American film director Norman Jewison died on Saturday at the age of 97. American media report this. He died at his home in Los Angeles.
Jewison is considered one of the authoritative directors of the sixties, seventies and eighties. He makes well-known films such as racial drama In the heat of the night (1967), the crime film The Thomas Crown affair (1968) and the romantic comedy Moonstruck (1987) with Cher. The Canadian also directed several musical films, such as Fiddler on the roof (1971) and Jesus Christ superstar (1973).
His films received a total of 46 Oscar nominations, twelve of which were cashed in. In the heat of the night , about a detective of color (Sidney Poitier) who is suspected of murder by a racist sheriff (Rod Steiger), won the statuette for best film. Jewison himself was nominated four times, although he never won the award for best director. He did receive the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1999, a prestigious lifetime achievement award from the Academy that presents the Oscars every year.
The last film Jewison made was the drama The statement in 2003, starring Tilda Swinton and Michael Caine. The Canadian then retired.