50 Facts About John Houseman

1.

John Houseman became known for his highly publicized collaboration with director Orson Welles from their days in the Federal Theatre Project through to the production of Citizen Kane and his collaboration, as producer of The Blue Dahlia, with writer Raymond Chandler on the screenplay.

2.

John Houseman won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Professor Charles W Kingsfield in the 1973 film The Paper Chase.

3.

John Houseman reprised the role of Kingsfield in the 1978 television series adaptation.

4.

John Houseman's mother was British, from a Christian family of Welsh and Irish descent.

5.

John Houseman was educated in England at Clifton College, became a British subject, and worked in the grain trade in London before emigrating to the United States in 1925, where he took the stage name of John Houseman.

6.

John Houseman worked as a speculator in the international grain markets, only turning to the theater following the 1929 stock market crash.

7.

John Houseman later directed The Lady from the Sea, Valley Forge.

8.

In 1934, John Houseman was looking to cast Panic, a play he was producing based on a drama by Archibald MacLeish concerning a Wall Street financier whose world crumbles about him when consumed by the crash of 1929.

9.

John Houseman supervised the direction of Walk Together Chillun in 1936.

10.

John Houseman immediately hired Welles and assigned him to direct Macbeth for the FTP's Negro Theater Unit, a production that became known as the "Voodoo Macbeth", as it was set in the Haitian court of King Henri Christophe and starred Jack Carter in the title role.

11.

John Houseman later produced for the Negro Theatre Unit Turpentine without Welles.

12.

The incident led to John Houseman being fired and Welles's resignation from Project No 891.

13.

An adaptation of Treasure Island was scheduled for the program's first broadcast, for which John Houseman worked feverishly on the script.

14.

John Houseman proclaimed that there wasn't enough money in their business account to pay anyone.

15.

John Houseman later played a pivotal role in ushering Citizen Kane, which starred Welles.

16.

Welles telephoned Houseman asking him to return to Hollywood to "babysit" screenwriter Herman J Mankiewicz while he completed the script, and keep him away from alcohol.

17.

John Houseman took some credit himself for the general shaping of the story line and for editing the script.

18.

John Houseman wanted to be given all the credit because he's a hog.

19.

In 1945 John Houseman signed a contract with Paramount Pictures to produce movies.

20.

John Houseman left Paramount and returned to Broadway to direct Lute Song with Mary Martin.

21.

John Houseman went to RKO where he produced They Live by Night the directorial debut of Nicholas Ray.

22.

John Houseman did The Company She Keeps and On Dangerous Ground.

23.

John Houseman returned to Broadway to produce Joy to the World and King Lear, the latter with Louis Calhern.

24.

John Houseman followed it with the film adaptation of Julius Caesar.

25.

John Houseman moved into television producing, notably doing The Seven Lively Arts and episodes of Playhouse 90.

26.

John Houseman returned to theatre, producing revivals of Measure for Measure and The Duchess of Malfi.

27.

John Houseman's films were All Fall Down, Two Weeks in Another Town and In the Cool of the Day.

28.

John Houseman returned to television where he made The Great Adventure and Journey to America.

29.

John Houseman returned to Hollywood briefly to produce This Property Is Condemned, then returned to TV for Evening Primrose.

30.

John Houseman became the founding director of the Drama Division at The Juilliard School, and held this position from 1968 until 1976.

31.

The first graduating class in 1972 included Kevin Kline and Patti LuPone; subsequent classes under John Houseman's leadership included Christopher Reeve, Mandy Patinkin, and Robin Williams.

32.

John Houseman served as the producing artistic director through 1986, and Harley has been the company's producer since its founding.

33.

John Houseman continued to be involved in theatre, producing The School for Wives, The Three Sisters, The Beggar's Opera, Scapin, Next Time I'll Sing to You, The Robber Bridegroom, Edward II, and The Time of Your Life.

34.

John Houseman directed The Country Girl, Don Juan in Hell, Measure for Measure, and Clarence Darrow.

35.

In 1979, John Houseman earned induction into the American Theater Hall of Fame.

36.

John Houseman first became widely known to the public for his Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning role as Professor Charles Kingsfield in the film The Paper Chase.

37.

John Houseman played Energy Corporation Executive Bartholomew in the film Rollerball, and was in the thrillers Three Days of the Condor and St Ives.

38.

John Houseman appeared on TV in Fear on Trial, The Adams Chronicles, Truman at Potsdam, Hazard's People and Six Characters in Search of an Author.

39.

John Houseman was reunited with The Paper Chase co-star Lindsay Wagner in 1976's "Kill Oscar", a three-part joint episode of the popular science fiction series The Bionic Woman and The Six Million Dollar Man; he played the scientific genius Dr Franklin.

40.

John Houseman continued appearing on TV in Captains and the Kings, The Displaced Person, a version of Our Town, Washington: Behind Closed Doors, The Best of Families, Aspen, The Last Convertible, The French Atlantic Affair and The Associates.

41.

John Houseman briefly returned to producing with the TV movie Gideon's Trumpet, which he appeared in and Choices of the Heart.

42.

John Houseman produced one more show on Broadway, The Curse of an Aching Heart.

43.

John Houseman played Jewish author Aaron Jastrow in the highly acclaimed 1983 miniseries The Winds of War.

44.

John Houseman declined to reprise the role in the sequel War and Remembrance miniseries.

45.

John Houseman had an affair with actress Joan Fontaine after her marriage to actor Brian Aherne ended.

46.

John Houseman played a driving instructor in the former, and himself in the latter.

47.

On October 31,1988, John Houseman died at age 86 of spinal cancer at his home in Malibu, California.

48.

John Houseman was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea.

49.

John Houseman was played by actor Jonathan Rigby in the Doctor Who audio drama Invaders from Mars set around the War of the Worlds broadcast.

50.

Jerry then imitates John Houseman, speaking Alec Berg's name in a non-rhotic, gravelly rasp.