Norman Foster photo

Norman Foster

Directing
1903-12-13
Richmond, Indiana, USA
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 46 titles
Cannon (1971) subtitle poster
Cannon
1971 TV
Subtitles
Espionage (1963) subtitle poster
Espionage
1963 TV
Subtitles
The Other Side of the Wind (2018) subtitle poster
The Other Side of the Wind
2018 Movie
as Billy Boyle
Subtitles
Under Eighteen (1932) subtitle poster
Under Eighteen
1932 Movie
as Alf
Subtitles
They'll Love Me When I'm Dead (2018) subtitle poster
They'll Love Me When I'm Dead
2018 Movie
as Self (archive footage)
Subtitles
Play It as It Lays (1972) subtitle poster
Play It as It Lays
1972 Movie
as Abortionist
Subtitles
Skyscraper Souls (1932) subtitle poster
Skyscraper Souls
1932 Movie
as Tom Shepherd
Subtitles
Fatal Lady (1936) subtitle poster
Fatal Lady
1936 Movie
as Phillip Roberts
Subtitles
Play Girl (1932) subtitle poster
Play Girl
1932 Movie
as Wallace 'Wally' Dennis
Subtitles
Prosperity (1932) subtitle poster
Prosperity
1932 Movie
as John Warren
Subtitles
Pilgrimage (1933) subtitle poster
Pilgrimage
1933 Movie
as Jim 'Jimmy' Jessop (Hannah's son)
Subtitles
Professional Sweetheart (1933) subtitle poster
Professional Sweetheart
1933 Movie
as Jim
Subtitles
The Bishop Misbehaves (1935) subtitle poster
The Bishop Misbehaves
1935 Movie
as Donald Meadows
Subtitles
High Tension (1936) subtitle poster
High Tension
1936 Movie
as Eddie Mitchell
Subtitles
State Fair (1933) subtitle poster
State Fair
1933 Movie
as Wayne Frake
Subtitles
Elinor Norton (1934) subtitle poster
Elinor Norton
1934 Movie
as Bill Foster
Subtitles
Strictly Dynamite (1934) subtitle poster
Strictly Dynamite
1934 Movie
as Fleming
Subtitles
Steady Company (1932) subtitle poster
Steady Company
1932 Movie
as Jim
Subtitles
Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938) subtitle poster
Mysterious Mr. Moto
1938 Movie
as Hoodlum in Tavern
Subtitles
Gentlemen of the Press (1929) subtitle poster
Gentlemen of the Press
1929 Movie
as Ted Hanley
Subtitles
The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood (1932) subtitle poster
The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood
1932 Movie
as Maurice Cohen
Subtitles
No Limit (1931) subtitle poster
No Limit
1931 Movie
as Douglas Thayer
Subtitles
Orient Express (1934) subtitle poster
Orient Express
1934 Movie
as Carlton Myatt
Subtitles
The Leavenworth Case (1936) subtitle poster
The Leavenworth Case
1936 Movie
as Detective Bob Grice
Subtitles
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