Sam Houser facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sam Houser
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Houser in the mid-2010s
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Samuel Houser
November 1971 (age 53) London, England
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| Occupation | Video game producer |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Spouse(s) | Anouchka Houser |
| Parent(s) |
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| Family | Dan Houser (brother) |
Sam Houser was born in November 1971 in London, England. He is a famous English video game producer. Sam is best known as a co-founder of Rockstar Games. He is also the current president of this well-known company.
Sam Houser is a main creative force behind the Grand Theft Auto game series. He has been a producer for these games since Grand Theft Auto III. His brother, Dan Houser, also helped create Rockstar Games. Dan was the vice president of creativity until 2020.
Contents
Early Life and Inspiration
Sam Houser grew up in London. His mother, Geraldine Moffat, was an actress. His father, Walter Houser, was a lawyer. Sam and his younger brother, Dan Houser, later started Rockstar Games together.
Sam went to St Paul's School, London and then to the University of London and the University of Cambridge. From a young age, he loved crime films. This was because his mother often acted in them. Games like Elite and Mr. Do! were his favorites as a kid.
Sam Houser's Career Journey
Sam Houser started his career in 1990 at Bertelsmann Music Group. He worked in the company's mail room. By 1994, he joined BMG's new interactive entertainment division. This part of the company focused on video games.
By 1996, Sam became the Head of Development at BMG Interactive. He became a video producer after a lunch with a music label executive. The executive thought Sam had great ideas for games. When BMG teamed up with a CD-ROM company, Sam moved to the Interactive Publishing division. There, he worked closely on developing video games.
Creating the Grand Theft Auto Series
Sam Houser is known as an executive producer and creator of many Grand Theft Auto games. He worked on these games with his brother Dan. For Grand Theft Auto III, Sam made sure the game had a great look, sound, story, and feel.
He described the first three Grand Theft Auto games as a "trilogy." This included their unique view of the East Coast around the year 2000 (Grand Theft Auto III). Then came their take on 1980s Miami (Vice City). Finally, they showed their view of early 1990s California (San Andreas).
Staying Out of the Spotlight
Even though Grand Theft Auto is one of the most successful game series ever, Sam and Dan Houser prefer to stay private. They focus on the Rockstar Games brand. They don't want one person to get all the credit for the games' success.
In 2009, both brothers were named among Time magazine's 100 most influential people. Sam Houser also produced other popular games. These include Max Payne 3 and Grand Theft Auto V.
In 2014, Sam Houser was honored. He was added to the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' Hall of Fame. In 2015, actor Daniel Radcliffe played Sam Houser in a TV movie called The Gamechangers. As of May 2025, Sam and his brother were listed in the Sunday Times Rich List. Their estimated wealth was about £400 million.
Sam Houser's Personal Life
Sam Houser and his wife, Anouchka, got married by 2005. They have children together. Sam has both British and American citizenship. He became an American citizen in 2007. He lives in the Brooklyn area of New York City. As of 2016, Sam and Anouchka were directors of the Houser Foundation Inc. in New York. Dan Houser and his wife Krystyna were also directors.
Games Sam Houser Produced
Sam Houser has been an executive producer for many video games. Here are some of them:
- Grand Theft Auto (1997)
- Body Harvest (1998)
- Space Station Silicon Valley (1998)
- Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 (1999)
- Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999)
- Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
- Manhunt (2003)
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)
- Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005)
- The Warriors (2005)
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006)
- Bully (2006)
- Manhunt 2 (2007)
- Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)
- Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned (2009)
- Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony (2009)
- Red Dead Redemption (2010)
- L.A. Noire (2011)
- Max Payne 3 (2012)
- Grand Theft Auto V (2013)
- Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)
Voice Acting Roles
Sam Houser has also done some voice acting in games:
- Grand Theft Auto III (2001) – as the AmmuNation Clerk
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004) – as a Gangster
- Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)
See also
In Spanish: Sam Houser para niños
