Bill L. Norton
Bill L. Norton | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 13, 1943 |
| Occupation(s) | Film and television director, writer, and producer |
| Spouse | |
| Father | William W. Norton |
Bill L. Norton (born August 13, 1943) is an American film and television director, writer, and producer. Among many projects, he is the writer-director of the films Cisco Pike (1971) and More American Graffiti (1979).
Life and career
Norton is most notable as a film director, including his first feature film, Cisco Pike in 1971, which he also wrote.[1][2][3] He worked as a screenwriter in the 1970s and '80s, writing the scripts for Convoy and Outlaw Blues, among other films.[4]
He also has directed many television series, among them Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, John Doe, Hack, Las Vegas, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Lincoln Heights and Roswell.
He was married to costume designer Rosanna Norton.[5] He is the son of screenwriter William W. Norton, who was convicted in 1986 of importing arms to Northern Ireland for the IRA and the INLA.[6]
Sometimes, he is credited as B.W.L. Norton, Bill Norton or William Lloyd Norton.
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | How to Succeed with Girls | No | Yes |
| 1971 | Cisco Pike | Yes | Yes |
| 1977 | Outlaw Blues | No | Yes |
| 1978 | Convoy | No | Yes |
| 1979 | More American Graffiti | Yes | Yes |
| 1982 | Losin' It | No | Yes |
| 1985 | Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend | Yes | No |
| 1987 | Back to the Beach | No | Story |
| Three for the Road | Yes | No |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Girl Happy | Uncredited camera operator |
| 1966 | The Chase | |
| The Fortune Cookie | ||
| 1973 | Messiah of Evil | Actor |
Television
| Title | Year(s) | Episode | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gargoyles | 1972 | — | TV movie |
| The Twilight Zone | 1985-1986 | "Teacher's Aide" | |
| ''Monsters!" | |||
| Tour of Duty | 1987-1989 | ''Pilot'' | Also co-executive producer |
| ''Notes from the Underground'' | Also writer & co-executive producer | ||
| ''Brothers, Fathers, and Sons'' | |||
| ''Battling Baker Brothers'' | |||
| ''Pushin' Too Hard'' | Also co-executive producer | ||
| ''Soldiers'' | |||
| ''Angel of Mercy'' | |||
| ''Saigon: Part 1'' | |||
| ''Saigon: Part 2" | |||
| ''Popular Forces'' | |||
| Grand Slam | 1990 | ''Grand Slam'' | |
| ''Chop Shop'' | |||
| Angel of Death | — | TV movies | |
| False Arrest | 1991 | — | |
| The Boys of Twilight | 1992 | "A Bend in the River" | |
| Crossroads | Unknown episodes | ||
| Seaquest DSV | 1993 | ''Brothers and Sisters'' | |
| ''Give Me Liberte'' | |||
| Hercules: The Legendary | 1994 | ''Hercules and the Amazon Women'' | |
| ''Hercules in the Underworld'' | |||
| The Women of Spring Break | 1995 | — | TV movies |
| Deadly Whispers | — | ||
| Stolen Innocence | — | ||
| Gone in the Night | 1996 | — | |
| Them | — | ||
| Vows of Deception | — | ||
| A Deadly Vision | 1997 | — | |
| Our Mother's Murder | — | ||
| Bad to the Bone | — | ||
| Every Mother's Worst Fear | 1998 | — | |
| Thirst | — | ||
| Vengeance Unlimited | 1998-1999 | ''Justice'' | |
| ''Legalese'' | |||
| Sons of Thunder | 1999 | ''Moment of Truth'' | |
| A Crime of Passion | — | TV movie | |
| Profiler | 2000 | ''Quid Pro Quo'' | |
| ''Pianissimo'' | |||
| The Fugitive | ''Sanctuary'' | ||
| Roswell | 2000-2001 | ''The End of the World'' | |
| ''Control'' | |||
| FreakyLinks | 2001 | ''Subject: Sunrise at Sunset Streams'' | |
| The Invisible Man | ''Going Postal'' | ||
| ''Den of Thieves'' | |||
| ''Flash to Bang'' | |||
| Angel | 2001-2003 | ''Happy Anniversary'' | |
| ''That Vision Thing'' | |||
| ''Provider'' | |||
| ''Supersymmetry'' | |||
| ''Calvary'' | |||
| ''Life of the Party'' | |||
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer | 2002 | ''Two to Go'' | |
| Pasadena | ''Someone to Talk To'' | ||
| Haunted | ''Last Call'' | ||
| John Doe | ''Past Imperfect'' | ||
| Hack | 2003 | ''Sinners and Saints'' | |
| The Guardian | 2004 | ''Amends'' | |
| ''Remember'' | |||
| Medium | 2005 | ''Coded'' | |
| ''A Priest, a Doctor and a Medium Walk Into an Execution Chamber'' | |||
| Threshold | ''Pulse'' | ||
| Ghost Whisperer | ''Hope and Mercy'' | ||
| Law & Order: Criminal Intent | 2005-2006 | ''Ex Stasis'' | |
| ''Slither'' | |||
| ''Country Crossover'' | |||
| The Unit | 2006-2009 | ''Unannounced'' | |
| ''Silver Star'' | |||
| ''Two Coins'' | |||
| ''Inside Out'' | |||
| ''Bad Beat'' | |||
| Heartland | 2007 | ''Picking Up Little Things'' | |
| Lincoln Heights | 2007-2009 | ''Missing'' | |
| ''The Old Man and the G'' | |||
| ''Ode to Joy'' | |||
| ''Persons of Interest'' | |||
| Las Vegas | 2008 | ''Three Weddings and a Funeral: Part 1'' | |
| Generation Gap | — | TV movie |
| Title | Year(s) | Episode | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tour of Duty | 1987-1988 | ''Dislocations'' | Co-executive producer |
| ''War Lover'' | |||
| ''Sitting Ducks'' | |||
| ''Burn Baby, Burn'' | |||
| ''The Good, the Bad, and the Dead'' | |||
| ''Nowhere to Run'' | |||
| ''Roadrunner'' | |||
| ''USO Down'' | |||
| ''Under Siege'' | |||
| ''Gray-Brown Odyssey'' | |||
| ''Blood Brothers'' | |||
| ''The Short Timer'' | |||
| ''Paradise Lost'' | |||
| ''The Hill'' | |||
| Grand Slam | 1990 | ''Who's Crazy?'' | Executive producer |
Video game
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2005, director)
References
- ^ Canby, Vincent (1972-01-15). "' Cisco Pike':Tale of Has-Been Rock Star Opens at Forum". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
- ^ "The Celluloid Time Capsule". Los Angeles Times. 2006-05-28. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
- ^ Horwath, Alexander; Elsaesser, Thomas; King, Noel (2004). The Last Great American Picture Show: New Hollywood Cinema in the 1970s. Amsterdam University Press. ISBN 978-90-5356-631-2.
- ^ Taylor, Tadhg (October 27, 2015). Masters of the Shoot-'Em-Up: Conversations with Directors, Actors and Writers of Vintage Action Movies and Television Shows. McFarland. ISBN 9781476620985 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Rosanna Norton, Oscar-Nominated Costume Designer on 'Tron,' Dies at 80". The Hollywood Reporter. May 9, 2025. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ^ Woo, Elaine (October 10, 2010). "William W. 'Bill' Norton dies at 85; screenwriter became gunrunner". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved September 17, 2017.