Actors Studio, The
Actors Studio, The,
organization founded 1947 in New York City by the directors Cheryl Crawford, Elia KazanKazan, Elia, 1909–2003, American stage and film director, producer, writer, actor, b. Turkey, as Elia Kazanjoglous. Immigrating with his Greek family to the United States in 1913, Kazan studied at Williams College and the Yale Drama School before beginning his acting
..... Click the link for more information. , and Robert Lewis to train professional actors. Long directed (1948–82) by Lee StrasbergStrasberg, Lee
, 1901–82, American theatrical director, teacher, and actor, b. Budzanów, Galicia, Austria-Hungary (now Budaniv, Ukraine) as Israel Strassberg. Strasberg immigrated to New York City in 1909. He was a cofounder in 1931 of the Group Theatre.
..... Click the link for more information. and famous for its advocacy of the StanislavskyStanislavsky, Constantin
, 1863–1938, Russian theatrical director, teacher, and actor, whose original name was Constantin Sergeyevich Alekseyev. He was cofounder with Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko of the Moscow Art Theater in 1898, which he would remain associated with for
..... Click the link for more information. "method" technique, the workshop has trained many leading, e.g., Anne BancroftBancroft, Anne,
1931–2005, American actress, b. New York City as Anna Maria Italiano. Her New York stage debut in Two for the Seesaw (1958) was a major triumph.
..... Click the link for more information. , Marlon BrandoBrando, Marlon,
1924–2004, American film actor, often described as the greatest of his generation, b. Omaha, Nebr. Regarded as the foremost practitioner of "method" acting as taught by American disciples of Constantin Stanislavsky at New York's Actor's Studio (he studied
..... Click the link for more information. , James DeanDean, James
(James Byron Dean), 1931–55, American film actor, b. Marion, Ind. After a few stage and television roles, Dean was chosen to play the moody, rebellious son in the film East of Eden (1953).
..... Click the link for more information. , Robert De NiroDe Niro, Robert
, 1943–, American film actor, b. New York City. After studying for the stage, he acted in films directed by Brian De Palma. In 1973 he made his first major movies, Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets.
..... Click the link for more information. , Julie HarrisHarris, Julie,
1925–2013, American actress, b. Grosse Point, Mich. Harris made her New York debut in It's a Gift (1945). Her versatility and power won her enormous critical acclaim, and she appeared in more than 30 Broadway productions.
..... Click the link for more information. , Dustin HoffmanHoffman, Dustin
, 1937–, American actor, b. Los Angeles. Not glamorous in the manner of earlier stars, Hoffman began on Broadway, but gained widespread popularity with his first major film, The Graduate (1967).
..... Click the link for more information. , Paul NewmanNewman, Paul,
1925–2008, American actor, b. Cleveland, Ohio. After performing in a Broadway play (1952–53) and in television dramas, Newman became a versatile film actor and a major Hollywood star.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Sidney PoitierPoitier, Sir Sidney,
1927–, Bahamian-American actor, b. Miami, raised in the Bahamas, returned to the United States at 15. The first African-American actor to achieve leading man status in Hollywood films, Poitier combines attractiveness and poise with an innate projection
..... Click the link for more information. , and was extremely influential in the 1950s. It continues to be active, teaching actors, directors, and playwrights in New York City and, since 1966, Los Angeles. The Actors Studio was later (1994–2005) associated with New York City's New School Univ. and has been a part of Pace Univ. since 2006.
Bibliography
See studies by R. H. Hethmon, ed. (1965, repr. 1991), D. Garfield (1980), F. Hirsch (1984, repr. 2001), and S. Frome (2001).