Immigrant of the Day: John Houseman a/k/a Charles Kingsfield (Hungary)

  John Houseman (1902–1988) was an actor. Born Jacques Haussmann in Hungary, he was educated in England at Clifton College before immigrating to the United States. He then took the stage name John Houseman.

Houseman produced more than two dozen films, including the 1946 film noir, The Blue Dahlia. He first became widely known to the public for his Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning role as Professor Charles Kingsfield in the 1973 film The Paper Chase, a role which he reprised in the television series of the same name.  For a scene from the film, click here.

Houseman was the Executive Producer of CBS’s landmark Seven Lively Arts series. Houseman also starred in Rollerball (1975) and the Neil Simon film, The Cheap Detective (1978).

In the 1980s, Houseman was also known for his commercials for brokerage Smith Barney, which featured the catchphrase, “They make money the old fashioned way . . . they earn it.”

Houseman was a naturalized U.S. citizen.

KJ