John Houseman, the producer turned Academy Award winning actor, died October 31, 1988. He was 86.

Houseman was born Jacques Haussmann in Bucharest, Romania on September 22, 1902. The child of a Romanian father and British mother, he was educated in England. He came to the United States in 1924.

Houseman came to America as an agent for his father’s grain business, but decided on a career in the arts instead. Beginning as a writer, he eventually became a producer and director of film, radio and television productions, before turning to acting at a late age.

His directorial debut came in 1934 with Four Saints in Three Acts. In 1935 he and actor Orson Welles organized the Negro Theater Project. Two years later he and Welles formed the famous Mercury Theater that turned out productions for Broadway and Hollywood, including the acclaimed Citizen Kane in 1941.

In the 1940’s and 50’s, Houseman became a film director. Among his 19 movies are Letter From An Unknown Woman, The Bad And The Beautiful, Julius Caesar, and Lust For Life.

At one point, he produced and directed productions on Broadway, the movies and television. Houseman is also associated with the American Shakespeare Festival, the Professional Theater Group and the Acting Company.

Late in life he began appearing in film and television as an actor. In 1973 he played the hard-nosed law professor in The Paper Chase. The role earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

Houseman began appearing in a number of films and TV mini-series during the remainder of his life. One of his most memorable roles was as a Jewish professor in the first installment of the mini-series, The Winds of War, in 1983.

His distinctive voice led to many voice-overs on television advertisements. His most notable voice-over was an advertisement for Smith-Barney investments, “We make money the old fashioned way, we earn it.”

Houseman wrote several memoirs, including Front and Center in 1979, and Final Dress in 1983.

He died in Malibu, California on October 31, 1988.