Norman Foster
Born: 1903-12-13 in Richmond, Indiana, USA
Died: 1976-07-07
Known For: Directing
Biography
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.
Filmography
2018
- The Other Side of the Wind as Billy Boyle
- They'll Love Me When I'm Dead as Self (archive footage)
2005
- The Green Hornet ... (Director)
1993
- It's All True ... (Director)
1990
- Crazy Horse and Custer: The Untold Story ... (Director)
1976
- Woman in the Rain as Assistant Director for HighShine
1974
- Double Solitaire as Ernest Potter
- The Green Hornet ... (Director)
- The Deathhead Virgin ... (Director)
1972
- Play It as It Lays as Abortionist
1971
1968
- The Legend of Custer ... (Director)
1967
- Custer ... (Director)
1966
- Batman ... (Director)
- The Green Hornet ... (Director)
- The Monroes ... (Director)
- Brighty of the Grand Canyon ... (Director)
1965
- Indian Paint ... (Director)
- The Loner ... (Director)
1963
1962
- Von Drake in Spain ... (Director)
- Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates ... (Director)
- The New Loretta Young Show ... (Director)
1961
- The Wonderful World of Disney ... (Director)
1959
- Adventures in Paradise ... (Director)
1958
- Bat Masterson ... (Director)
- The Sign of Zorro ... (Director)
- The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca ... (Director)
1957
- Zorro ... (Director)
- Tombstone Territory ... (Director)
1956
- Davy Crockett and the River Pirates ... (Director)
1955
- Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier ... (Director)
- Davy Crockett Goes to Congress ... (Director)
- Davy Crockett at the Alamo ... (Director)
- Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race ... (Director)
1954
- Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter ... (Director)
- The Disneyland Story
- The Wonderful World of Disney ... (Director)
- Davy Crockett ... (Director)
1953
- Letter to Loretta ... (Director)
- Sombrero ... (Director)
1952
- Cavalcade of America ... (Director)
- Sky Full of Moon ... (Director)
- Navajo ... (Director)
1950
- Woman on the Run ... (Director)
- Father Is a Bachelor ... (Director)
1949
- Tell It to the Judge ... (Director)
- The Bewitched House ... (Original Story)
1948
- Kiss the Blood Off My Hands ... (Director)
- Rachel and the Stranger ... (Director)
- El canto de la sirena ... (Director)
1946
- El ahijado de la muerte ... (Director)
1945
- The Hour of Truth ... (Director)
1944
- La Fuga ... (Director)
1943
- Santa ... (Director)
- Journey into Fear ... (Director)
1941
- Scotland Yard ... (Director)
- Ride, Kelly, Ride ... (Director)
1940
- Viva Cisco Kid ... (Director)
- Charlie Chan in Panama ... (Director)
1939
- Mr. Moto's Last Warning ... (Director)
- Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation ... (Director)
- 20,000 Men a Year ... (Assistant Director)
- Charlie Chan at Treasure Island ... (Director)
- Charlie Chan in Reno ... (Director)
1938
- Mysterious Mr. Moto as Hoodlum in Tavern
- Walking Down Broadway ... (Director)
- Mr. Moto Takes a Chance ... (Director)
1937
- Fair Warning ... (Director)
- Thank You, Mr. Moto ... (Director)
- Think Fast, Mr. Moto ... (Director)
- Sunday Night at the Trocadero as Norman Foster
1936
- High Tension as Eddie Mitchell
- The Leavenworth Case as Detective Bob Grice
- Everybody's Old Man as Ronald Franklin
- Fatal Lady as Phillip Roberts
- I Cover Chinatown as Eddie Barton
1935
- Suicide Squad as Larry Barker
- Ladies Crave Excitement as Don Phelan
- The Hoosier Schoolmaster as Ralph Hartsook
- Behind the Green Lights as Detective Lt. Dave Britten
- Escape from Devil's Island as Andre Dion
- The Bishop Misbehaves as Donald Meadows
- Behind the Evidence as Tony Sheridan
- The Fire-Trap as Bill Farnsworth
1934
- Orient Express as Carlton Myatt
- Elinor Norton as Bill Foster
- Strictly Dynamite as Fleming
1933
- Pilgrimage as Jim 'Jimmy' Jessop (Hannah's son)
- State Fair as Wayne Frake
- Professional Sweetheart as Jim
- Rafter Romance as Jack
- Walls of Gold as Barnes Ritchie
1932
- Skyscraper Souls as Tom Shepherd
- Strange Justice as Wally Baker
- Prosperity as John Warren
- Under Eighteen as Alf
- Girl of the Rio as Johnny Powell
- Steady Company as Jim
- Play Girl as Wallace 'Wally' Dennis
- Alias the Doctor as Stephan Brenner
- The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood as Maurice Cohen
- Week-End Marriage as Ken Hayes
1931
- Confessions of a Co-Ed as Hal Evans
- Reckless Living as Doggie
- Up Pops the Devil as Steve Merrick
- It Pays to Advertise as Rodney Martin
- Men Call It Love as Jack
- No Limit as Douglas Thayer
1930
- Young Man of Manhattan as Toby McLean
1929
- Gentlemen of the Press as Ted Hanley
- Love at First Sight