By Douglas Fehlen
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A-List Talent
From her role as FBI cadet Clarice Sterling in The Silence of the Lambs to her portrayal of rape survivor Sarah Tobias in The Accused, Jodie Foster has a reputation for performing in challenging roles. The Hollywood actor, cast perfectly in multiple psychological dramas, can lay claim to a film career that has been an unqualified success.
Getting an early start in the entertainment industry, Foster acted in dozens of television and film productions by the time she was an adult. While some child actors have a difficult time transitioning to adult roles, Foster flourished, often performing as a powerful solitary female. She won two Oscars, for her performances in The Silence of the Lambs and The Accused, by age 28.
Foster hasn't limited herself to acting in dramas or any specific genre of film, however. For instance, she had a starring role in the sci-fi picture Contact - a role that ultimately resulted in an asteroid being named after her. Fluent in French, Foster has also performed in roles for productions from France. She has even directed features and operated a production company.
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Academic All Star
While film buffs are no doubt are familiar with much of Jodie Foster's work, far fewer cineastes know about the actor's impressive academic history. Valedictorian at her high school, Foster carried on her passion for learning at Yale University, where she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in literature. Even as the actor completed her degree, she filmed more than five movies.
Foster has cited the importance of her education in her film career. Studying literature, she suggests, has informed the way she interprets roles. 'I am not moved by visuals but by words. I am really inspired by fiction and words and the way they come across.' Of her experience at Yale, she also suggested that an environment of 'interesting and thoughtful peers' helped to influence her artistic development.
In addition to being fluent in French, Foster has also studied German and Italian. Her love of letters and the role literature plays in her work were acknowledged by her alma mater when Yale asked her to be the Class Day speaker and conferred upon her an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts in 1994.
Learn about director Mira Nair, one of many important figures in film to have attended Yale rival Harvard.
