Norman Foster

Personal Info

Known For Director

Gender Male

Birthday 1903-12-13

Deathday 1976-07-07 (72 years old)

Place of Birth Richmond, Indiana, USA

Also Known As John Hoeffer

Norman Foster

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.

Known For

Director

2005
The Green Hornet

as Director

1993
It's All True

as Director

1974
1974
The Green Hornet

as Director

1968
1967
Custer

as Director

1966
The Monroes

as Director

1966
Batman

as Director

1966
The Green Hornet

as Director

1965
Indian Paint

as Director

1965
The Loner

as Director

1962
Von Drake in Spain

as Director

1959
1958
The Sign of Zorro

as Director

1958
Bat Masterson

as Director

1957
Zorro

as Director

1957
1954
Davy Crockett

as Director

1953
Sombrero

as Director

1953
Letter to Loretta

as Director

1952
Sky Full of Moon

as Director

1952
Navajo

as Director

1952
1950
Woman on the Run

as Director

1950
1949
1948
1948
1946
1945
The Hour of Truth

as Director

1944
La Fuga

as Director

1943
Journey into Fear

as Director

1943
Santa

as Director

1941
Ride, Kelly, Ride

as Director

1941
Scotland Yard

as Director

1940
1940
Viva Cisco Kid

as Director

1939
1939
1939
20,000 Men a Year

as Assistant Director

1938
1938
1938
1937
1937
1937
Fair Warning

as Director

1936
I Cover Chinatown

as Director

Actor

2018
2018
They'll Love Me When I'm Dead

as Self (archive footage)

1974
Double Solitaire

as Ernest Potter

1972
Play It as It Lays

as Abortionist

1971
1938
Mysterious Mr. Moto

as Hoodlum in Tavern

1936
I Cover Chinatown

as Eddie Barton

1936
High Tension

as Eddie Mitchell

1936
Fatal Lady

as Phillip Roberts

1936
The Leavenworth Case

as Detective Bob Grice

1935
Suicide Squad

as Larry Barker

1935
The Fire-Trap

as Bill Farnsworth

1935
1935
The Bishop Misbehaves

as Donald Meadows

1935
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
1934
Orient Express

as Carlton Myatt

1933
Walls of Gold

as Barnes Ritchie

1933
1933
Pilgrimage

as Jim 'Jimmy' Jessop (Hannah's son)

1933
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
1932
Play Girl

as Wallace 'Wally' Dennis

1932
Alias the Doctor

as Stephan Brenner

1932
Girl of the Rio

as Johnny Powell

1932
1931
Reckless Living

as Doggie

1931
1931
Up Pops the Devil

as Steve Merrick

1931
1931
It Pays to Advertise

as Rodney Martin

1931
No Limit

as Douglas Thayer

1930
Young Man of Manhattan

as Toby McLean

1929

Writer

1965
Indian Paint

as Screenplay

1958
The Sign of Zorro

as Screenplay

1957
Zorro

as Writer

1953
Sombrero

as Screenplay

1952
1952
Navajo

as Writer

1950
Woman on the Run

as Screenplay

1949
The Bewitched House

as Original Story

1948
1945
The Hour of Truth

as Screenplay

1939
1939
1938
Mysterious Mr. Moto

as Screenplay

1938
Mr. Moto Takes a Chance

as Original Story

1937
1937
Thank You, Mr. Moto

as Screenplay

1937
Fair Warning

as Screenplay

Producer

1962