See Jodie Foster's then-and-now photos from child star to today as she turns 63

Jodie's parents, Evelyn "Brandy" Foster and Lucius Foster III, split before she was born. The actress was raised by her mom and her mom's partner in Los Angeles alongside her siblings, Lucinda, Connie, and Buddy. Jodie and Buddy were child actors and were the breadwinners for the family during that time. 

In 2015, Jodie opened up to Interview Magazine about her childhood career: "Some people get quick breaks and declare, 'I'll never do commercials! That's so lowbrow!' I want to tell them, 'Well, I'm real glad you've got a pretty face, because I worked for 20 years doing that stuff and I feel it's really invaluable; it really taught me a lot.'"

When Jodie was just 14 when Martin Scorsese cast her in Taxi Driver as a child prostitute. She underwent a psychiatric assessment for the role and was accompanied by a social worker on set. The actress told The New York Times: "[Taxi Driver was] the first time anyone asked me to create a character that wasn't myself. It was the first time I realized that acting wasn't this hobby you just sort of did, but that there was actually some craft."

The actress starred in a legal drama alongside Kelly McGillis. The movie was based on a real criminal case, focusing on the aftermath of a gang rape and its survivor's fight for justice. During her speech, Jodie said: "This is such a big deal and my life is so simple. There are very few things: there's love and work and family. And this movie is so special to us because it was all three of those things. And I'd like to thank all of my families, the tribes that I come from."

The role Jodie is probably best known for is Clarice Starling, the FBI trainee who interviews a jailed serial killer while hunting for another serial killer. She starred alongside Anthony Hopkins and ended up winning her second Academy for her work. In the actor's memoir, We Did OK, Kid, he said that on their last day of filming the thriller movie, the two had lunch together.

"We had a big hug, and we both admitted to feeling a strange sense of distance during the shoot, due no doubt to the power of that script, which had us playing a cat-and-mouse game," Anthony wrote. "Since then, we've always greeted each other with great warmth."

In 1998, Jodie welcomed her first son, Charles Bernard, with her former partner Cydney Bernard. Three years later, she gave birth to her second son, Christopher "Kit" Bernard. Jodie and Cydney split in 2008, but continue to co-parent. When she won a Golden Globe for her role in True Detective, Jodie thanked her children.

"I just want to thank my family," she said. "Because Kit, my scientist son, and Charlie, my actor son who's starting his career, hopefully you understand the joy, such joy, that comes from doing really hard, meaningful, good work. So my boys, I love you, and this, of course, is for you."

The actress met Alexandra Hedison, a photographer, director, and actress, in 2013. A year later, the two quietly married. Jodie and Alexandra keep their relationship private, but in October of this year, Jodie told People: "We do a lot of chatting, but it's usually about laughing about jokes or football or movies and things like that. So no, I think we're both in awe of each other, so I like to hear what she's doing."

Jodie's career continues to grow. She was nominated for her fifth Oscar in 2024 for her role in Nyad, the biographical drama about swimmer Diana Nyad's attempts to swim the Straits of Florida. That same year, she starred in the fourth season of HBO's investigative series, True Detective.