Norman Jewison

Early life and education

Jewison was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Dorothy Irene (née Weaver) and Percy Joseph Jewison (1890–1974), who managed a convenience store and post office. He attended Kew Beach School and Malvern Collegiate Institute, and while growing up in the 1930s displayed an aptitude for performing and theatre. He was often mistaken for being Jewish due to his surname and direction of Fiddler on the Roof, but Jewison and his family are Protestants (Methodists) of English descent. He served in the Royal Canadian Navy (1944–1945) during World War II, and after being discharged travelled in the American South, where he encountered segregation, an experience that influenced his later work.

Jewison attended Victoria College in the University of Toronto, graduating with a B.A. in 1949. As a student, he was involved in writing, directing, and acting in various theatrical productions, including the All-Varsity Revue in 1949. Following graduation, he moved to London England, where he worked sporadically as a script writer for a children's television program and bit part actor for the BBC, while supporting himself with odd jobs. Out of work in Britain in late 1951, he returned to Canada to become a production trainee at CBLT in Toronto, which was preparing for the launch of CBC Television.

Career

1952–1964: Early work

When CBC Television went on the air in the fall of 1952, Jewison was an assistant director. – who all pursued careers in the entertainment industry. In 1958 Jewison was recruited to work for NBC in New York, where his first assignment was Your Hit Parade, followed by The Andy Williams Show. The success of these shows led to directing specials featuring performers such as Harry Belafonte, Jackie Gleason, and Danny Kaye. The television production that proved pivotal to Jewison's career was the Judy Garland "comeback" special that aired in 1961, which included Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, and led to a weekly show that Jewison was later called in to direct. Visiting the studio during rehearsal for the special, actor Tony Curtis suggested to Jewison that he should direct a feature film.

Jewison's career as a film director began when Tony Curtis' and Janet Leigh's film production company, Curtleigh Productions, hired him to direct the comedy 40 Pounds of Trouble in February 1962. The film was financed and distributed by Universal-International Pictures and was the first motion picture ever filmed at Disneyland. Curtleigh Productions' contract with Jewison had a negotiable option for further films if the initial picture was successful. In early October 1962, Jewison formed his own independent film production company, Simkoe Productions, and signed a two-picture deal with Curtis' new film production company, Curtis Enterprises, as well as an additional two-picture deal with Universal-International Pictures. Although the two pictures for Curtis Enterprises were not made, both films for Universal-International Pictures were. He made two comedies starring Doris Day: The Thrill of It All, released in 1963 and co-starring James Garner, and Send Me No Flowers, released in 1964 and co-starring Rock Hudson. After another comedy, The Art of Love (1965), Jewison was determined to escape from the genre and tackle more demanding projects.

1965–1987: Breakthrough and acclaim

His breakthrough film proved to be The Cincinnati Kid (1965), a drama starring Steve McQueen, and Jewison considered it one of his personal favourites because it was his first challenging drama. This success was followed in 1966 by a satire on Cold War paranoia, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming; it was the first film Jewison also produced, and it was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. He felt that doing "a plea for coexistence, or the absurdity of international conflict was important right at that moment". While reaction to Russians was positive, Jewison was labelled as "a Canadian pinko" by right-wing commentators.

Continuing his string of successes was one of the films that has become closely identified with Jewison as its director, In the Heat of the Night (1967), a crime drama set in a racially divided Southern town and starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger, which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, while Jewison was nominated for Best Director. While he was filming, Robert Kennedy told Jewison that this could be "a very important film. Timing is everything". Kennedy reminded Jewison of that prediction a year and a half later when he presented him with the Critics' Choice Movie Award for best drama.

At Pinewood Studios northwest of London, and on location in Yugoslavia, he worked on the musical Fiddler on the Roof (1971, re-issued 1979), which won three Oscars and was nominated for five others, including Best Picture and Director. During the filming of Fiddler, Jewison was also the subject of the 1971 National Film Board of Canada documentary, Norman Jewison, Filmmaker, directed by Douglas Jackson. Jewison's next project was the musical Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), based on the Broadway musical written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. It was filmed in Israel, where Jewison also produced the western Billy Two Hats (1974), starring Gregory Peck. Superstar, controversial for its treatment of a religious subject, was followed by another movie that sparked critical debate, this time over violence. Rollerball (1975) is set in the near future when corporations rule the world and entertainment is centred around a deadly game. The next film he directed, the labour union drama F.I.S.T. (1978), loosely based on the life of Jimmy Hoffa, also provided some controversy, this time regarding the screenwriting credit. Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas was unhappy to share the screenwriting credit with the film's star Sylvester Stallone, as he felt that Stallone's input had been minor, while Stallone claimed to have basically rewritten the whole script.

In 1978 Jewison returned to Canada, settling in the Caledon area in Ontario and establishing a farm that produced prizewinning cattle, as well as maple syrup. Operating from a base in Toronto, as well as one maintained in California, he directed high-profile actors Al Pacino in ...And Justice for All (1979), and Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn in the romantic comedy Best Friends (1982), and he produced The Dogs of War (1981) and Iceman (1984). During this period Jewison also produced the 53rd Annual Academy Awards (1981), which was slated to air the day President Ronald Reagan was shot and had to be rescheduled. Revisiting the theme of racial tension that had characterised In the Heat of the Night, Jewison's A Soldier's Story (1984), based on a Pulitzer Prize winning play, was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. His next film was also based on a successful play. Agnes of God (1985), set in a Quebec convent, starred Jane Fonda, Meg Tilly, and Anne Bancroft; it received three Academy Award nominations. In 1986, he then discontinued the agreement with film producer Columbia Pictures, citing the behaviour of British filmmaker and head of production David Puttnam. After the falling out with Columbia, his Yorktown Productions company was moved to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for a three-year agreement to direct, produce, and develop pictures from the studio, and gave MGM the right of first refusal on films he wished to make. Jewison's next film proved to be one of the most popular romantic films ever made. Moonstruck (1987), starring Cher, was a box office hit that garnered three Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Cher. Jewison also received his third Best Director nomination.

1988–2001

For the next decade Jewison continued to direct feature films released by major studios: In Country (1989), a drama concerned with Vietnam veterans and the daughter of a war casualty; Other People's Money (1991), a social comedy about greed in the 1980s; Only You (1994), a romantic comedy set in Italy; and Bogus (1996), a fantasy about a young boy and his imaginary friend. He also served as producer for the film January Man (1989), executive producer for the Canadian movie Dance Me Outside, and branched back into television both as director and producer, including the TNT biographical film Geronimo (1993) and the series The Rez (1996–1998).

The Hurricane (1999) was Jewison's third film to explore the effects of racism, telling the story of boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, who had been falsely convicted for a triple murder in New Jersey during the mid-1960s. Denzel Washington won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Carter. In 1999, Jewison's work was recognised by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences when he was given the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for lifetime achievement. Jewison continued directing and producing up until his last film to be released, the 2003 thriller The Statement, based on a novel by Brian Moore starring Michael Caine. That same year his autobiography This Terrible Business Has Been Good to Me was published, expressing the enthusiasm, conviction, and creative passion that sustained his career.

In 1999, he directed the HBO television movie Dinner with Friends starring Andie MacDowell, Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, and Dennis Quaid. The film was based on the play of the same name by Donald Margulies. Jewison was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie.

Describing the key characteristic of the films he made, he once said: "I want people to recognise themselves in the movies I make. I don't enjoy no-brainer action movies."

Canadian Film Centre

Main article: Canadian Film Centre

Jewison's commitment and contribution to film in Canada is evidenced by his creation of the Canadian Centre for Advanced Film Studies in 1986, which opened two years later as an advanced film school on Windfields Estate in Toronto, Ontario. This was subsequently renamed the Canadian Film Centre (CFC).

More than 1,700 alumni and 100 alumni companies have come out of CFC's programs to date, including Shaftesbury Films, Conquering Lion Pictures, CopperHeart Entertainment, Smiley Guy Studios, and Secret Location. The centre has helped incubate and/or develop groundbreaking original content, including hit television series Orphan Black (from creators Graeme Manson and John Fawcett, CFC alumni), the award-winning first feature Closet Monster (from writer/director alumnus Stephen Dunn), and internationally award-winning documentary feature Stories We Tell (from director and CFC alumna Sarah Polley).

Additionally, feature films such as Rhymes for Young Ghouls (director Jeff Barnaby), Cube (director Vincenzo Natali), and Rude (director Clement Virgo) have been developed and produced through CFC Features.

Each year in Los Angeles, Jewison bestowed the CFC Award for Creative Excellence to CFC alumni in recognition of their outstanding work and contributions to the screen-based entertainment industry. Jewison presented the inaugural award to CFC alumna Semi Chellas (Mad Men) in 2014, to Graeme Manson and John Fawcett (Orphan Black) in 2015, and to Don McKellar (The Red Violin, Highway 61) in 2016.

Jewison was the Chair Emeritus of the CFC.

Personal life

In recognition of his contributions to the arts, as well as his sustained support, Jewison was installed as Chancellor of Victoria University in the University of Toronto in 2004; he held the position until October 2010.

In 2010, Blake Goldring donated million (equivalent to $ million in ) to Victoria University at the University of Toronto to establish a specialised first-year liberal arts program in Jewison's name. The program began in September 2011, welcoming fewer than 30 select students into Norman Jewison Stream for Imagination and the Arts. Goldring is a 1981 graduate of the school.

Also in 2010, Jewison married Lynne St. David, whom he had begun dating in 2008. However, Jewison reportedly carried on an affair with St. David while his first wife Dixie was still alive, and Dixie found out but did not have the strength to fight it.

Norman Jewison died in his Malibu home on January 20, 2024, at age 97.

Jewison's $30 million estate was originally to be divided among his three children, however two months before his death the will was changed to give the bulk of his fortune to his second wife St. David. As a result, Jewison's children sued St. David, arguing that Jewison lacked the mental capacity to make financial decisions after suffering strokes in 2010 and that St. David exerted undue influence for her own gain and alleging that she had progressively cut him off from friends and family starting in 2010. The legal disputes were settled through mediation.

Filmography

Film

Producer only

• The Landlord (1970)
• Billy Two Hats (1974)
• The Dogs of War (1980)
• Iceman (1984)
• The January Man (1989)

Executive producer

• Dance Me Outside (1994)

Acting roles

Ref.:

Television

TV specials

TV movies

Ref.:

Achievements and honours

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Norman Jewison

Jewison was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director three times in three separate decades for In the Heat of the Night (1967), Fiddler on the Roof (1971) and Moonstruck (1987). He also won the prestigious Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlin Film Festival and earned Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Directors Guilds of both Canada and America. He also won a BAFTA Award. In 1981, he received the Order of Canada.

References

References

1. "Norman Jewison".
2. (2003). "Norman Jewison biography". Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation.
3. Stevenson, Jane. (May 22, 2025). "Filmmaker Jewison's 'creative space' in Toronto selling for $7.9M". The Toronto Sun.
4. Hershberg, Aaaron. (March 4, 2024). "Surreal Estate: $8.5 million for Norman Jewison’s former office loft". Toronto Life.
5. Post City Staff. (Jan 23, 2024). "Legendary Toronto filmmaker Norman Jewison has died at age 97". Post City Toronto.
6. (June 20, 2021). "Reel Beach: Remembering an 'old man' or five from the Beach on Father's Day".
7. "Norman Jewison Film Reference biography". Film Reference.
8. "NORMAN JEWISON'S America".
9. (October 27, 2004). "This Terrible Business has been Good to Me".
10. "Jewison interview in CBCs "The Hour", May 27, 2009". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
11. (2008). "Norman Jewison Receives the ACE Golden Eddie Award". American Cinema Editors.
12. Smith, Harrison. (January 22, 2024). "Norman Jewison, filmmaker with lens on social issues, dies at 97". The Washington Post.
13. Whitaker, Sheila. (January 23, 2024). "Norman Jewison obituary". The Guardian.
14. Johnson, Brian D.. (January 19, 2004). "Norman Jewison (Profile)". Historica Canada.
15. "boxoffice-february121962".
16. (May 14, 1962). "Valley Times from North Hollywood, California on May 14, 1962 · 6".
17. (March 14, 1962). "Variety 1962-03-14: Vol 226 Iss 3".
18. (1962). "Boxoffice (Oct–Dec 1962)".
19. Eliot, Marc. (2011). "Steve McQueen: A Biography". Crown Archetype.
20. Hannan, Brian. (June 16, 2022). "The Magnificent '60s: The 100 Most Popular Films of a Revolutionary Decade". McFarland.
21. Bierlich, Jenny. Interview with Norman Jewison – {{YouTube. TKsOBW3JZ3o. 58th Annual ACE Eddie Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, February 17, 2008
22. Enright, Michael. (December 30, 2018). "The Sunday Edition – December 30, 2018". CBC.
23. (November 2, 2010). "Norman Jewison". Historica Canada.
24. (August 3, 2010). "National Film Board of Canada archives "Norman Jewison, Filmmaker"". Onf-nfb.gc.ca.
25. "Yahoo! TV Esterhaus biography". Tv.yahoo.com.
26. (25 January 2024). "Iconic filmmaker Norman Jewison, first inductee to Caledon Walk of Fame, dead at 97". London Publishing Corporation.
27. (April 1, 1987). "Columbia Letting Multipic Pacts With Jewinson, Others Expire". [[Variety (magazine).
28. (May 13, 1987). "Jewison To Make Films For MGM After Col Fallout". [[Variety (magazine).
29. (March 14, 1999). "TNT Norman Jewison Profile". Turner Classic Movies.
30. "Special Collections: Norman Jewison". [[University of Toronto]].
31. (January 22, 2024). "Norman Jewison: Renowned Canadian film director dies at 97". BBC News.
32. [http://cfccreates.com/about/ CFC – About]
33. [http://cfccreates.com/ CFC Creates]
34. (December 9, 2019). "Decade in Review: CFC's 10 Biggest Moments of the 2010s". [[Canadian Film Centre]].
35. Pinto, Jordan. (September 3, 2015). "TIFF '15: A peek inside Dunn's Closet Monster".
36. (June 19, 2019). "Taking Canadian Talent to New Levels: Introducing the 2019 Cineplex Film Program Residents". [[Canadian Film Centre]].
37. (November 5, 2008). "Polley documentary to examine memory, storytelling". CBC News.
38. [http://cfccreates.com/productions/ CFC Productions]
39. [http://cfccreates.com/staff_members/19/ CFC Staff Members]
40. [https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/in-brief-norman-jewison-s-wife-dies-louvre-ii-announced-more-1.482639 "IN BRIEF: Norman Jewison's wife dies; Louvre II announced; more"], [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. CBC]], November 30, 2004. [https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/in-brief-norman-jewison-s-wife-dies-louvre-ii-announced-more-1.482639]
41. [https://www.proquest.com/docview/438694865 "Spotlight"]. ''Toronto Star'' – Toronto, Ont. March 4, 2004, Page: A.23
42. (October 14, 2010). "Norman Jewison Stream for imagination and the arts created at Victoria University". University of Toronto.
43. Christie, Brendan. (October 14, 2010). "U of T creates Norman Jewison Stream of social study". Brunico Communications Ltd..
44. "Battle of Wills". Toronto Life.
45. (September 15, 2016). "CFC ANNUAL GARDEN PARTY".
46. (January 22, 2024). "Norman Jewison, our man in Hollywood".
47. "Norman Jewison".
48. (November 4, 2025). "Battle of Wills". Toronto Life.
49. (November 15, 2025). "Director Norman Jewison's wife cut him off from family, coerced him to change $30M will, lawsuits allege". CBC News.
50. "Norman Jewison".
51. "Norman Jewison – Filmography". Turner Classic Movies.
52. "Norman Jewison". American Film Institute.
53. "Norman Jewison". Film Reference Library.
54. (August 19, 2019). "A Brief History of Canadian Sketch Comedy on TV". CBC Television.
55. (October 31, 2001). "Growing up Canadian – caption 14". Canadian Museum of History.
56. "Your Hit Parade". Library of Congress.
57. "The Chevy Showroom Starring Andy Williams". Library of Congress.
58. "The Revlon Revue". Library of Congress.
59. (January 4, 2021). "Karloff and the East: Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern and Oceanian Characters and Subjects in His Screen Career". McFarland.
60. Terrace, Vincent. (June 6, 2013). "Television Specials: 5,336 Entertainment Programs, 1936–2012". McFarland.
61. "The Judy Garland Show – Full Cast & Crew".
62. "Norman Jewison List of Movies and TV Shows".
63. "Cincinnati Kid, The". Golden Globe Awards.
64. (October 4, 2014). "The 39th Academy Awards – 1967". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
65. "20th BAFTA Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
66. "Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, The". Golden Globe Awards.
67. (October 4, 2014). "The 40th Academy Awards – 1968". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
68. "21st BAFTA Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
69. "In the Heat of the Night". Golden Globe Awards.
70. (October 4, 2014). "The 41st Academy Awards – 1969". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
71. "23rd BAFTA Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
72. "Thomas Crown Affair, The". Golden Globe Awards.
73. (October 4, 2014). "The 42nd Academy Awards – 1970". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
74. (October 5, 2014). "The 44th Academy Awards – 1972". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
75. "25th BAFTA Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
76. "Fiddler on the Roof". Golden Globe Awards.
77. (October 4, 2014). "The 46th Academy Awards – 1974". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
78. "27th BAFTA Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
79. "Jesus Christ Superstar". Golden Globe Awards.
80. "29th BAFTA Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
81. (March 2022). "The 52nd Academy Awards – 1980". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
82. "And Justice for All". Golden Globe Awards.
83. (October 5, 2014). "The 55th Academy Awards – 1983". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
84. "Best Friends". Golden Globe Awards.
85. (October 5, 2014). "The 57th Academy Awards – 1985". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
86. "Soldier's Story, A". Golden Globe Awards.
87. (October 4, 2014). "The 58th Academy Awards – 1986". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
88. "Agnes of God". Golden Globe Awards.
89. (December 4, 2015). "The 60th Academy Awards – 1988". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
90. "42nd BAFTA Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
91. "Moonstruck". Golden Globe Awards.
92. "In Country". Golden Globe Awards.
93. (April 22, 2015). "The 72nd Academy Awards – 2000". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
94. "Hurricane, The". Golden Globe Awards.