Jon Voight, born December 29, 1938, in Yonkers, New York, began his acting career at Archbishop Stephanie High School in Yonkers and then at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., where he received a BFA in scenic design and art. From 1962-64, he studied acting at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse under the tutelage of the legendary teacher, Sanford Meisner. His New York debut was in 1961, when the 22-year-old Jon Voight acted in "0. Oysters", an Off Broadway musical revue that ran for 104 performances at the Village Gate. Later that year came his Broadway debut when he replaced Brian Davies as the Juvenile lead, Rolf Gruber, in the long-running Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, "The Sound of Music " . Voight put musicals behind him in 1965 when he acted with Robert Duvall in the acclaimed revival of Arthur Miller's powerful drama, "A View From The Bridge " , which ran for 780 performances at the Sheridan Square Playhouse. The following year, Voight starred on Broadway, opposite Irene Papas and Tyne Daly in Frank D. Gilroys' drama, "That Summer - That Fall". His performance earned him a 'Theatre World Award' as one of the 1966-67 season's promising personalities. From Broadway, Voight performed at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego, portraying Romeo, and Ariel in "The Tempest". In California, Voight turned his attention to film and acted in several television series. The turning point in his career came in 1969 when he earned his first Academy Award nomination, The New York and Los Angeles Film Critics Awards, and the British Academy Award in John Schlesinger's "Midnight Cowboy". There followed a succession of memorable performances, including Milo Binderbinder in "Catch-22" (1970); "The Revolutionary" (1970); "Deliverance" (1972), from the novel by James Dickey; "The All-American Boy" (1973); "Conrack" (1974); "The Odessa File" (1974); and, "End Of the Game" (1976). Voight continued to act on stage. He starred as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire " , at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles; re-examined the same role in a different production at the Studio Arena in Buffalo, N.Y.; and portrayed Hamlet in separate productions. Voight's unforgettable performance in "Coming Home", earned him the Academy Award, The Golden Globe Award, the Cannes International Film Festival Award and both the New York and Los Angeles Film Critics Awards, all as Best Actor in 1978. In 1979, he starred in "The Champ" with Faye Dunaway and eight year old Ricky Schroder. Then came "Lookin' To Get Out" (1982), which Voight also produced and co-wrote, and "Table For Five " (1983), which he also produced. His bravura work in "Runaway train " (1985) brought him his third Academy Award nomination, as well as the London Film Critics Award nomination, and was followed by his moving performance in "Desert Bloom" (1986). In 1991, Voight portrayed Dr. Robert Gale in the made-for-cable film "Chernobyl: The Final Warning". His performance in the made-for-cable film "The Last Of His Tribe" (1992) earned him an Ace Award. He also starred as Captain Woodrow F. Call in "Return To Lonesome Dove" which ran on CBS du ring 1993-94 season. Among his recent television work is the Showtime original drama "Convict Cowboy" and "The Tin Soldier" in which Voight made his directional debut. "The Tin Soldier", produced by Mr. Voight and Crystal Sky, starred Mr. Voight and won several awards, including The Best Children's Film Award at the Berlin Film Festival. In 1996, Voight was seen onscreen opposite Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in the clime saga "Heat" and had a starring role in "Mission Impossible" opposite Tom Cruise. The following year, Jon Voight starred in five films: "Rosewood", "Anaconda", "Most Wanted", "U-Turn", and Francis Ford Coppola's film of John Grisham's novel "The Rainmaker", which earned him a Golden Globe nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category. Mr. Voight is also widely known for his humanitarian efforts on behalf of the homeless, the Vietnam Veterans and Native Americans. He was the host for the "Love of Life Telethon", a catholic charity run by nuns for the benefit of the St. Bernadine Medical Center in San Bernadino. He was also responsible for helping UNESCO and Chabad's effort to rescue the sick children of Chernobyl.