Lee Strasberg Biography

Fast Facts

• Started out as an actor at the Broadway Theatre Guild in the mid-1920s and later began working as a director for the Christie Street Settlement House's drama division
• Formed The Group Theatre with Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford in 1931 and was responsible for training the company's actors, which included Stella Adler, Ruth Nelson, and Elia Kazan
• His development of the method acting system was largely influenced by Konstantin Stanislavsky's Moscow Art Theatre tour in 1923
• Quote: "The real secret to method acting-which is as old as the theater itself-is creating reality․ That is tremendously difficult․ Some actors think behaving casually is the same thing․"
• Best known as a method acting coach and founder of the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute
• Joined the Actors Studio in 1948 and became the Artistic Director in 1951, a position he would go on to hold for 30 years until his death in 1982
• Played the role of Hyman Roth in "The Godfather: Part II" and Grandpa Sam in "․․․And Justice for All․"
• Trained a number of young actors who went on to become film and theater stars, including James Dean, Paul Newman, Julie Harris, and Jane Fonda