---
name: "Norman Jewison"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/norman-jewison"
fi1m_id: "norman-jewison"
imdb_id: "nm0422484"
tmdb_id: 13563
wikidata_id: "Q309214"
roles: ["Director","Producer"]
born: "21 July 1926"
died: "20 January 2024"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 5
average_fi1m_score: 78
average_as: "director"
average_over: 5
updated: "2026-09-20T06:34:26.004519+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Norman Jewison

## Identity

Norman Jewison

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/norman-jewison
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** norman-jewison
- **IMDb ID:** nm0422484
- **TMDB ID:** 13563
- **Wikidata ID:** Q309214
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Jewison, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q309214, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0422484/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/13563

Director and producer. Born 21 July 1926 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Died 20 January 2024.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Producer
- **Born:** 21 July 1926, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- **Died:** 20 January 2024
- **Active:** 1966–1987
- **Also known as:** Norman Frederick Jewison
- **Frequently works with:** [Patrick J. Palmer](https://film.one/person/patrick-j-palmer.md)
- **Berlin International Film Festival:** 1 Berlin prize (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 78, as director, over 5 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1960s 78 (2), 1970s 77 (1), 1980s 80 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 82 to 74 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 3 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 4, Comedy 2, Crime 2, Mystery 2, Romance 2, Thriller 1
- **Screen time:** 10 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $276m across 5 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Jewison, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q309214, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0422484/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/13563

## Streaming the US now

- **Apple TV:** [*Moonstruck*](https://film.one/film/moonstruck.md) (84), [*The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!*](https://film.one/film/the-russians-are-coming-the-russians-are-coming.md) (70)
- **The Roku Channel:** [*In the Heat of the Night*](https://film.one/film/in-the-heat-of-the-night.md) (85)
- **Pluto TV:** [*Fiddler on the Roof*](https://film.one/film/fiddler-on-the-roof.md) (77)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*A Soldier's Story*](https://film.one/film/a-soldiers-story.md) (76)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Norman Jewison

> At his best, Norman Jewison lets characters speak extravagantly without forgetting their everyday lives. We value his warmth and his attention to actors, though he does not always know when to ask a performer for less.

In *Moonstruck* (1987), an ordinary conversation can become an argument about an entire life, with the everyday fuss still going on around it. Norman Jewison lets John Patrick Shanley’s characters speak extravagantly without making the film pompous. We value him for that generosity. He takes desire seriously without insisting that people in love behave sensibly. The foolish behaviour is part of what makes the romance convincing.

His early feature comedies led to the breakthrough of *The Cincinnati Kid* (1965), followed by *In the Heat of the Night* (1967). The split screens of *The Thomas Crown Affair* (1968) show a director prepared to make the cutting noticeable. Then came the musicals *Fiddler on the Roof* (1971) and *Jesus Christ Superstar* (1973), before the later return to romantic comedy with *Moonstruck*. The warmth of that later film should not obscure his willingness to try a different way of putting images together.

But *Moonstruck* gives us a particularly clear view of how well he can manage performers with different instincts. Cher’s steadiness makes Nicolas Cage’s anguish funny before Shanley has supplied a joke. We laughed at the contrast because she gives his agitation something firm to push against. Jewison allows the dialogue to be grand without losing the sense of people dealing with each other at close quarters. His attention to the older lovers also gives the family scenes a life beyond servicing the main romance.

Cage’s Ronny Cammareri also exposes the weakness in this approach. He sometimes pushes the anguish so hard that we start noticing the effort instead of believing the feeling, and Jewison lets him. The performance suits a story about surrendering caution, but there are moments when less insistence would make the desire more persuasive. Cher gives the film the steadiness it needs to accommodate him, which makes casting an important part of Jewison’s achievement here. Start with *Moonstruck* for the family scenes; a little patience with the shouting is required.

## Biography

Norman Jewison was a Canadian film director and producer. Born in Toronto, he began his career in Canadian television before moving to the United States, where he directed his first feature film in 1963.

He directed and produced *Moonstruck* (1987). Among his other films are *In the Heat of the Night* (1967), *The Thomas Crown Affair* (1968), *Fiddler on the Roof* (1971), *Jesus Christ Superstar* (1973), *Rollerball* (1975), *...And Justice for All* (1979) and *The Hurricane* (1999). He founded the Canadian Film Centre in Toronto in 1988.

Jewison received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1999. He died in 2024.

*Sources: hollywoodreporter.com, en.wikipedia.org, thecanadianencyclopedia.ca, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (5)

- *Moonstruck* (1987), Fi1m 84, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/moonstruck.md)
- *A Soldier's Story* (1984), Fi1m 76, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/a-soldiers-story.md)
- *Fiddler on the Roof* (1971), Fi1m 77, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/fiddler-on-the-roof.md)
- *In the Heat of the Night* (1967), Fi1m 85, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/in-the-heat-of-the-night.md)
- *The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!* (1966), Fi1m 70, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-russians-are-coming-the-russians-are-coming.md)

## Complete filmography (55)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Style and Substance: Norman Jewison and Hal Ashby* (2019), Actor
- *The River of My Dreams* (2017), Actor
- *Superstars: The Documentary* (2015), Actor
- *Making of The Russians are Coming* (2015), Actor
- *Private Screenings: Norman Jewison* (2007), as Director
- *The Statement* (2003), Producer, Director
- *Dinner with Friends* (2001), Director, Executive Producer
- *Walter and Henry* (2001), Executive Producer
- *Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light* (2000), Actor
- *Return to the Arena: The Making of 'Rollerball'* (2000), Actor
- *Funny Is Money* (1999), Director
- *The Hurricane* (1999), Producer, Director
- *Bogus* (1996), Producer, Director
- *The Stupids* (1996), as TV Director
- *Picture Windows* (1995), series, Director
- *Picture Windows: Language of the Heart* (1995), Executive Producer
- *Picture Windows: Soir Bleu* (1995), Director, Executive Producer
- *Picture Windows: Armed Response* (1995), Executive Producer
- *Dance Me Outside* (1995), Executive Producer
- *Picture Windows: Song of Songs* (1994), Executive Producer
- *Only You* (1994), Producer, Director
- *Geronimo* (1993), Executive Producer
- *Other People's Money* (1991), Director, Producer
- *Highway 61* (1991), Thanks
- *In Country* (1989), Director, Producer
- *The January Man* (1989), Producer
- *Moonstruck* (1987), Producer, Director — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/moonstruck.md)
- *Agnes of God* (1985), Director, Producer
- *A Soldier's Story* (1984), Director, Producer — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/a-soldiers-story.md)
- *Iceman* (1984), Producer
- *Best Friends* (1982), Director, Producer
- *The Dogs of War* (1980), Executive Producer
- *...And Justice for All* (1979), Director, Producer
- *F.I.S.T.* (1978), Director, Producer, Screenplay
- *Rollerball* (1975), Director, Producer
- *From Rome to Rollerball: The Full Circle* (1975), Actor
- *Billy Two Hats* (1974), Producer
- *Jesus Christ Superstar* (1973), as Man (voice) (uncredited) · Screenplay, Director, Producer
- *Fiddler on the Roof* (1971), Director, Producer — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/fiddler-on-the-roof.md)
- *The Landlord* (1970), as Wedding Guest in Opening Shot (uncredited) · Producer
- *Gaily, Gaily* (1969), Director, Producer
- *The Thomas Crown Affair* (1968), Director, Producer
- *In the Heat of the Night* (1967), Director — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/in-the-heat-of-the-night.md)
- *The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!* (1966), Director, Producer — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/the-russians-are-coming-the-russians-are-coming.md)
- *The Cincinnati Kid* (1965), Director
- *The Art of Love* (1965), Director
- *Send Me No Flowers* (1964), Director
- *The Thrill of It All* (1963), Director
- *40 Pounds of Trouble* (1962), Director
- *The Judy Garland Show* (1962), Producer, Director
- *The Broadway of Lerner and Loewe* (1962), Director
- *The Million Dollar Incident* (1961), Director
- *The Fabulous Fifties* (1960), Director
- *The Big Party* (1959), series, Director
- *Canadian Pacific* (1949), as Joe Podge (uncredited)

## Gallery

- ![A portrait of Norman Jewison taken by Gail Harvey. (2015)](https://film.one/media/person/118918/gallery-280afd8960d9.jpg) A portrait of Norman Jewison taken by Gail Harvey. (2015) — Canadian Film Centre from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/A_portrait_of_Norman_Jewison_taken_by_Gail_Harvey._%2848198901241%29.jpg/1280px-A_portrait_of_Norman_Jewison_taken_by_Gail_Harvey._%2848198901241%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![A portrait of Norman Jewison taken by Gail Harvey.](https://film.one/media/person/118918/gallery-4e2274871f26.jpg) A portrait of Norman Jewison taken by Gail Harvey. — Canadian Film Centre from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/A_portrait_of_Norman_Jewison_taken_by_Gail_Harvey._%2848198901241%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-A_portrait_of_Norman_Jewison_taken_by_Gail_Harvey._%2848198901241%29_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Christina Jennings, Norman Jewison. Photo: Jesse Grant. (2018)](https://film.one/media/person/118918/gallery-8d2cc669a25c.jpg) Christina Jennings, Norman Jewison. Photo: Jesse Grant. (2018) — Canadian Film Centre from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/CFC_in_L.A._2018_%2826086509817%29.jpg/1280px-CFC_in_L.A._2018_%2826086509817%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Template:Roma Khanna, Template:Christina Jennings, Template:Norman Jewison, Template:Slawko Klymkiw, Template:Lynne St. David-Jewison. Photo: Jesse Grant. (2018)](https://film.one/media/person/118918/gallery-588c4ff7c90b.jpg) Template:Roma Khanna, Template:Christina Jennings, Template:Norman Jewison, Template:Slawko Klymkiw, Template:Lynne St. David-Jewison. Photo: Jesse Grant. (2018) — Canadian Film Centre from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/CFC_in_L.A._2018_%2827087668328%29.jpg/1280px-CFC_in_L.A._2018_%2827087668328%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Norman Jewison](https://film.one/media/person/118918/gallery-5517d7197c96.jpg) Norman Jewison — Image via TMDB
- ![Norman Jewison](https://film.one/media/person/118918/gallery-24fe986edc57.jpg) Norman Jewison — Image via TMDB
- ![Norman Jewison](https://film.one/media/person/118918/gallery-8ecf97ecb05d.jpg) Norman Jewison — Image via TMDB
- ![Christina Jennings addresses the crowd. Photo: Jesse Grant. (2018)](https://film.one/media/person/118918/gallery-000cd53ec496.jpg) Christina Jennings addresses the crowd. Photo: Jesse Grant. (2018) — Canadian Film Centre from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/CFC_in_L.A._2018_%2839149262030%29.jpg/1280px-CFC_in_L.A._2018_%2839149262030%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Christina Jennings, Norman Jewison, Lynne St. David-Jewison. Photo: Jesse Grant. (2018)](https://film.one/media/person/118918/gallery-16489254d10d.jpg) Christina Jennings, Norman Jewison, Lynne St. David-Jewison. Photo: Jesse Grant. (2018) — Canadian Film Centre from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/CFC_in_L.A._2018_%2839149265210%29.jpg/1280px-CFC_in_L.A._2018_%2839149265210%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Norman Jewison](https://film.one/media/person/118918/gallery-9f980386dabd.jpg) Norman Jewison — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 7 nominated

- 1988: Best Picture (nominated), for *Moonstruck*
- 1988: Best Director (nominated), for *Moonstruck*
- 1985: Best Picture (nominated), for *A Soldier's Story*
- 1972: Best Director (nominated), for *Fiddler on the Roof*
- 1972: Best Picture (nominated), for *Fiddler on the Roof*
- 1968: Best Director (nominated), for *In the Heat of the Night*
- 1967: Best Picture (nominated), for *The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming*

### Berlin International Film Festival — 1 won

- 1988: Best Director (won), for *Moonstruck*

### Other awards — 3 won

- Governor General's Performing Arts Award 2003: Governor General's Performing Arts Award (won)
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award 1999: Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award (won)
- Canada's Walk of Fame 1998: Canada's Walk of Fame (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/norman-jewison