Norman Foster
94 movies · 16 TV shows
- Known for
- Directing
- Born
- Dec 13, 1903
- Died
- Jul 7, 1976 (age 72)
- Place of birth
- Richmond, Indiana, USA
- Also known as
- John Hoeffer
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.
Read the full biography
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.
Profiles IMDb
Known for
Norman Foster: movies and TV shows
Acting (48)
- 2018 The Other Side of the Wind
as Billy Boyle
- 1976 Woman in the Rain
as Assistant Director for HighShine
- 1974 Double Solitaire
as Ernest Potter
- 1972 Play It as It Lays
as Abortionist
- 1971
- 1938 Mysterious Mr. Moto
as Hoodlum in Tavern
- 1937 Sunday Night at the Trocadero
as Norman Foster
- 1936 I Cover Chinatown
as Eddie Barton
- 1936 High Tension
as Eddie Mitchell
- 1936 Fatal Lady
as Phillip Roberts
- 1936 Everybody's Old Man
as Ronald Franklin
- 1936 The Leavenworth Case
as Detective Bob Grice
- 1935 Suicide Squad
as Larry Barker
- 1935 Super Speed
as Randy Rogers
- 1935 The Fire-Trap
as Bill Farnsworth
- 1935 Escape from Devil's Island
as Andre Dion
- 1935 The Bishop Misbehaves
as Donald Meadows
- 1935 Ladies Crave Excitement
as Don Phelan
- 1935 The Hoosier Schoolmaster
as Ralph Hartsook
- 1935 Behind the Green Lights
as Detective Lt. Dave Britten
- 1935 Behind the Evidence
as Tony Sheridan
- 1934 Elinor Norton
as Bill Foster
- 1934 Strictly Dynamite
as Fleming
- 1934 Orient Express
as Carlton Myatt
- 1933 Walls of Gold
as Barnes Ritchie
- 1933 Rafter Romance
as Jack
- 1933 Pilgrimage
as Jim 'Jimmy' Jessop (Hannah's son)
- 1933 Professional Sweetheart
as Jim
- 1933 State Fair
as Wayne Frake
- 1932 Prosperity
as John Warren
- 1932 Strange Justice
as Wally Baker
- 1932 Skyscraper Souls
as Tom Shepherd
- 1932 Week-End Marriage
as Ken Hayes
- 1932 The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood
as Maurice Cohen
- 1932 Steady Company
as Jim
- 1932 Play Girl
as Wallace 'Wally' Dennis
- 1932 Alias the Doctor
as Stephan Brenner
- 1932 Girl of the Rio
as Johnny Powell
- 1932 Under Eighteen
as Alf
- 1931 Reckless Living
as Doggie
- 1931 Confessions of a Co-Ed
as Hal Evans
- 1931 Up Pops the Devil
as Steve Merrick
- 1931 Men Call It Love
as Jack
- 1931 It Pays to Advertise
as Rodney Martin
- 1931 No Limit
as Douglas Thayer
- 1930 Young Man of Manhattan
as Toby McLean
- 1929
- 1929 Gentlemen of the Press
as Ted Hanley
Behind the camera (64)
- 2005 The Green Hornet
Director
- 1993 It's All True
Director
- 1990
- 1974 The Deathhead Virgin
Director
- 1974 The Green Hornet
Director
- 1968 The Legend of Custer
Director
- 1967
- 1966 Brighty of the Grand Canyon
Director, Writer
- 1966
- 1966
- 1966
- 1965
- 1965 Indian Paint
Director, Screenplay
- 1962
- 1962 Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates
Director, Teleplay, Associate Producer
- 1961
- 1959
- 1958 The Sign of Zorro
Director, Screenplay
- 1958
- 1958 The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca
Director
- 1957
- 1957
- 1956 Davy Crockett and the River Pirates
Director, Writer
- 1955 Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race
Director, Writer
- 1955
- 1955 Davy Crockett at the Alamo
Director
- 1955 Davy Crockett Goes to Congress
Director
- 1954 Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter
Director
- 1954
- 1954
- 1953
- 1953 Sombrero
Director, Screenplay
- 1952 Sky Full of Moon
Director, Writer
- 1952
- 1952 Navajo
Director, Writer
- 1950 Woman on the Run
Director, Screenplay
- 1950 Father Is a Bachelor
Director
- 1949 Tell It to the Judge
Director
- 1949 The Bewitched House
Story
- 1948 Kiss the Blood Off My Hands
Director
- 1948 Rachel and the Stranger
Director
- 1948 El canto de la sirena
Director, Writer
- 1946 El ahijado de la muerte
Director
- 1945 The Hour of Truth
Director, Screenplay
- 1944 La fuga
Director, Adaptation
- 1943 Santa
Director
- 1943 Journey into Fear
Director
- 1943 It's All True
Director
- 1941 Scotland Yard
Director
- 1941 Ride, Kelly, Ride
Director
- 1940 Viva Cisco Kid
Director
- 1940 Charlie Chan in Panama
Director
- 1939 20,000 Men a Year
Assistant Director
- 1939 Charlie Chan at Treasure Island
Director
- 1939 Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation
Director, Screenplay
- 1939 Charlie Chan in Reno
Director
- 1939 Mr. Moto's Last Warning
Director, Screenplay
- 1938 Mysterious Mr. Moto
Director, Screenplay
- 1938 Mr. Moto Takes a Chance
Director, Original Story
- 1938 Walking Down Broadway
Director
- 1937 Thank You, Mr. Moto
Director, Screenplay
- 1937 Think Fast, Mr. Moto
Director, Writer
- 1937 Fair Warning
Director, Screenplay
- 1936 I Cover Chinatown
Director
Talk shows and appearances (3)
- 2018
- 1978 The South Bank Show
1 episode
- 1954