Born Jacques Haussmann in Bucharest, Romania. Houseman co-founded the Mercury Theatre with Orson Welles (whom he affectionately called "The Dog-Faced Boy") in 1937 and helped write and produce some of its ground-breaking achievements, notably the stage production of Julius Caesar (1937), the controversial radio production of "War of the Worlds" (1938) and the landmark film CITIZEN KANE (1941). In 1937, as a producer assigned to Unit 891 of the Federal Theater Project funded by the government's Works Progress Aadministration, Houseman produced the legendary production Cradle Will Rock, a musical about the tyranny of capitalism, with music by Marc Blitzstein, creative input from Welles, and starring leftists Howard Da Silva and Will Geer. The production was so controversial, it was banned before its debut, although they did manage to stage one performance. (See The American Century for a thorough examination of the production of Cradle Will Rock.) On Broadway, apart from the Mercury Theatre and the WPA, Houseman directed The Devil and Daniel Webster (1939) and Liberty Jones and produced Native Son (1941). During World War II, Houseman went to work for the Office of War Information and was involved in broadcasting radio propaganda for the Voice of America. After an acrimonious dispute with Welles over the authorship of KANE, Houseman embarked on a fruitful period of film production, collaborating with the likes of Max Ophüls, Vincente Minnelli, Nicholas Ray and John Frankenheimer. Between 1945 and 1962 he produced 18 films for Paramount, Universal and MGM, including SORRY, WRONG NUMBER (1945), THE BLUE DAHLIA (1946), THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (1952), EXECUTIVE SUITE (1954) and LUST FOR LIFE (1956). Houseman helped establish the acting program at New York's famous Julliard School for the Arts, where he influenced a new generation of actors. Ironically, he had appeared in only one major movie, in a supporting role, before being tapped to replace James Mason in THE PAPER CHASE (1973). He won an Oscar® for the role, and began a 15-year career as a highly sought after supporting player, developing a crusty elder statesman persona which he later reprised in several TV commercials. Notable film acting credits include ROLLERBALL and THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (both 1975), THE CHEAP DETECTIVE (1978), OLD BOYFRIENDS (1979), THE FOG, WHOLLY MOSES and MY BODYGUARD (all 1980), GHOST STORY (1981) and BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY, ANOTHER WOMAN and NAKED GUN (all 1988). He also appeared in numerous made-for-TV movies, series and mini-series.  Nominated for Best Picture 1953: JULIUS CAESAR - Producer at MGM.  Supporting Actor 1973: THE PAPER CHASE 2 nominations, 1 Award