Alicia Christian Foster was born on Nov. 19, 1962. Her parents divorced before her birth, and she grew up under her mother's care. Executives from Coppertone suntan lotion hired her for their ads after spotting the 3-year-old waiting for her brother at an audition. By age 8, she had appeared in some 40 television commercials for various products. She landed a role in an episode of Mayberry, R.F.D., in 1969 and had guest roles on many popular television series of the early 1970s. Two shows on which she was a regular cast member, Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice (1973) and Paper Moon (1974), both quickly folded. She also appeared in the after-school specials ‘Rookie of the Year' (1973) and ‘The Secret Life of T.K. Dearing' (1975).

Foster made her feature film debut in ‘Napoleon and Samantha' (1972) and went on to do many other Disney movies, including ‘One Little Indian' (1973), ‘Freaky Friday' (1977), and ‘Candleshoe' (1977). Her other early films included ‘Tom Sawyer' (1973), ‘Bugsy Malone' (1976), and ‘The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane' (1977). Impressed with her work in ‘Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore' (1975), director Martin Scorsese cast Foster in another of his films, ‘Taxi Driver' (1976). For her role as a young prostitute, Foster received an Academy award nomination as best supporting actress and numerous other honors.

Although she made ‘Foxes' (1980), ‘Carny' (1980), ‘The Hotel New Hampshire' (1984), and a few other movies in the early 1980s, Foster devoted most of that period to being a student. After graduating as valedictorian from the Lycée Français in Los Angeles, Calif., in 1980, she attended Yale University and earned a bachelor's degree in literature in 1985. Her attempt to keep a low profile at Yale was shattered by the media when deranged fan John Hinckley, Jr., tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981 in an effort to impress her.

For her portrayal of a rape victim seeking justice in ‘The Accused' (1988), Foster earned her first Academy award as best actress. Her second came for her role as a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent who interviews a cannibalistic serial killer in order to help catch another murderer, in the Oscar-winning film ‘The Silence of the Lambs' (1991). Foster also received a nomination for ‘Nell' (1994).

Foster's other movie credits included ‘Siesta' (1987), ‘Sommersby' (1993), ‘Maverick' (1994), and ‘Contact' (1997). She made her debut as a director with ‘Little Man Tate' (1991) and followed with ‘Home for the Holidays' (1995). She also produced several films and had her own company, Egg Pictures.