Norman Foster
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Norman Foster (December 13, 1903 - July 7, 1976) was an American film director and actor. Born John Hoeffer in Richmond, Indiana, Foster originally became a cub reporter on a local newspaper in Indiana before going to New York in the hopes of getting a better newspaper job but there were no vacancies. He tried a number of theatrical agencies before getting stage work and later appeared on Broadway in the George S. Kaufman / Ring Lardner play June Moon in 1929. He has also acted in London, England. He started working in crowd scenes in films before moving to bigger parts. His film acting credits include Prosperity (1932), Pilgrimage (1933), Rafter Romance (1933) with Ginger Rogers and State Fair (1933). He has written several plays. He gave up acting in the late 1930s to pursue directing, although he occasionally appeared in movies and television programs. Some of Foster's directorial efforts include The Sign of Zorro (1958), and the stylish films noir Kiss the Blood Off My Hands (1948), Woman on the Run (1950) and Journey into Fear (1943). Foster directed Rachel and the Stranger and the Davy Crockett segments of Disneyland that were edited into feature films Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier and Davy Crockett and the River Pirates where he did not accept any interference from Walt Disney. In 1967, he directed Brighty of the Grand Canyon, based on a children's novel by Marguerite Henry about a burro in the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. The film starred Joseph Cotten, Karl Swenson, Dick Foran, and Pat Conway. It was rumored that Orson Welles took over direction of Journey Into Fear, which Welles later denied. Foster was the director of the "My Friend Bonito" segment of Orson Welles' Pan-American anthology film It's All True until RKO aborted the project. Foster directed a number of Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto mysteries, including Charlie Chan in Panama (1940), Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1939), Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation (1939), Charlie Chan in Reno (1939), Mr. Moto's Last Warning (1939), Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938), Mr. Moto Takes a Chance (1938), Thank You, Mr. Moto (1937), and Think Fast, Mr. Moto (1937). Foster was married to Claudette Colbert from 1928 until their divorce in 1935. In 1937, he wed actress Sally Blane, an older sister of Loretta Young. The couple remained married until his death in 1976 from cancer in Santa Monica at the age of 75. They had two children, Robert and Gretchen. He is buried in Culver City's Holy Cross Cemetery. Description above from the Wikipedia article Norman Foster, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Mysterious Mr. Moto
(Hoodlum in Tavern)
State Fair
(Wayne Frake)
Skyscraper Souls
(Tom Shepherd)
Under Eighteen
(Alf)
Behind the Green Lights
(Detective Lt. Dave Britten)
Rafter Romance
(Jack)
Confessions of a Co-Ed
(Hal Evans)
Pilgrimage
(Jim 'Jimmy' Jessop (Hannah's son))
It Pays to Advertise
(Rodney Martin)
Week-End Marriage
(Ken Hayes)
High Tension
(Eddie Mitchell)
The Hoosier Schoolmaster
(Ralph Hartsook)
Suicide Squad
(Larry Barker)
Ladies Crave Excitement
(Don Phelan)
Reckless Living
(Doggie)
Strictly Dynamite
(Fleming)
Young Man of Manhattan
(Toby McLean)
Professional Sweetheart
(Jim Davey)
The Fire-Trap
(Bill Farnsworth)
Girl of the Rio
(Johnny Powell)
Play Girl
(Wallace 'Wally' Dennis)
No Limit
(Douglas Thayer)
Strange Justice
(Wally Baker)
Prosperity
(John Warren)
Alias the Doctor
(Stephan Brenner)
Steady Company
(Jim)
Behind the Evidence
(Tony Sheridan)
I Cover Chinatown
(Eddie Barton)
Fatal Lady
(Phillip Roberts)
Walls of Gold
(Barnes Ritchie)
Double Solitaire
(Ernest Potter)
Up Pops the Devil
(Steve Merrick)
The Leavenworth Case
(Detective Bob Grice)
Orient Express
(Carlton Myatt)
The Bishop Misbehaves
(Donald Meadows)
Men Call It Love
(Jack)
Gentlemen of the Press
(Ted Hanley)
Elinor Norton
(Bill Foster)
The Other Side of the Wind
(Billy Boyle)
They'll Love Me When I'm Dead
(Self (archive footage))
Love at First Sight
Play It as It Lays
(Abortionist)
The Disneyland Story
Escape from Devil's Island
(Andre Dion)
The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood
(Maurice Cohen)
Cannon
Espionage
Journey into Fear
(Director)
El ahijado de la muerte
(Director)
Kiss the Blood Off My Hands
(Director)
Charlie Chan at Treasure Island
(Director)
Charlie Chan in Reno
(Director)
Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier
(Director)
Woman on the Run
(Director)
Woman on the Run
(Screenplay)
Mysterious Mr. Moto
(Director)
Mysterious Mr. Moto
(Screenplay)
Rachel and the Stranger
(Director)
Charlie Chan in Panama
(Director)
The Bewitched House
(Original Story)
Mr. Moto Takes a Chance
(Director)
Mr. Moto Takes a Chance
(Original Story)
Mr. Moto's Last Warning
(Director)
Mr. Moto's Last Warning
(Screenplay)
Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates
(Director)
Davy Crockett and the River Pirates
(Director)
Think Fast, Mr. Moto
(Director)
Think Fast, Mr. Moto
(Writer)
Thank You, Mr. Moto
(Director)
Thank You, Mr. Moto
(Screenplay)
Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation
(Director)
It's All True
(Director)
Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates
(Teleplay)
Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates
(Associate Producer)
El canto de la sirena
(Director)
El canto de la sirena
(Writer)
Sky Full of Moon
(Director)
Sky Full of Moon
(Writer)
Indian Paint
(Director)
Father Is a Bachelor
(Director)
Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter
(Director)
Davy Crockett at the Alamo
(Director)
Viva Cisco Kid
(Director)
The Deathhead Virgin
(Director)
Sombrero
(Director)
Sombrero
(Screenplay)
Tell It to the Judge
(Director)
Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race
(Director)
The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca
(Director)
I Cover Chinatown
(Director)
The Hour of Truth
(Director)
Santa
(Director)
La Fuga
(Director)
Ride, Kelly, Ride
(Director)
Scotland Yard
(Director)
The Green Hornet
(Director)
Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation
(Screenplay)
Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates: Part 2
(Director)
Fair Warning
(Director)
Fair Warning
(Screenplay)
Davy Crockett and the River Pirates
(Writer)
The Sign of Zorro
(Director)
The Sign of Zorro
(Screenplay)
Brighty of the Grand Canyon
(Director)
Brighty of the Grand Canyon
(Writer)
The Legend of Custer
(Director)
Indian Paint
(Screenplay)
Davy Crockett Goes to Congress
(Director)
Navajo
(Director)
Navajo
(Writer)
Walking Down Broadway
(Director)
Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race
(Writer)
20,000 Men a Year
(Assistant Director)
The Green Hornet
(Director)
Von Drake in Spain
(Director)
The Hour of Truth
(Screenplay)
As Aventuras do General Custer
(Director)
The Monroes
(Director)
The New Loretta Young Show
(Director)
The Wonderful World of Disney
(Director)
Batman
(Director)
Adventures in Paradise
(Director)
The Loner
(Director)
Zorro
(Director)
Bat Masterson
(Director)
Tombstone Territory
(Director)
Custer
(Director)
Davy Crockett
(Director)
Cavalcade of America
(Director)
The Wonderful World of Disney
(Director)
Letter to Loretta
(Director)
The Green Hornet
(Director)
Zorro
(Writer)
The Wonderful World of Disney
(Writer)