Norman Jewison

Norman Jewison was a Canadian filmmaker who tackled social and political subjects, frequently making difficult or contentious material understandable to mainstream viewers. Born in Toronto in 1926, he began in Canadian television, working for the CBC during the 1950s before joining NBC in the United States, where a 1961 Judy Garland special helped open the door to features. His first feature came in 1962, the comedy 40 Pounds of Trouble, and The Cincinnati Kid (1965) was his breakthrough. He went on to direct In the Heat of the Night (1967), Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), A Soldier's Story (1984), Moonstruck (1987) and The Hurricane (1999). His three Academy Award nominations for Best Director came for Moonstruck, In the Heat of the Night and Fiddler on the Roof. In 1999, the Academy gave him its Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, and in 1988 he founded the Canadian Film Centre.