Lee Strasberg (
November 17,
1901 –
February 17,
1982) was an
Academy Award-nominated
Jewish-
American director,
actor,
producer, and acting teacher.
Career
In 1931, Strasberg became one of the co-founders of the
Group Theatre, a company which included such legends as
Elia Kazan,
Clifford Odets,
John Garfield,
Stella Adler,
Sanford Meisner,
Franchot Tone, and
Robert Lewis. Strasberg left the Group Theatre in 1935 because his controversial theories on acting were challenged by Stella Adler, who in 1934 visited Russian Master Acting Trainer
Constantin Stanislavski. Adler claimed that Stanislavski had abandoned the theories that had influenced Strasberg. In 1936, Strasberg became a
naturalized citizen of the
United States. In 1949, he began a lengthy career at the
Actors Studio in
New York City. Within two years, he was artistic director and the now-renowned institution's reputation flourished. Actors under his tutelage there included
Burt Young,
Geraldine Page,
Paul Newman,
Al Pacino,
Robert DeNiro,
Kim Stanley,
Marilyn Monroe,
Jane Fonda,
James Dean,
Dustin Hoffman,
Eli Wallach,
Eva Marie Saint,
Jill Clayburgh,
Ellen Burstyn,
Gene Wilder,
Steve McQueen and
Dennis Hopper.
