The best of Jodie Foster

Jodie Foster is back in the spotlight with a terrific turn in the new Netflix biopic Nyad.

The 60 year old is already attracting awards-season buzz for her performance as Bonnie Stoll, the coach and confidante of marathon swimmer Diana Nyad (Annette Bening).

Foster, a child star who became an Oscar winner, has given the world some truly magnificent movie performances since she debuted in Disney’s 1972 adventure film Napoleon And Samantha.

Stuff to Watch has picked out what we believe are six of the best showcases of her acting talent (as well as telling you where you can watch them right now).

The Silence Of The Lambs (1991, Prime Video)

Anthony Hopkins’ theatrics stole the show, but Foster’s Clarice Starling was the heart, soul and audience’s guide in Jonathan Demme’s deliciously taut take on Thomas Harris’ pulp novel.

It was no surprise when those first three all took home Oscars for this thriller, which is filled with stunning twists and turns, memorable dialogue and haunting imagery. “Hopkins’ performance may be the film’s bravura showpiece, but Foster’s goes the whole distance, steadfast, controlled, heartbreakingly insightful, a fine addition to her gallery of characterizations,” wrote the Los Angeles Times’ Sheila Benson.

Taxi Driver (1976, AroVision, iTunes, Academy OnDemand, YouTube)

After an already extensive TV career that included voicing Pugsley Addams, the barely teenaged Foster turned many heads with her powerful and provocative performance as Iris in Martin Scorsese’s tale of one man’s descent into madness.

It was a role that allegedly inspired a man to try to kill the President just to impress her.

“Its brilliant performances and haunting final Bernard Herrmann score assist in making this classic about as perfect as a movie can be,” wrote Austin Chronicle’s Marjorie Baumgarten.

The Accused (1988, iTunes, YouTube)

After a relatively quiet period in the early 1980s, Foster stormed back into the world’s consciousness with this controversial drama about a young woman who suffers a brutal rape in a bar and seeks to not only bring