Sep 19, 2016 08:01 AM EDT By Jane Reed, UniversityHerald Reporter

Jodie Foster is a well known American actress. She is also known for being a director and producer in both movies and television. But not a lot of people know that before she became an acclaimed actress, she was able to get a degree from Yale University.

Born in 1962, Jodie Foster started her career when she was just three years old. In 1965, she was a child model. A couple of years later, she acted in a television sitcom titled "Mayberry R.F.D." Later on, she worked in several prime time TV shows, series and movies. But it wasn't until she acted in Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" that she became famous. KR CR Tv notes that she was able to complete her Yale degree before pursuing her acting career.

A quick look at her earlier education showed that Jodie Foster was a bookish kid. She attended a French-language prep school - The Lycee Francais de Los Angeles. Her education here allowed her to act in French movies. When she graduated in 1980, she was the valedictorian of her class. And even though she is already known for several of her teenage films, she still attended Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. She took Literature as her major. After completing her four year course, she graduated with a magna cum laude. After attending college at Yale, she began to struggle transitioning from teenage roles to adult roles.

But she was invited back to her alma mater in 1993. Yale University invited her to address the graduating class. In addition, she was awarded an honorary doctorate degree. Yale awarded her with a Doctor of Fine Arts Degree in 1997 because of her works in the field of acting and performance.

She was described as one of the best actresses of her generation. Want to see more Jodie Foster? Check out her latest movie, "Money Maker."

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