Was the original director of Malcolm X (1992), however had to withdraw from the project due to outside pressure demanding that the subject be made by a black film-maker.

He was awarded the O.C. (Officer of the Order of Canada) on December 14, 1981 and the C.C. (Companion of the Order of Canada) on November 1, 1991 for his services to the film industry.

Jewison hitchhiked across the Deep South region of the US at age 18; he was struck by its apartheid-like, strictly enforced racial segregation. He considers The Hurricane (1999) the last in a trilogy of racial injustice movies he`s directed, the first two being In the Heat of the Night (1967) and A Soldier`s Story (1984). Jewison cast a then largely unknown Denzel Washington in "A Soldier`s Story", then coupled him with Rod Steiger in The Hurricane (1999).

Member of the Jury for AFI Motion Pictures Awards 2005

Directed the original versions of both Rollerball (1975) and The Thomas Crown Affair (1999). Both films were later remade by John McTiernan.

Directed 12 different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Alan Arkin, Rod Steiger, Topol, Leonard Frey, Al Pacino, Adolph Caesar, Anne Bancroft, Meg Tilly, Cher, Vincent Gardenia, Olympia Dukakis, and Denzel Washington. Steiger, Dukakis and Cher won Oscars for their performances in the films in which Jewison directed them.

Had his own voice dubbed into Jesus Christ Superstar (1973); he`s the Old Man in "Peter`s Denial."

Father of associate producer and location manager Michael Jewison. Father of camera-operator Kevin Jewison. Father of actress Jennifer Jewison.

Attended same east-end Toronto high school (Malvern Collegiate) as famed concert pianist Glenn Gould.

Spouse: Margaret Ann Dixon (11 July 1953 - 26 November 2004) (her death) 3 children

Born in Canada, lives there today.