Charles Basil Foster (17 January 1923 – 23 April 2017) was an English-born Canadian publicist, newspaper editor, author and songwriter.
There, he met Sidney Olcott, a Canadian-born silent film star who introduced him to numerous other expatriate Canadian actors in Hollywood including Mary Pickford.
After the war, Foster used these contacts to begin a career as a publicist in London and in Hollywood, working for such well-known performers as Marilyn Monroe,[1] Richard Burton, Boris Karloff, Errol Flynn[2] and Benny Hill.
He was also a songwriter, contributing such titles as "Goodnight Till Tomorrow" (as Basil Foster) for Issy Bonn and others.
In his retirement he delved into his remarkable store of memories to publish three books on Canadians in Hollywood: Stardust and Shadows (about the silent film era), and Once Upon a Time in Paradise (about the period from the late 1920s to the 1950s), and most recent book, Donald Brian: the King of Broadway, about the nearly forgotten performer Donald Brian.