Paul Danaceau - Biography
Paul Danaceau, a former newspaper and radio reporter here and abroad and Washington-based public affairs consultant, returned to acting full-time when he retired in 1998. An English and drama major at Case-Western Reserve University, he played such roles as Pulver in "Mister Roberts," Androcles in "Androcles and the Lion," and the Ringmaster (Danny Kaye role) In "Lady in the Dark".
After graduation Paul pursued a journalism career. He was a reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer for seven years, specializing in investigative reporting (mental health system, suburban poverty) and light-hearted feature stories involving quirky individuals and situations.
In 1961, he left his newspaper job to become the Westinghouse Broadcasting Company correspondent at the Eichmann Trial in Jerusalem, Israel, where he broadcast several times a week for the Westinghouse network in the United States. He also developed a 30-minute radio documentary on the trial for Westinghouse.
Paul came to Washington in 1962 and became involved in politics and public policy. He worked for the Democratic National Committee during the 1962 Congressional campaign and, in 1964, was Deputy Director of News and Information for the DNC during the Lyndon Johnson Presidential campaign.
Paul worked for two United States Senators. He was press secretary for Birch Bayh of Indiana and staff director for a Government Operations committee chaired by Abraham Ribicoff of Connecticut. As a staff director, he conducted hearings on the urban riots of 1965, health care, automobile safety and government reorganization.
Paul became an independent public affairs consultant in 1972 until he retired in 1998. He worked for clients in both the private and public sector, including General Mills Inc., CSX Corp., Primerica, Inc., the National Institute of Medicine, the United States Regulatory Council and the Ford Foundation. He organized and managed legislative coalitions, wrote speeches and conducted program evaluations for these organizations.
Between 1990 and 1992, he was legislative director of the law firm of Birch, Horton, Bittner & Cherot. He also was author of the Report of the President’s Commission on Mental Health during the Carter Administration.
Paul returned to the stage in the early 1990s in various community theatre musical and dramatic projects and moved to the professional stage in 1996.