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1-7 of 7
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Academy Award-winning actor John Houseman's main contribution to American culture was not his own performances on film but rather, his role as a midwife to one of the greatest actor-directors-cinematic geniuses his adopted country ever produced (Orson Welles) and as a midwife to a whole generation of actors as head of the drama division of the Juilliard School.
Houseman was born Jacques Haussmann on September 22, 1902 in Bucharest, Romania, to May (Davies) and Georges Haussmann, who ran a grain business. His father was from an Alsatian Jewish family, and his mother, who was British, was of Welsh and Irish descent. John was raised in England, where he was educated. He emigrated to America in 1925, establishing himself in New York City, where he directed "Four Saints in Three Acts" for the theater in 1934. He founded the Mercury Theatre along with Orson Welles (whom he affectionately called "The Dog-Faced Boy"). Their most important success was a modern-dress version of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", in which the spectre of Hitler and Mussolini's Fascist states were evoked.
As a producer assigned to Unit 891 of the Federal Theater Project funded by the government's Works Progress Administration, he produced the legendary production "Cradle Will Rock", a musical about the tyranny of capitalism, with music by Marc Blitzstein, creative input from Welles, and starring leftists Howard Da Silva and Will Geer. The production was so controversial, it was banned before its debut, although the did manage to stage one performance. On Broadway, apart from the Mercury Theatre and the WPA, Houseman directed "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1939) and "Liberty Jones" and produced "Native Son" (1941). During World War II, Houseman went to work for the Office of War Information and was involved in broadcasting radio propaganda for the Voice of America. After the war, Houseman returned to directing and produced Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's version of Julius Caesar (1953).
He had produced his first film, Orson Welles' Too Much Johnson (1938), while with the Mercury Theatre. He was involved with the pre-production of Citizen Kane (1941) but fell out with Welles due to Welles' already legendary ego. He produced a score of major films and was involved in three television series before devoting his life to teaching. He helped establish the acting program at New York's famous Julliard School for the Arts, where he influenced a new generation of actors. Ironically, he had appeared in only one major movie, in a supporting role, before being tapped to replace James Mason in The Paper Chase (1973). He won an Academy Award for the role and began a 15-year career as a highly sought after supporting player.
John Houseman, who wrote three volumes of memoirs, "Run-Through" (1972), "Front and Center" (1979) and "Final Dress" (1983), died at age 86 on October 31, 1988 after making major contributions to the theater and film.- Ken Niles was born on 9 December 1906 in Livingston, Montana, USA. He was an actor, known for Out of the Past (1947), Hollywood Hotel (1937) and Lady, Let's Dance (1944). He died on 31 October 1988 in Santa Monica, California, USA.
- Marc Cramer was born on 18 June 1918 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Little Iodine (1946), Freshman Year (1938) and Those Endearing Young Charms (1945). He died on 31 October 1988 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Naaman Brown was born on 11 January 1916 in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor, known for Panther Girl of the Kongo (1955), Tanganyika (1954) and Yancy Derringer (1958). He died on 31 October 1988 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.
- Don Plumley was born on 11 February 1934 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Hanky Panky (1982), Ragtime (1981) and Penn & Teller Get Killed (1989). He died on 31 October 1988 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actress
- Writer
Varvara Popova was a Russian character actress in silent films, also known for her brilliant cameos as a typical Russian "babushka" in Frosty (1965) and several other films of the 1960s.
She was born Varvara Aleksandrovna Popova on December 17, 1899, in Samara, Russia. In 1919 - 22, Popova studied acting under Yevgeni Vakhtangov, who regarded Popova as his favorite student for her unique natural talent. Popova was completely unspoiled by the trappings of civilization, she led a simple life, and was an unusually modest person amongst the lifestyle of entertainers around her. During the 1920s and 1930s she was cast in films by such directors as Yakov Protazanov, Leonid Obolensky, and Lev Arnshtam.
From 1922 to 1956 Varvara Popova was a permanent member of the troupe at Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow. There her stage partners were such actors as Mikhail Ulyanov, Boris Zakhava, Mikhail Astangov, Vladimir Etush, Yuliya Borisova, Lyudmila Maksakova, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Nikolai Gritsenko, Yuriy Yakovlev, Andrei Abrikosov, Grigori Abrikosov, Boris Babochkin, Nikolai Timofeyev, and Aleksandr Grave, among others. At the beginning of her acting career Popova gave legendary stage performances in the role as Louise opposite Boris Zakhava in the Friedrich Schiller's play "Kovarstvo i lyubov" (aka.. Intrigue and Love).
Regardless of her outstanding performances on stage and in films, Varvara Popova fell innocent victim of envy and suffered from backstage scheming from competition. She never received honors from the Soviet authorities, was ignored by official Soviet critics, and eventually was left without work during and after the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin. In 1956, in protest against the tasteless Soviet propaganda, Popova quit her acting career, making an unusual and risky step amidst the Soviet reality. However, she was respected by many actors and directors for her genius and decency, and was later cast as a typical Russian "babushka" by director Ivan Pyrev and other filmmakers. Varvara Popova died of a heart failure on October 31, 1988, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in Vvedenskoe Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.- Alfred Pellan was born on 16 May 1906 in Québec, Québec, Canada. He was married to Maddalena Poliseno. He died on 31 October 1988 in Montréal, Québec, Canada.