Canadian filmmaker Norman Jewison, who has directed numerous Academy Award-winning films in the United States, such as In the Heat of the Night And Fiddler on the Roofis not anymore.
A publicist for the Toronto-born director confirmed that Mr. Jewison died peacefully at his home on Saturday. He was 97 years old.
Norman Jewison began his career as a young stage actor, but it was his first variety shows on the CBC that helped open the doors to Hollywood for him.
The police drama In the Heat of the Nighta five-time Oscar winner in 1967, was the first in a series of Jewison films that examined the effects of racism in the United States.
He revisited the theme of racial tensions with A Soldier’s Storya three-time Oscar finalist in 1984, then with The Hurricane in 1999, which earned Denzel Washington a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actor.
Norman Jewison also directed films that are now classics of American cinema, such as The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), with the haunting music of Michel Legrand, and the big screen version of musical theater Jesus Christ Superstar (1973). He also directed the thrillers…And Justice for All (1979) and Agnes of God (1985), whose action was transposed to Quebec, but also the romantic drama Moonstruck (1987), starring Oscar winner Cher and Nicolas Cage.
The director, known for his hearty laugh and a certain self-confidence, has always hesitated to choose one of his favorite films, saying that they were all like his children and that all were the result of determination, of the right moment, of good actors and actresses… and luck.
Norman Jewison was also a valued colleague and guide to many film heavyweights, who claimed his directing style could bring out the best in them.
The great actress Olympia Dukakis, for example, called him a “master craftsman” and an “accomplished teacher” when receiving her Golden Globe for his participation in Moonstruck. She also won the Oscar for best supporting actress for this performance directed by Jewison.