Norman Jewison, ‘Moonstruck’ and ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ director dead at 97

3 minutes, 44 seconds Read

[ad_1]

Acclaimed filmmaker Norman Jewison has died at age 97.

Jewison, who earned a complete of seven Oscar nominations all through his profession and took residence the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1999, died “peacefully” on Saturday, in response to his publicist, Jeff Sanderson. No reason for loss of life was offered.

The Canadian-born director was finest identified for steering traditional movies like “In the Heat of the Night,” starring Sidney Poitier, “Fiddler on the Roof,” starring Topol, and “Moonstruck,” starring Cher. 

In a publish on X (previously Twitter), Cher praised her “Moonstruck” director, thanking him for serving to her earn the finest actress Oscar for the movie.

Norman Jewison and Cher posing together

Cher praised Jewison on her social media, writing, “Thank you for one of the greatest, happiest, most fun experiences of my life.” (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

“Farewell Sweet Prince, Thank U For One Of The Greatest,Happiest,Most Fun Experiences Of My Life. Without U,I Would Not Have My Beautiful Golden Man,” she wrote. 

“Norman U Made Moonstruck The GREAT FILM Ppl, Script ,Actors, Etc, NEEDED U DEAR. NORMAN JEWISON LIVES ON THROUGH HIS WORK,” she added.

Cher’s “Moonstruck” co-star Nicolas Cage additionally expressed his unhappiness for Jewison’s passing.

“I am very saddened to hear of the passing of Norman Jewison, the sculptor of so many wonderful stories and performances. There was no one better for a young actor to have collaborated with, and I was fortunate to have benefited from his knowledge and guidance,” Cage stated in an announcement to Fox News Digital.

Sonny Bono, Cher, Norman Jewison, and Nicolas Cage posing together

Sonny Bono, Cher, Norman Jewison, and Nicolas Cage posing collectively at the “Moonstruck” premiere in 1987. (Barry King/WireImage)

In his later profession, he labored with Denzel Washington in two movies, “A Soldier’s Story,” and “The Hurricane,” primarily based on the lifetime of wrongly imprisoned boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter.

‘THE HONEYMOONERS’ ACTRESS JOYCE RANDOLPH DEAD AT 99

Norman Jewison at podium

Norman Jewison, acclaimed director of movies like “In the Heat of the Night,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” and “Moonstruck,” has died at age 97. (John Shearer/WireImage)

“In the Heat of the Night” is one in every of Jewison’s most celebrated movies, starring Poitier as a Black detective working with a racist small-town sheriff, performed by Rod Stieger, to unravel a homicide in the American South.

He drew on his experiences hitchhiking via the Jim Crow South after World War II, and in his autobiography, “This Terrible Business Has Been Good to Me,” he wrote about racism and injustice being a recurring theme in his work.

“Every time a film deals with racism, many Americans feel uncomfortable,” he wrote. “Yet it has to be confronted. We have to deal with prejudice and injustice or we will never understand what is good and evil, right and wrong; we need to feel how ‘the other’ feels.”

The movie earned 5 Oscars, together with finest image and finest actor for Stieger.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

Norman Jewison and Sidney Poitier posing together

Jewison and Sidney Poitier at ASCAP’s sixteenth Annual Film and Television Music Awards in 2001.  (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Jewison started his profession in his native Canada, working for the CBC. He gained consideration from Hollywood, and he earned a popularity as a director of TV musicals, working with stars like Judy Garland, Danny Kaye and Harry Belafonte.

He directed his first function movie, “40 Pounds of Trouble” in 1963, and adopted it up with different comedies like “The Thrill of It All” and “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming.”

Jewison and his spouse Margaret Ann Dixon had three kids, sons Kevin and Michael and daughter Jennifer Ann, who turned an actress and appeared in the Jewison movies “Agnes of God” and “Best Friends.” The Jewisons had been married 51 years, till her loss of life in 2004. He married Lynne St. David in 2010.

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Lynne Jewison and Norman Jewison posing together

 Jewison along with his second spouse Lynne in 2017. (Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)

His final accomplished movie was 2003’s “The Statement,” starring Michael Caine and Tilda Swinton.

Reflecting on his profession in a 2011 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Jewison stated, “I never really became as much a part of the establishment as I wanted to be. I wanted to be accepted. I wanted people to say ‘that was a great picture.’” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

He continued, “I mean I have a big ego like anyone else. I’m no shrinking violet. But I never felt totally accepted — but maybe that’s good.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[ad_2]

Source hyperlink

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *