Norman Jewison, ‘Moonstruck' and ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ director dead at 97

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Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines January 22

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Acclaimed filmmaker Norman Jewison has died at age 97.

Jewison, who earned a total of seven Oscar nominations throughout his career and took home the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1999, died "peacefully" on Saturday, according to his publicist, Jeff Sanderson. No cause of death was provided.

The Canadian-born director was best known for directing classic films like "In the Heat of the Night," starring Sidney Poitier, "Fiddler on the Roof," starring Topol, and "Moonstruck," starring Cher. 

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Cher praised her "Moonstruck" director, thanking him for helping her earn the best actress Oscar for the film.

Cher praised Jewison on her social media, writing, "Thank you for one of the greatest, happiest, most fun experiences of my life." (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

"Farewell Sweet Prince, Thank U For One Of The Greatest,Happiest,Most Fun Experiences Of My Life. Without U,I Would Not Have My Beautiful Golden Man," she wrote. 

"Norman U Made Moonstruck The GREAT FILM Ppl, Script ,Actors, Etc, NEEDED U DEAR. NORMAN JEWISON LIVES ON THROUGH HIS WORK," she added.

Cher's "Moonstruck" co-star Nicolas Cage also expressed his sadness for Jewison's passing.

"I am very saddened to hear of the passing of Norman Jewison, the sculptor of so many wonderful stories and performances. There was no one better for a young actor to have collaborated with, and I was fortunate to have benefited from his knowledge and guidance," Cage said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Sonny Bono, Cher, Norman Jewison, and Nicolas Cage posing together at the "Moonstruck" premiere in 1987. (Barry King/WireImage)

In his later career, he worked with Denzel Washington in two films, "A Soldier’s Story," and "The Hurricane," based on the life of wrongly imprisoned boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter.

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Norman Jewison, acclaimed director of films like "In the Heat of the Night," "Fiddler on the Roof," and "Moonstruck," has died at age 97. (John Shearer/WireImage)

"In the Heat of the Night" is one of Jewison's most celebrated films, starring Poitier as a Black detective working with a racist small-town sheriff, played by Rod Stieger, to solve a murder in the American South.

He drew on his experiences hitchhiking through the Jim Crow South after World War II, and in his autobiography, "This Terrible Business Has Been Good to Me," he wrote about racism and injustice being a recurring theme in his work.

"Every time a film deals with racism, many Americans feel uncomfortable," he wrote. "Yet it has to be confronted. We have to deal with prejudice and injustice or we will never understand what is good and evil, right and wrong; we need to feel how ‘the other’ feels."

The film earned five Oscars, including best picture and best actor for Stieger.

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Jewison and Sidney Poitier at ASCAP's 16th Annual Film and Television Music Awards in 2001.  (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Jewison began his career in his native Canada, working for the CBC. He gained attention from Hollywood, and he earned a reputation as a director of TV musicals, working with stars like Judy Garland, Danny Kaye and Harry Belafonte.

He directed his first feature film, "40 Pounds of Trouble" in 1963, and followed it up with other comedies like "The Thrill of It All" and "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming."

Jewison and his wife Margaret Ann Dixon had three children, sons Kevin and Michael and daughter Jennifer Ann, who became an actress and appeared in the Jewison films "Agnes of God" and "Best Friends." The Jewisons were married 51 years, until her death in 2004. He married Lynne St. David in 2010.

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 Jewison with his second wife Lynne in 2017. (Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)

His last completed film was 2003's "The Statement," starring Michael Caine and Tilda Swinton.

Reflecting on his career in a 2011 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Jewison said, "I never really became as much a part of the establishment as I wanted to be. I wanted to be accepted. I wanted people to say ‘that was a great picture.’" 

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He continued, "I mean I have a big ego like anyone else. I’m no shrinking violet. But I never felt totally accepted — but maybe that’s good."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.