Biography
Norman Foster (born Norman Foster Hoeffer, also credited as John Hoeffer) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. Born in Richmond, Indiana, on 13 December 1903, he began as a stage actor in New York and appeared in films including Rafter Romance (1933) and State Fair (1933) before turning to directing in the late 1930s.
He directed numerous Mr Moto and Charlie Chan mysteries for Twentieth Century-Fox, as well as Journey into Fear (1943), Woman on the Run (1950) and the Davy Crockett segments for Walt Disney that became the features Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1955) and Davy Crockett and the River Pirates (1956). He also directed episodes of the television series Zorro (1957) and Batman (1966). Foster directed the 'My Friend Bonito' segment of Orson Welles's unfinished It's All True project in Mexico in 1941; footage appeared in the 1993 documentary of the same name. He died in Santa Monica, California, on 7 July 1976.
