Norman Jewison (1926-2024)

2003 Lifetime Artistic Achievement (Screens and Voices (formerly Broadcasting and Film))

A respected force in the motion picture industry for more than four decades, Norman Jewison has been nominated for four Oscars, while his films have received 46 nominations and 12 Academy Awards. He received the Irving Thalberg Award in 1999 and the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award in the inaugural year of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards for his vision in establishing the Canadian Film Centre.

Born in Toronto, he made his professional debut at five, and studied theatre at Malvern Collegiate Institute and served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War ll.

While driving a cab for a living, Norman found occasional work as an actor on stage and radio which led to training with the BBC and several years at the CBC, writing, directing and producing dramas, musicals and specials.

In 1958 he accepted an invitation from CBS, where he earned three Emmys for his music specials featuring all the leading stars of the time. His film debut as a director came in 1962 with 40 Pounds of Trouble. In 1965 he became an independent filmmaker, dealing a winner with his first effort, The Cincinnati Kid, with Steve McQueen.

His 1966 hit The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming! established him as a star in his own right, quickly followed by the penetrating drama In The Heat of the Night which won the best picture Oscar (and four more) in 1967. Musical hits include Fiddler on the Roof and Jesus Christ Superstar, while his commitment to the examination of social issues was expressed in F.I.S.T., And Justice For All, In Country, A Soldier's Story, and most notably Hurricane in 1999.

Other works include The Thomas Crown Affair, the multiple Oscar-winner Moonstruck, Agnes of God, and Other People's Money.

This past summer he completed the shooting of The Statement, based on Brian Moore's novel and starring Michael Caine, scheduled for release in late 2003.