Foster to speak in May

By THE CURRENT STAFF

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Two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster will speak to graduates at Penn’s 250th Commencement in May.

Foster has appeared in nearly 40 films in a distinguished career highlighted by her Academy Award-winning roles in “The Accused” and “The Silence of the Lambs.” She also starred in “Taxi Driver” and “Contact” and received an Oscar nomination for her performance in “Nell,” a film that came about only because of Foster’s entrepreneurial spirit: She founded the production company, Egg Pictures, that put the film on the big screen.

Foster has won countless awards for her work and is the first actress to win two Oscars before turning 30.

Said Penn President Amy Gutmann: “Jodie Foster is an eminent Ivy League graduate who has achieved tremendous success and influence in the powerful entertainment industry. She is accomplished in front of the camera and in directing and producing movies.  In addition, she has used her tremendous talents to bring before an international audience such weighty social issues as violence against women, parent-child relationships and the challenges faced by women in traditionally male professions.”
Foster graduated magna cum laude from Yale University in 1985 with a degree in literature, and now she’ll add another Ivy League diploma to her resume: As commencement speaker she will receive an honorary doctor of arts degree from Penn.

For more information about Commencement 2006, which is set for May 15, visit www.upenn.edu/commencement/.