He has directed one film that has been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: The Muppet Movie (1979).
Member of the Actors Studio from 1961, trained by Lee Strasberg and Sanford Meisner.
Began as an actor. Made his Broadway debut in 1960 with Laurence Olivier and Anthony Quinn in the Tony-nominated "Becket".
Alumnus of the College of Fine Arts (CFA) at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU); School of Drama, class of 1959.
His favorite film was Jean Renoir's "La Regle Du Jeu" (1939).