While in high school, formed theater troupe, The Pastime Players in Oak Park, Illinois

Early stage work, directed "Leave It to Smith" for Pastime Players

Was director of close to 50 productions for US Army Special Services; first collaboration with Maurice Evans

Directed "Hamlet" (aka "G.I. Hamlet") Off-Broadway, moved to City Center Theatre in 1946

With Evans, produced the Broadway revival of Shaw's "Man and Superman"

Was artistic director of NYC's City Center Theatre

Directed productions at the State Fair Music Hall in Dallas, Texas

With Evans, produced "Teahouse of the August Moon" on Broadway; won Tony Award

Directed "Hamlet" for NBC's "Hallmark Hall of Fame"

Staged London production of "Teahouse of the August Moon"

Directed and produced "Little Moon of Alban" for "Hallmark Hall of Fame" (NBC); won first Emmy Award

Helmed TV version of "Harvey", starring Art Carney

Beacame president of Compass Productions

Feature directorial debut, "Macbeth", originally made for TV and released theatrically with additional footage

Helmed the feature "Pendulum"

Directed the acclaimed Emmy-winning TV-movie "A War of Children" (CBS), set in Northern Ireland

Served as executive producer of "Love Story", an anthology series that aired on NBC

Final feature, produced and directed "An Enemy of the People", based on Arthur Miller's version of the Ibsen play and starring Steve McQueen

Staged Los Angeles production of "On Golden Pond"

Formed Shaefer/Karpf Productions with Merrill H Karpf

First TV collaboration with Katharine Hepburn, "Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry" (CBS)

Joined faculty of UCLA as chairman, School of Theatre, Film and Television

Produced and directed the CBS comedy-drama "The Man Upstairs", which marked Katharine Hepburn's final appearance in a TV-movie

Final production, directed Harry Anderson in TV remake of "Harvey"