Ira R. Abrams is a U.S. Navy veteran, Harvard-trained anthropologist (Ph.D. '72), teacher, and producer of cultural and science-oriented television programs, including the Faces of Culture television series and the film The Three Worlds of Bali. He has chaired film & video departments and developed curricula at University of Southern California, University of Texas, and Columbia College Chicago. He is the father of musician and singer Casey Abrams, who was a finalist on Season 10 of American Idol.