Jodie Foster - From Becky Thatcher to Oscar Winner to Action Star

Jodie Foster - On her performance as the child prostitute in "Taxi Driver."

It's been nearly 40 years since Jodie Foster first graced television screens. Since that time she graduated to Disney films before taking on a seriously adult role when she was just 13. She became the center of attention after the attempted assassination of one of our Presidents and graduated magna cum laude from Yale. Since then she has returned to acting like gangbusters winning two Academy Awards (in four nominations) and becoming a director in her own right. Currently she can be seen in the box office hit The Brave One, playing a victim of an attack by thugs who fights to return to a life of normality.

Foster also has admittedly lucked into some of her most popular roles, roles she was not thought of for. For The Accused, the studio wanted anyone but Foster, believing she was too "plain" but director Jonathan Kaplan lobbied for her. Michelle Pfeiffer was originally offered the role of Clarice Starling for The Silence of the Lambs but turned it down before the offer went to Foster. Meg Ryan had originally signed to do Maverick but had to back out allowing for Foster to step in. The same was true for Panic Room. Nicole Kidman actually shot a few days worth of film and then was injured and had to drop out allowing Foster to take over on a moment's notice. On the flip side Foster accepted a role in the thriller Double Jeopardy but had to drop out when she became pregnant. The film was mildly successful but a critical failure. Foster also turned town the chance to reprise her most famous role of Clarice for the sequel Hannibal. She disapproved of the humorless, violent script and was convinced to pass when Lambs writer Ted Tally and director Jonathan Demme both passed on it. Julianne Moore stepped in and while the film made a bundle, critics lashed out at it.

She is one of the few to be successful at a young age and transition into adult roles smoothly. She is a rare success story. Here is a look at her long career.

Jodie was acting before she could speak. She began doing commercials at the tender age of two and soon evolved into the world of television. If you ever wondered if you may have seen Jodie Foster on an old television show you can wonder no more. The chances are likely you did. Starting in 1969 at the age of five, Foster appeared in such shows as The Doris Day Show, Julia, Nanny And the Professor, Daniel Boone, Mayberry RFD, Adam-12, My Three Sons, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, Gunsmoke, Ironside, The Paul Lynde Show, The Partridge Family, Kung Fu, The New Perry Mason and Medical Center. She also co-starred in two series based on movies, Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice and Paper Moon, in which she played the role made famous in the movie by Tatum O'Neal. Neither series lasted one season.

In 1972 she made her big screen debut came with Walt Disney's Napoleon and Samantha. Her next role was with Raquel Welch in Kansas City Bomber and then back to Disney in 1973 with One Little Indian. Later that year she garnered her first serious attention as Becky Thatcher in a musical adaptation of Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer. She followed that up with a small role in Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.

In 1976 Foster made five films and cemented her career status at the tender age of 14 by doing such diverse roles. First up was the little scene Echoes Of A Summer followed by a co-starring role in the Disney hit Freaky Friday. She next got her first starring role in the little seen thriller The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane. She next co-starred in the critically acclaimed kid's gangster film Bugsy Malone, in which a cast of teenagers play gangsters with machine guns that shoot pies. Lastly the film world stood up and took notice when Foster played Iris, a prostitute who becomes one of Robert DeNiro's obsessions in the classic Taxi Driver. The film was shocking and controversial but is hailed as a classic. Foster raised a lot of eyebrows for taking on the role but Foster's older sister, Connie, stood in when the content called for it and a welfare worker was parked on the set to ensure that Foster was never present when scenes objectionable to children were being filmed. For her role Foster received her first Academy Award nomination and her only one for Best Supporting Actress. The next year she went back to Disney one more time for Candleshoe co-starring Helen Hayes. And then, just as her star was shining brightly, Foster left films for three years to concentrate on graduating high school and preparing for college. In 1980 Foster returned to the big screen twice in the acclaimed but little seen films Foxes and Carny, both in which she played roles closer to her own age that were more mature and adult.

In 1981 Foster became the center of attention when President Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinkley, who claimed he was obsessed with Foster - especially with her role in Taxi Driver. Foster would not publicly speak of the incident for years and attended Yale which helped her get away from all of the attention. She also stayed away from movies doing only one theatrical film (along with a television movie, Svengali) in 6 years. The film, The Hotel New Hampshire based on the novel by John Irving, was considered too quirky and off center to appeal to a mass audience. The film was released slowly around the country and failed miserably. After graduating from Yale, Hollywood opened its arms wide and welcomed Foster back into the fold, something not often done for popular child actors who have grown up. Her first three films, Five Corners, Siesta and Stealing Home were little seen and critically bashed.

In 1988 Foster lobbied for and won the role of a rape victim in Jonathan Kaplan's The Accused, co-starring Kelly McGillis. Foster's gutsy and painfully honest performance earned her a second Academy Award nomination and first for Best Actress. She would win her first award. Her next film, Backtrack, a mystery/thriller directed by Dennis Hopper bypassed theatrical release and went straight to cable and video. Then, in 1991, Foster created the role she is still best known for and won her second Academy Award winner for The Silence of the Lambs. Later that year she made her directorial debut and starred in Little Man Tate and earned strong reviews for a debuting director.

In 1992 Foster made a brief appearance as a prostitute, this time playing it for laughs in Woody Allen's Shadows and Fog. She followed that with the period drama Sommersby with Richard Gere. In 1994 Foster had another box office hit co-starring with Mel Gibson in Maverick. Later that year she won critical acclaim and her fourth Academy Award nomination for Nell, as a woman brought up in the wild and the people trying to domesticate her.

After this Foster began working infrequently as she became a mother of two sons and chose to devote time to the children. Three years after her last film Foster returned with one her best films to date, Contact, based on the novel by Carl Sagan. Two years later she appeared in the critically lambasted and little seen Anna and the King.

Since then Foster's career path has taken an interesting turn as she has chosen to appear in high profile action films and thrillers. In 2002 she starred in the thriller Panic Room and scored a big hit. Three years later she starred in another thriller, Flightplan, and scored another hit despite weak critical response. In 2006 she took a supporting role in Spike Lee's bank heist thriller Inside Man with Denzel Washington and Clive Owen. Once again Foster was in another hit.

And now we come to The Brave One which is getting mixed reviews but opened number one at the box office in its first week. Once again Foster scores in a strong characterization of a woman in peril - this time not only with street thugs but with herself. Once again she has proven to be a certified action star amongst her other qualifications.

Jodie Foster has consistently proven to be one of the best actresses' of her generation and while I would see any performance she gives I would like to see her challenge herself yet again. The time is right. She has appeared in fluff and now it's time to expand those acting chops once more. She may not owe it to her loyal audience but I think she owes it to herself.