John Houseman

John Houseman (1902-1988) was a 20th Century entertainer, known in his early years as a producer for stage, radio and film, and in later life as a character actor in film and television.

In the 1930s, Houseman along with Orson Welles founded the Mercury Theatre, a stage company that later began working in radio. It was a Mercury Theatre adaptation of H.G. Wells' novel The War of the Worlds in 1938 that first garnered national attention for the company, though most of this was directed at Welles. During the time of making the radio play, Welles had an encounter with the Eighth Doctor (BFA: Invaders from Mars).

In his senior years, Houseman found renewed success as an actor, most notably in the 1973 film The Paper Chase (for which he received an Academy Award) and a subsequent television series based upon the film.