Norman Jewison, 'In the Heat of the Night' and 'Moonstruck' director, dead at 97

Norman Jewison, o versatile, acclaimed filmmaker behind movies like Violin on the Roof and At the climax of the evening, died Saturday at his home, his publicist announced Monday. It was 97.

Jewison was a seven-time Academy Award nominee and won the Thalberg Memorial from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1999. He won Best Director and Best Picture for the 1971 musical Violin on the Roof and the 1987 rom-com Moonstruck, starring Cher. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1976 At the HIGHLIGHT of the evening. The latter film was one of numerous films directed by Jewison that focused on race relations, including the 1984 film A soldier's story and of 1999 The hurricane starring Denzel Washington. He also directed films Send me some flowers in 1964, The Cincinnati Kid in 1965 and Jesus Christ Superstar in 1973. Jewison's last film came in 2003 with THE STATEMENTstarring Michael Caine.

Jewison was born in Toronto on July 21, 1927. He was educated at Malvern Collegiate Institute and Victoria College at the University of Toronto. He first worked as a writer for children's shows at the BBC before directing television programs such as The Big Review, Wayne and Shuster and Viewing time.

He released an autobiography titled This terrible business has done me good in 2004 and later received the Directors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.

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