.