Norman Jewison was the acclaimed director of “In the Heat of the Night,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” and “The Hurricane,” known for confronting his audiences with racism and other social issues during a career spanning more than 50 years.
- Died: January 20, 2024 (Who else died on January 20?)
- Details of death: Died at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 97.
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Norman Jewison’s legacy
1962’s “Forty Pounds of Trouble,” a comedy starring Tony Curtis (1925–2010) and Suzanne Pleshette (1937–2008), was the first movie that the Canadian-born Jewison directed. His work stayed in a similar, light genre until 1965’s “The Cincinnati Kid,” a Steve McQueen (1930–1980) drama about poker players that was a breakthrough for Jewison’s career. His next film, the 1966 Cold War satire “The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming,” was nominated for four Academy awards, including best picture.
Next, however, Jewison directed one of the movies with which he is most closely associated, “In the Heat of the Night.” A crime drama set in Mississippi starring Sidney Poitier (1927–2022) and Rod Steiger (1925–2002), the film addressed racial tensions that the civil rights movement was addressing in society at the time. “In the Heat of the Night” was named 1967’s best picture, one of five Academy Awards it won.
In the early 1970s, Jewison produced and directed two classic movie musicals: 1971’s “Fiddler on the Roof” and 1973’s “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Among a dozen and a half more movies he produced and directed over the next two decades were dramas such as 1979’s “… And Justice for All,” starring Al Pacino, and 1985’s “Agnes of God,” starring Jane Fonda, as well as the popular 1987 romantic comedy “Moonstruck,” for which Cher won the best actress Oscar.
In 1999, Jewison tackled another tale of racially fueled injustice, directing Denzel Washington in “The Hurricane,” based on the true story of boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter’s (1937–2014) false conviction for murder.
Jewison was nominated for the best director Oscar five times, and three films he produced were nominated for best picture. He was honored with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Academy Award for lifetime achievement in 1999.
Jewison’s advice for directors
“Always remember that it’s a collaboration between yourself, your cinematographer, your editor, your writer, and your cast. Remember the idea of the circle and try to keep that circle together. Always make a film for the right reason, because you have to. Because you believe in it. Always believe in yourself and your own vision. Never let anyone else tell you that a film can’t be done, or that you can’t do it, because it can and you can.” – from a 1999 interview for Venice Magazine
Tributes to Norman Jewison
Full Obituary: The Hollywood Reporter
