John Barry Foster was an English actor who had an extensive career in film, radio, stage and television over almost 50 years. He was best known for portraying the title character in the British crime series Van der Valk (1972–1992) and Bob Rusk in Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy (1972).

Van der Valk is a British television crime drama series produced for the ITV network by Thames Television. It ran from 1972 to 1992, with the first three series produced between 1972 and 1977, and two more being commissioned in 1991 and 1992.