Looking Back At Jodie Foster's Best Roles: 'Taxi Driver' To 'The Brave One'

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Jodie Foster

Born November 19, 1962, American actress Jodie Foster would begin her career at the young age of three as a model before making her TV debut at the age of six! Some of Jodie Foster's earliest roles include TV sitcom Mayberry R.F.D., Disney's Napoleon and Samantha, and Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Jodie Foster's big breakthrough, however, would come in this next Scorsese film...

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'Taxi Driver'

When she was just 13 years old, Jodie Foster landed the biggest role of her career as "Iris", a child prostitute, in Martin Scorsese's 1976 thriller Taxi Driver. The role would be the push the young star needed to begin her rise to fame, and she was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress!

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'Freaky Friday'

Jodie Foster would continue her rise to fame throughout her teenage years, most notably on a number of Disney films like Freaky Friday (1976), Candleshoe (1977), Carny (1980), and Foxes (1980). By the time she was turning 18, Jodie Foster was one of the world's biggest teen idols of the 70s!

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'The Accused'

While she had a successful acting career by the time she finished high school, that didn't stop Jodie from attending university at Yale where she majored in Literature, writing a thesis on Toni Morrison with the help of Henry Louis Gates, Jr.! Jodie would struggle to make the switch to adult roles until she landed the part of a rape survivor in 1988's The Accused.

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'The Silence of the Lambs'

Following her adult breakthrough success with The Accused, Jodie Foster's next film is one of her best-remembered roles. Playing the part of FBI trainee "Clarice Starling" in 1991's classic thriller, Silence of the Lambs, the role is not just a fan favorite but also one of Foster's own personal favorites! Her enthusiasm for the role really showed, and the film was one of the biggest of the year and continues to receive praise today!

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'Nell'

After winning a Golden Globe, Academy Award, and BAFTA for the part of "Clarice", there was no stopping Jodie Foster! The early 1990s not only brought a slew of great films for Foster including Sommersby (1993), Maverick (1994), and Nell (1994), but also marked Foster's debut as a director with 1991's Little Man Tate!

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'Contact'

After taking a brief respite from acting during the mid 1990s, Jodie Foster came back stronger than ever before with 1997's sci-fi drama Contact. Foster's first experience working with a blue screen was a huge commercial success and would earn her a nomination for a Golden Globe.

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'Panic Room'

While Jodie Foster would enter the new millineum with a rocky start after the cancellation of Flora Plum, 2002's Panic Room would get her back on her feet. Originally meant to star Nicole Kidman, Jodie Foster would take over the role of "Meg Altman" after Kidman injured herself. The film was a huge success and has been one of the most successful of Foster's career!

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'Flightplan'

The mid-2000s would see a string of successes for Jodie Foster beginning with 2005's Flightplan. While the thriller received mixed critique, it was a global hit at the box office. Following the story of a woman's daughter who vanishes on a red-eye flight, Flightplan is a true thriller and kept audiences on the edges of their seats!

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'Inside Man'

Jodie Foster would follow the success of Flightplan with yet another thriller, 2006's Inside Man. Teaming up with director Spike Lee, and also starring Denzel Washington and Clive Owen, the heist film was successful both critically and commercially!

Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver was her breakthrough success. Only 14 at the time, the film has since come to mark the beginning of her incredible career. With films like The Silence of the Lambs and Panic Room here are her best roles and Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver!

Jodie Foster Taxi Driver

Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver would come to be when the actress was just 13 years old! Martin Scorsese's 1976 thriller Taxi Driver would become one of the biggest roles of her career.

Playing the part of "Iris", a child prostitute, the role would be the push the young star needed to begin her rise to fame. Foster was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress!