Director Norman Jewison, best known for his films In the Heat of the Night and Jesus Christ Superstar, has died at the age of 97, several American media reported on Monday, January 22.
The Canadian filmmaker died on Saturday, according to the Hollywood Reporter, which cites his agent. During his career, he was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Director.
Dramas, comedies or musicals, Mr. Jewison’s work ventures into many genres. But in the United States, his legacy remains above all that of a filmmaker with an interest in social issues. One of his most famous films, In the Heat of the Night, won five Academy Awards in 1967, including Best Picture. It addresses American racial tensions, through a murder in Mississippi, for which an African-American finds himself accused, played by the legend Sidney Poitier, who is in reality a Philadelphia police officer and finds himself leading the investigation with a white partner.