NORMAN JEWISON BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:
Norman Frederick Jewison was born July 21, 1926 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. After graduating from Malvern Collegiate Institute, he briefly served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. Upon his return home he enrolled in the University of Toronto’s Victoria College and earned his bachelor’s degree. He also received an honor award here for writing and directing many of the school’s theatrical productions. After graduation, Jewison moved to London, where he gained valuable experience in the television industry. He returned to Toronto in 1952, and began directing shows for the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Network).
The director helmed a number of comedy-variety shows, musicals, dramas, and TV specials during his six year stint at the television network, like “The Big Revue” (1952) and “The Barris Beat” (1956). American television network CBS took notice of his talent, recruiting him to work in New York in 1958. They hired him to rejuvenate the weekly live music show “Your Hit Parade” during its last season on air in 1959. He was successful in his endeavors, and proceeded to direct several additional television specials, such as “The Secret World of Eddie Hodges” (1960) and “The Broadway of Lerner and Loewe” (1962). Jewison’s most important contribution to television came in 1962: the opportunity to direct the sixty minute TV special “The Judy Garland Show” (1962). The success of the special led to a weekly series titled “The Judy Garland Show” (1963-64), which he was called in to direct.
Jewison made his jump to film directing in 1962 with the comedy “Forty Pounds of Trouble” (1962), an unofficial remake of Shirley Temple’s 1934 movie “Little Miss Marker”. The success of this feature led to a long-term contract with Universal Pictures in Hollywood. The director next released the Doris Day, James Garner vehicle “The Thrill of It All” (1963), one of the studio’s largest hits that year. Another light hearted, Doris Day comedy came next, “Send Me No Flowers” (1964). He worked again with James Garner in a romantic comedy, “The Art of Love” (1965), after which Jewison grew tired of directing the lightweight scripts he was receiving from Universal. Finding a loophole in his contract, he managed to make a switch to MGM, where he turned out the more demanding and substantial drama “The Cincinnati Kid” (1965). The picture, starring Steve McQueen and Edward G. Robinson, is considered one of the best gambling flicks, as well as one of Jewison’s personal favorites.
This success was trailed by the Cold War satire “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming” (1966). It was nominated for four Academy Awards, including one for Best Picture. The director followed with an even more noteworthy feature, the revolutionary race drama “In the Heat of the Night” (1966). Starring the dynamic pairing of Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger, it won five Oscars, including Best Picture, as well as earned a nod for Best Director. Steve McQueen was present in Jewison’s subsequent feature, too, “The Thomas Crown Affair” (1968), an action packed flick that the director called “the only amoral-immoral film I’ve ever done.”
He returned to comedy with the rather unsuccessful period piece “Gaily, Gaily” (1969), only to redeem himself with his next two pictures: the high grossing musical “Fiddler on the Roof” (1971), which earned three Oscar wins and five other nods, and “Jesus Christ Superstar” (1973), another Academy Award nominated musical. The futuristic action piece “Rollerball” (1975) came next, followed by the political drama “F.I.S.T.” (1978). Both features sparked controversy, without scoring high at the box office. Another two flops succeeded the pictures: the Al Pacino legal drama “…And Justice For All” (1979) and Goldie Hawn, Burt Reynolds romantic comedy “Best Friends” (1982).
In 1984 Jewison finally returned to directing lucrative films with the critically acclaimed military flick “A Soldier’s Story”. The movie, adapted from the 1981 Pulitzer prize winning play by Charles Fuller, acquired three Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. His next, “Agnes of God” (1985), helmed three Academy Award nods as well. The romantic comedy starring Cher , “Moonstruck” (1987), also earned a trio of Oscar nominations, but additionally took home three wins. Jewison regressed with “In Country” (1989), a disappointing drama concerning Vietnam veterans. Another failure followed, the Danny DeVito comedy “Other People’s Money” (1991).
After a three year break, the director returned with the lukewarm romantic comedy featuring Marisa Tomei and Robert Downing Jr. “Only You” (1994). He proceeded to direct an episode of “Picture Windows” in 1995, followed by a fantasy about a boy and his imaginary friend, called “Bogus” (1996). Jewison’s next film was the Denzel Washington biopic “The Hurricane” (1999), which depicted the story of a boxer who is unjustly prosecuted for a trio of murders he did not commit. He made a comeback to the small screen with the HBO film “Dinner with Friends” (2001), and then retired from filmmaking after his last picture: the thriller “The Statement” (2003).
Throughout his career, the director has accumulated a multitude of awards from a variety of film festivals and film societies around the world. Jewison has seven Academy Award nominations, as well as an Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, two Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Directors Guild of America, a DGC Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of Canada, two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion picture industry, as well as many others. Additionally, in his home country he is a Companion to the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honor. Jewison furthermore helped establish the Canadian Film Centre (CFC), a place for future Canadian filmmakers to hone their skills.
Norman Jewison has a wife whom he married on July 11, 1953, Margaret Ann Dixon (who died in 2004), and three children. All three children, Jennifer, Kevin, and Michael, are involved in some aspect of the film industry.
Filmography
2003 The Statement
2001 Dinner with Friends
1999 The Hurricane
1999 The 20th Century: Funny Is Money
1996 Bogus
1995 Picture Windows
1994 Only You
1991 Other People's Money
1989 In Country
1987 Moonstruck
1985 Agnes of God
1984 A Soldier's Story
1982 Best Friends
1979 ...And Justice for All
1978 F.I.S.T.
1975 Rollerball
1973 Jesus Christ Superstar
1971 Fiddler on the Roof
1969 Gaily, Gaily
1968 The Thomas Crown Affair
1967 In the Heat of the Night
1966 The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming
1965 The Cincinnati Kid
1965 The Art of Love
1964 Send Me No Flowers
1963 The Thrill of It All
1963 The Judy Garland Show
1962 40 Pounds of Trouble
1962 The Judy Garland Show
1962 The Broadway of Lerner and Loewe
1961 The Million Dollar Incident
1960 Belafonte New York
1960 The Secret World of Eddie Hodges
1960 The Fabulous Fifties
1959 The Revlon Revue
1959 The Big Party
1959 The Chevy Showroom Starring Andy Williams
1959 Your Hit Parade
1958 The Adventures of Chich
1956 The Barris Beat
1954 The Denny Vaughan Show
1954 Wayne and Shuster
1952 The Big Revue
