Zel
12-10-01, 01:20 PM
"When Norman Jewison received the Irving Thalberg Award at the 1999 Oscars®, it capped a career that richly deserved the recognition and acclaim that comes with this lifetime achievement award.
Born Norman Frederick Jewison in Toronto on July 21, 1926, he enjoyed a fairly typical upbringing in the staid era of "Toronto the Good." He graduated from the University of Toronto and his first work in show biz was as an actor both on stage and in radio. An early part of his training came during a stint at the British Broadcasting Corporation where he was part of a work/study program. He returned to Canada almost at the very start of television broadcasting where he began to come into his own. Norman Jewison wrote, produced and directed some of the most popular programs, including drama, musicals and variety shows, during television's so-called "Golden Age" at the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).
In 1958 he moved to the United States to direct the popular television music show, Your Hit Parade and from there went to Tonight with Harry Belafonte. Here he made his first contacts with some of the biggest stars of the day including Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland. Just four years after making the move south of the border he was ready to direct his first feature film, Forty Pounds of Trouble starring Tony Curtis and Suzanne Pleshette. This light comedy led to an opportunity to work with Doris Day on two of her films, The Thrill of it All, and Send Me No Flowers. His next project marked a major change in direction, if you'll pardon the pun. Shooting on The Cincinnati Kid had already started under the direction of the legendary Sam Peckinpah, but as often happens in Hollywood, things change and suddenly Norman Jewison was asked to take over the film. The Cincinnati Kid starred Steve McQueen and they would work together just three years later on The Thomas Crown Affair. Between those two films were two others that brought Norman Jewison his first major recognition as a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood.
In 1966 Norman Jewison added the title of Producer to his film credits when he brought to the screen the remarkable Cold War comedy, The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! His first Producer-Director effort won the film an Academy Award® nomination for Best Picture. The very next year he produced and directed one of the most powerful movies ever made.
In The Heat of the Night quite simply, changed everything. It was released at a time when the United States was going through one of its worst eras in a seemingly never-ending spiral of racial hatred - Martin Luther King would be assassinated just one year later. It captured the attention of The United States and the world. It focused, as no other film had to that time, the ongoing struggle between the races for the simple recognition that a black man could be equal to a white man. In this case, Sidney Poitier's character was more than equal to the almost stereotypical red-necked southern sheriff played so masterfully by Rod Steiger. Steiger won Best Actor and the film won Best Picture on its way to winning a total of five Academy Awards that year. Norman Jewison had come a long way in five short years of feature film making.
But he was not going to rest on his newly won laurels. Ahead were such well crafted movies as The Thomas Crown Affair, Fiddler on the Roof, nominated as Best Picture Jesus Christ, Superstar, Agnes of God, and A Soldier's Story, which was nominated for 3 Academy Awards including Best Picture. A few years later, Jewison brought Moonstruck to the screen and it brought another Academy Award nomination as Best Picture while Cher won the Best Actress Oscar, Olympia Dukakis won for Best Supporting Actress and John Patrick Shanley won for Best Screenplay. In late 1999 Jewison's newest picture, The Hurricane, opened to excellent reviews.
Jewison added some important personal awards to his collection. In 1981 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and in 1991 was promoted to a Companion of the Order of Canada which is Canada's highest civilian decoration. A year later he was given the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for lifetime achievement. These awards were, in part, recognition of his efforts at helping the Canadian film industry. After returning to live in Canada in the late-1970's, he was the driving force behind the creation of the Canadian Centre for Advanced Film Studies which is located in Toronto.
Norman Jewison has been blessed with 45 Academy Award nominations and he has walked away with 12 Oscars. The Irving Thalberg Award has been bestowed upon such film making greats as Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock, Ingmar Bergman, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg."
written by Ralph Lucas
Films:
Forty Pounds of Trouble (1962) The Thrill of it All (63) Send Me No Flowers (64) The Art of Love (65) The Cincinnati Kid (65) The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (66) In The Heat of the Night (67) The Thomas Crown Affair (68) Gaily, Gaily (69) Fiddler On The Roof (71) Jesus Christ, Superstar (73) Rollerball (75) F.I.S.T. (78) And Justice for All (79) Best Friends (82) A Soldier's Story (84) Agnes of God (85) Moonstruck (87) The January Man (88) In Country (89) Other People's Money (91) Only You (94) Bogus (96) The Hurricane (99) Walter and Harry (2001)
Born Norman Frederick Jewison in Toronto on July 21, 1926, he enjoyed a fairly typical upbringing in the staid era of "Toronto the Good." He graduated from the University of Toronto and his first work in show biz was as an actor both on stage and in radio. An early part of his training came during a stint at the British Broadcasting Corporation where he was part of a work/study program. He returned to Canada almost at the very start of television broadcasting where he began to come into his own. Norman Jewison wrote, produced and directed some of the most popular programs, including drama, musicals and variety shows, during television's so-called "Golden Age" at the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).
In 1958 he moved to the United States to direct the popular television music show, Your Hit Parade and from there went to Tonight with Harry Belafonte. Here he made his first contacts with some of the biggest stars of the day including Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland. Just four years after making the move south of the border he was ready to direct his first feature film, Forty Pounds of Trouble starring Tony Curtis and Suzanne Pleshette. This light comedy led to an opportunity to work with Doris Day on two of her films, The Thrill of it All, and Send Me No Flowers. His next project marked a major change in direction, if you'll pardon the pun. Shooting on The Cincinnati Kid had already started under the direction of the legendary Sam Peckinpah, but as often happens in Hollywood, things change and suddenly Norman Jewison was asked to take over the film. The Cincinnati Kid starred Steve McQueen and they would work together just three years later on The Thomas Crown Affair. Between those two films were two others that brought Norman Jewison his first major recognition as a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood.
In 1966 Norman Jewison added the title of Producer to his film credits when he brought to the screen the remarkable Cold War comedy, The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! His first Producer-Director effort won the film an Academy Award® nomination for Best Picture. The very next year he produced and directed one of the most powerful movies ever made.
In The Heat of the Night quite simply, changed everything. It was released at a time when the United States was going through one of its worst eras in a seemingly never-ending spiral of racial hatred - Martin Luther King would be assassinated just one year later. It captured the attention of The United States and the world. It focused, as no other film had to that time, the ongoing struggle between the races for the simple recognition that a black man could be equal to a white man. In this case, Sidney Poitier's character was more than equal to the almost stereotypical red-necked southern sheriff played so masterfully by Rod Steiger. Steiger won Best Actor and the film won Best Picture on its way to winning a total of five Academy Awards that year. Norman Jewison had come a long way in five short years of feature film making.
But he was not going to rest on his newly won laurels. Ahead were such well crafted movies as The Thomas Crown Affair, Fiddler on the Roof, nominated as Best Picture Jesus Christ, Superstar, Agnes of God, and A Soldier's Story, which was nominated for 3 Academy Awards including Best Picture. A few years later, Jewison brought Moonstruck to the screen and it brought another Academy Award nomination as Best Picture while Cher won the Best Actress Oscar, Olympia Dukakis won for Best Supporting Actress and John Patrick Shanley won for Best Screenplay. In late 1999 Jewison's newest picture, The Hurricane, opened to excellent reviews.
Jewison added some important personal awards to his collection. In 1981 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and in 1991 was promoted to a Companion of the Order of Canada which is Canada's highest civilian decoration. A year later he was given the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for lifetime achievement. These awards were, in part, recognition of his efforts at helping the Canadian film industry. After returning to live in Canada in the late-1970's, he was the driving force behind the creation of the Canadian Centre for Advanced Film Studies which is located in Toronto.
Norman Jewison has been blessed with 45 Academy Award nominations and he has walked away with 12 Oscars. The Irving Thalberg Award has been bestowed upon such film making greats as Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock, Ingmar Bergman, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg."
written by Ralph Lucas
Films:
Forty Pounds of Trouble (1962) The Thrill of it All (63) Send Me No Flowers (64) The Art of Love (65) The Cincinnati Kid (65) The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (66) In The Heat of the Night (67) The Thomas Crown Affair (68) Gaily, Gaily (69) Fiddler On The Roof (71) Jesus Christ, Superstar (73) Rollerball (75) F.I.S.T. (78) And Justice for All (79) Best Friends (82) A Soldier's Story (84) Agnes of God (85) Moonstruck (87) The January Man (88) In Country (89) Other People's Money (91) Only You (94) Bogus (96) The Hurricane (99) Walter and Harry (2001)