John Houseman

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John Houseman

John Houseman (born September 22, 1902 in Bucharest , Romania , † October 31, 1988 in Malibu , California , USA ; actually Jacques Haussmann ) was an American-British film and theater actor as well as a film producer , screenwriter and film director .

Life

Jacques Haussmann was born to a French-Jewish father and British mother in Bucharest, but grew up in England , where he attended Clifton College . He first worked at his father's company, which sold grain, and began writing articles for magazines. He also translated both German and French plays into English.

In the early 1930s, Haussmann moved to New York City and began writing and directing plays himself. During this time he changed his French-sounding maiden name to the more Americanized synonym John Houseman . In New York he soon met Orson Welles . The two, who were at times on friendly terms, founded the Mercury Theater in 1937 and produced stage and radio pieces there. One of her best-known pieces in 1938 was War of the Worlds , which caused a mass panic in the United States because of the alien invasion it announced.

A year later, in 1938, Houseman made his debut alongside his friend Orson Welles as a film producer on Too Much Johnson . At the same time he took on a supporting role. In 1941, Houseman served as Welles' personal assistant at Citizen Kane . Shortly after the film premiered, Houseman was promoted to Vice President of David O. Selznick Productions . After the attack on Pearl Harbor and the USA's entry into World War II, Houseman quit his service with Selznick and became head of the radio department at the United States Office of War Information .

After his return to the United States, Houseman turned back to film production. In 1954, in this capacity, he was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Picture category for the first time . However, his film Julius Caesar came away empty-handed. Another well-known film that Houseman produced was The Blue Dahlia in 1946 .

In the 1970s, Houseman changed sides and was an actor in front of the camera from then on. He gave predominantly expressive character roles a face. In 1974 he won a Golden Globe Award and an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Trials . Houseman was in front of the camera until shortly before his death. In 1988, he played the role of a driving instructor in The Naked Cannon . The film was only released in theaters after his death.

John Houseman also taught acting at the well-known Juilliard School ; his most famous students include Kevin Kline , Patti LuPone and Robin Williams.

John Houseman was married twice. In 1929 he married the actress Zita Johann , who was also from Romania ; the divorce took place four years later on September 13, 1933. From 1952 until his death he was married to Joan Houseman , also an actress. The marriage had two children.

Houseman died of bone cancer a few weeks after his 86th birthday .

Filmography (selection)

actor

film producer

Awards

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Houseman, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Haussmann, Jacques (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American-British film and stage actor as well as film producer, screenwriter and film director
DATE OF BIRTH September 22, 1902
PLACE OF BIRTH Bucharest , Romania
DATE OF DEATH October 31, 1988
Place of death Malibu , California , USA