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John Houseman was a Romanian-born British-American actor and producer of theatre, film, and television. He 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. He is perhaps best known for his role as Professor Charles W. Kingsfield in the film The Paper Chase (1973), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He reprised his role as Kingsfield in the 1978 television series adaptation.
Birth Name
Jacques Haussmann
Born
Monday, 22 September 1902
Died
Monday, 31 October 1988
Actor Filmography
| Title | Character | Year |
|---|
| American: An Odyssey to 1947 | Self / Self (archive footage) | 2023 |
| Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind | Self | 2018 |
| Leslie Howard: The Man Who Gave a Damn | Self - 1980 Interviewee / Self - 1980 Interviewee (archive footage) | 2015 |
| Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles | Self / Self - Actor (archive footage) | 2014 |
| Pioneers of Television | Self | 2008 |
| Hollywood Couples | Self | 2006 |
| Broadway: The American Musical | Self | 2004 |
| Twentieth Century Fox: The Blockbuster Years | Kingsfield | 2000 |
| The Best of Film Noir | Self | 1999 |
| The Best of Hollywood | Self - Interviewee | 1998 |
Actor Filmography
| Title | Character | Year |
|---|
| American: An Odyssey to 1947 | Self / Self (archive footage) | 2023 |
| Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind | Self | 2018 |
| Leslie Howard: The Man Who Gave a Damn | Self - 1980 Interviewee / Self - 1980 Interviewee (archive footage) | 2015 |
| Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles | Self / Self - Actor (archive footage) | 2014 |
| Pioneers of Television | Self | 2008 |
| Hollywood Couples | Self | 2006 |
| Broadway: The American Musical | Self | 2004 |
| Twentieth Century Fox: The Blockbuster Years | Kingsfield | 2000 |
| The Best of Film Noir | Self | 1999 |
| The Best of Hollywood | Self - Interviewee | 1998 |
| The Complete Citizen Kane | Self | 1991 |
| L'homme qui a vu l'homme qui a vu l'ours | Self | 1990 |
| The 61st Annual Academy Awards | Self - Memorial Tribute | 1989 |
| The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! | Driving Instructor | 1988 |
| Scrooged | John Houseman / Self | 1988 |
| Another Woman | Marion's Father | 1988 |
| Bright Lights, Big City | Mr. Vogel | 1988 |
| Lincoln | Gen. Winfield Scott | 1988 |
| Noble House | Sir Geoffrey Allison | 1988 |
| Callow's Laughton | Self | 1987 |
| Hollywood the Golden Years: The RKO Story | Self - Co-founder, Mercury Theatre / Self - Producer | 1987 |
| The Late Show | Himself | 1986 |
| Nightlife | Self | 1986 |
| 227 | Self | 1985 |
| A.D. | Gamaliel | 1985 |
| America's Musical Theater | Self | 1985 |
| Olympic Gala | Self - Guest | 1984 |
| The Good Fight: The Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War | 1984 | |
| The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts | Self | 1983 |
| A Rose for Emily | Narrator (voice) / Narrator | 1983 |
| Freedom to Speak | Benjamin Franklin | 1983 |
| The Winds of War | Aaron Jastrow | 1983 |
| Silver Spoons | Grandpa Stratton | 1982 |
| Murder by Phone | Stanley Markowitz | 1982 |
| Marco Polo | Patriarca di Aquileia / Patriarch of Aquileia | 1982 |
| Late Night with David Letterman | Self - Guest | 1982 |
| American Playhouse | Network Newscaster | 1982 |
| Ghost Story | Sears James | 1981 |
| The New Deal for Artists | Self | 1981 |
| A Christmas Without Snow | Ephraim Adams | 1980 |
| The Babysitter | Dr. Lindquist | 1980 |
| My Bodyguard | Dobbs | 1980 |
| Wholly Moses! | The Archangel / Archangel | 1980 |
| Gideon's Trumpet | Chief Justice / Offscreen Narrator | 1980 |
| The Fog | Mr. Machen | 1980 |
| The French Atlantic Affair | Dr. Archady Clemens | 1979 |
| The Last Convertible | Dr. Wetherell | 1979 |
| The Associates | Professor Kingsfield | 1979 |
| The 33rd Annual Tony Awards | Self - Presenter | 1979 |
| Old Boyfriends | Dr. Hoffman | 1979 |
| Mork & Mindy | Milt | 1978 |
| The Paper Chase | Professor Charles W. Kingsfield Jr. / Charles Kingsfield | 1978 |
| The Cheap Detective | Jasper Blubber | 1978 |
| The South Bank Show | Self - Guest / Self | 1978 |
| Aspen | Joseph Merrill Drummond | 1977 |
| Washington: Behind Closed Doors | Myron Dunn | 1977 |
| Our Town | Professor Willard | 1977 |
| The Displaced Person | Father Flynn | 1977 |
| The Paul Ryan Show | Self - Guest | 1977 |
| Six Characters in Search of an Author | The Director | 1976 |
| Captains and the Kings | Judge Newell Chisholm | 1976 |
| St. Ives | Abner Procane | 1976 |
| The Adams Chronicles | Justice Gridley | 1976 |
| The Bionic Woman | Dr. Franklin | 1976 |
| Fear on Trial | Mike Collins | 1975 |
| Three Days of the Condor | Mr. Wabash | 1975 |
| Rollerball | Bartholomew | 1975 |
| I'm a Stranger Here Myself | Himself / Self | 1975 |
| Bicentennial Minutes | Self - Narrator | 1974 |
| The Six Million Dollar Man | Doctor Franklin | 1974 |
| The Paper Chase | Charles W. Kingsfield Jr. | 1973 |
| Film '72 | Self | 1971 |
| Great Performances | Self | 1971 |
| The David Frost Show | Self - Guest | 1969 |
| Cinéastes de notre temps | Self | 1964 |
| Seven Days in May | Vice-Adm. Farley C. Barnswell | 1964 |
| The Mike Douglas Show | Himself - Actor | 1961 |
| The New Steve Allen Show | Self - Guest | 1961 |
| Too Much Johnson | Keystone Kop / Duelist | 1938 |
Producer Filmography
| Title | Year |
|---|
| Choices of the Heart | 1983 |
| Gideon's Trumpet | 1980 |
| ABC Stage 67 | 1966 |
| This Property Is Condemned | 1966 |
| The Great Adventure | 1963 |
| In the Cool of the Day | 1963 |
| Two Weeks in Another Town | 1962 |
| All Fall Down | 1962 |
| The Seven Lively Arts | 1957 |
| Playhouse 90 | 1956 |
| Lust for Life | 1956 |
| Moonfleet | 1955 |
| The Cobweb | 1955 |
| Her Twelve Men | 1954 |
| Executive Suite | 1954 |
| Julius Caesar | 1953 |
| The Bad and the Beautiful | 1952 |
| Holiday for Sinners | 1952 |
| On Dangerous Ground | 1951 |
| The Company She Keeps | 1951 |
| They Live by Night | 1948 |
| Letter from an Unknown Woman | 1948 |
| The Blue Dahlia | 1946 |
| Miss Susie Slagle's | 1946 |
| The Unseen | 1945 |
| Too Much Johnson | 1938 |
| Year | Type | Category | Won |
|---|
| 1984 | Golden Globe | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Nominated |
| 1980 | Golden Globe | Best Actor in a Television Series - Drama | Nominated |
| 1980 | Emmy | Outstanding Drama or Comedy Special | Nominated |
| 1979 | Golden Globe | Best Actor in a Television Series - Drama | Nominated |
| 1974 | Oscar | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Won |
| 1974 | Golden Globe | Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture | Won |
| 1954 | Oscar | Best Picture | Nominated |
