"Normal is not something to aspire to, it's something to get away from. "

Jodie Foster is an actress, producer, and director best known for her role as Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs film adaptation.

Born Alicia Christian Foster, Foster grew up in exclusive California prep schools before attending Yale University where she earned a degree in English Literature and graduated magna cum laude.

Foster's acting career began in 1968 in a television role for Mayberry R.F.D. She also acted in several television commercials as the Coppertone Girl. Her first film appearance was in 1970 in Menace on the Mountain. By the age of 14, Foster received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Taxi Driver. Foster's child stardom led into her adult life. She appeared in The Accused, The Silence of the Lambs, two films which earned her Academy Awards as Best Actress. She has also worked in the French film industry because of her fluency in French.

Foster directed Little Man Tate in 1991 and Home for the Holidays in 1995. She began working as a producer in 1994 with the film Nell, which she also starred in. More recent appearance of Foster include Panic Room and Flightplan where she plays an enduring single mother.

Inside Man, a film co-starring Denzel Washington was released in March, 2006. She has said that she enjoys appearances in films that "have a real heart to them."

Foster maintains a private personal life. She has two sons, Charles (1998) and Christopher (2001), but has not released the father's identity to the media. She lived with producer Cydney Bernard for several years.