Educated at Princeton University, where he, Joshua Logan and Charles Crane Leatherbee founded the University Players theater group in 1932.
Highly respected Broadway director, actor producer and stage manager. Active from 1930 up to shortly before his untimely death at 54, his directorial resume includes such huge hits as "State of the Union" (1945) (765 performances) and "Finian's Rainbow" (1947) (725 performances).
The last television program that he directed, an episode of "Bachelor Father" (1957), was shown posthumously.