Lindsay Crouse is an accomplished actor in film, television and on stage. She received an Academy Award Nomination for her role in the film Places in the Heart. Her students include not only actors but dancers, singers, classical and jazz musicians, and visual artists. She teaches at University of California and in Paris at the Extended Atelier of the California College of Arts and Crafts. Her background is deeply rooted in music. Her grandfather John Erskin was one of the founders of the Juilliard School of Music, and her father, Russel Crouse, with his collaborator Howard Lindsay, wrote the book for such musicals as Call Me Madam and The Sound of Music. Lindsay grew up in a house filled with music, and studied piano and flute.