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Bill Norton

Bill Norton

Director and writer · Born August 13, 1943 (83) · Venice, California

Bill L. Norton is an American film director, writer and producer. Among many projects, he is the writer-director of the cult-classic modern western Cisco Pike.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 13, 1943 (83)
From
Venice, California
Works as
Director and writer
Titles
33 on MovieCove · 54 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 8% in 30 days

What are Bill Norton's films like?

Across their 21 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 52nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 19th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 40th percentile
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
32%
Morality
24%
Self
17%
Survival
13%
Power
9%
Society
3%
Ideas
2%
Family bonds11 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal4 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 21 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 7 · Serious 5 · Dark 9

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 12 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 13 · Intense 6

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 12 · Whiplash 3

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 16 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 12 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 9 · Affecting 8 · Heavy 4

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 17 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
13
Melancholic
8
Thrilling
6
Absurd
6
Joyful
5
Other
17

How their films linger

Fun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet13
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Bill Norton's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 33 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Bill Norton's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

54 credits, 33 with a MovieCove page.

  • Generation Gap(2008)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Lincoln Heights(2006)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • The Unit(2006)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Ghost Whisperer(2005)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows

  • Threshold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Medium(2005)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows

  • Las Vegas(2003)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all shows

  • Hack (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • John Doe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Law & Order: Criminal Intent(2001)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • FreakyLinks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Fugitive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Invisible Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • A Crime of Passion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • Roswell(1999)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Angel(1999)

    Show 6 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Sons of Thunder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Thirst (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director

  • Vengeance Unlimited (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Every Mother's Worst Fear(1998)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Bad to the Bone(1997)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Our Mother's Murder(1997)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • A Deadly Vision(1997)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer(1997)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Vows of Deception(1996)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Them (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director

  • Gone in the Night(1996)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Stolen Innocence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director

  • Deadly Whispers(1995)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Welcome to Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director

  • Hercules in the Underworld(1994)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Hercules and the Amazon Women(1994)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • SeaQuest 2032(1993)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • False Arrest(1991)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Angel of Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director

  • Grand Slam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director

  • Tour of Duty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 10 episodes · Director · Writer

  • Back to the Beach(1987)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Three for the Road(1987)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • The Twilight Zone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend(1985)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Losin' It(1982)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • More American Graffiti(1979)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Convoy(1978)

    Screenplay · Screenstory

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Outlaw Blues(1977)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Messiah of Evil(1974)

    as Townsperson

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Cockfighter(1974)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Gargoyles(1972)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Cisco Pike(1971)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Truly Right (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Director

  • Hotel Indiscreet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Director

  • The Chase(1966)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Coming Soon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Director · Camera Operator · Writer

  • How to Succeed with Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Screenplay

Career shape

A full career of 53 titles from 1964 to 2008.

Biggest box office

Convoy (1978)

$23M worldwide

Highest rated

Cockfighter (1974)

Midcredits 75th

Most popular right now

Convoy (1978)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 53: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting46 of 53: 42 only directing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score52ndWriting9 of 53: 5 only writing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score45thOther crew2 of 53: 1 only other crew, 1 with another role

53 titles, 4 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

1960s5 · crew1970s6 · 1 acting · 5 crew1980s6 · crew1990s23 · crew2000s13 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Bill Norton's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 47th percentile, the median of all 23; across their 21 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 42nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

42ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Approval · how many liked their films

46thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Reach · how many have seen their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Midcredits score across 33 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

16 of their 33 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser14
  • Mixed16

Most divisive · director

Bad to the Bone (1997)

71st percentile spread · 29% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)

Midcredits 93rd · 88% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 61/100 and the pacing 50/100 in their films, across 18 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Bill Norton's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, every category sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Sex & Nudity5 titles31–55 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Bill Norton work with?

People who share at least 2 of Bill Norton's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hibah Schweitzer shares the most, 5.

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers