Jodie Foster

An inimitable leading lady, Jodie Foster began her showbiz career at age 3 by baring her bottom in a Coppertone suntan-lotion ad. Guest spots on myriad TV shows followed before she transitioned to the big screen in the early 1970s. In 1976, the teen actress turned in a pair of antithetical powerhouse performances---a tomboy trapped in her mother's body in the Disney feature Freaky Friday and an Oscar-nominated turn as a hard-bitten 12-year-old hooker in Taxi Driver---thus proving her striking versatility. Foster continued to rack up credits on her résumé before slowing down to attend Yale University in the early 1980s. After college, she swiftly graduated to adult roles and scored Oscars for a pair of poignant portrayals: a rape victim in 1988's The Accused and a rookie FBI agent in 1991's The Silence of the Lambs. She also began producing and directing. As the 1990s wore on, Foster appeared in fewer projects, in part because she was channeling her energy into parenthood. She gave birth to sons in 1998 and 2001 but never disclosed the father's identity. In the 2000s, Foster turned in adrenaline-fueled performances in a handful of thrillers that were box-office hits. Then in 2009, she had a guest role on The Simpsons as the voice of Maggie, joining Elizabeth Taylor and James Earl Jones as the select few to ever voice the notoriously mum tot. Despite keeping a low profile, Foster has remained at the top of the Hollywood A-list. ~ Rovi