James Lipton, Inside the Actors Studio Host, Dead at 93

James Lipton, who was best known for creating and hosting Inside the Actors Studio, has died at the age of 93. His wife Kedakai Turner told TMZ that Lipton died Monday morning at his New York City home after a battle with bladder cancer.

Lipton created Inside the Actors Studio in 1994 as a televised seminar for drama school students. Each episode featured Lipton having in-depth conversations with a different performer, starting with the show's first guest Paul Newman. Inside the Actors Studio aired on Bravo for 22 seasons before moving to Ovation in 2019. When the show changed networks, Lipton decided to retire from the show. During Lipton's long tenure on the program, his distinct hosting style became such a cultural touchstone that Will Ferrell did famously impersonations of Lipton in a series of Saturday Night Live sketches in the 2000s.

In addition to his work on Inside the Actors Studio, Lipton was an actor, writer, and an academic. His television credits included Arrested Development, Guiding Light, The Goldbergs, and Suburgatory. Lipton also served as head writer on Guiding Light, Return to Peyton Place, Another World, and The Best of Everything. In addition, Lipton wrote multiple books as well as a Broadway musical titled Sherry!