James Houghton was born on September 4, 1958 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was married to Joyce Lynn O'Connor and Joyce O'Connor. He died on August 2, 2016 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.
Founder and director of the Signature Theater Company in New York city, he was also director of the Juilliard School drama division 2007-2016.
He became interested in theater at St. Ignatius College Preparatory, a Jesuit school in San Francisco. He earned a B.F.A. at Santa Clara University and an M.F.A. from the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.