Lee Strasberg - Career, Personal life

Actor, director, and teacher, born in Budanov, W Ukraine (formerly Budzanow, Austria). He emigrated to the USA in 1909, and gained a reputation with the Theater Guild of New York. In 1931 he was involved in the formation of the Group Theater, with which he worked as a teacher, evolving a technique (influenced by Stanislavsky) which became known everywhere as ‘method acting’. He exercised great influence as a director of the Actor's Studio (1949–82), his pupils including Marlon Brando, Anne Bancroft, and Paul Newman.

Lee Strasberg (November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American director, actor, producer, and acting teacher.

Career

In 1931, Lee Strasberg became one of the co-founders of the Group Theatre, a company which included such legends as Elia Kazan, John Garfield, Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, Franchot Tone, and Robert Lewis.

Strasberg is considered by many to be the patriarch of American "method" acting.

Personal life

He was married to his second wife, the actress and drama coach Paula Strasberg from 1934 until her death from cancer in 1966. They were the parents of actress Susan Strasberg and acting teacher John Strasberg.

Lee Strasberg died of a heart attack in New York City at the age of 80;

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe was a student of Strasberg's, and he helped her throughout her life. Monroe was 29 when she became Strasberg's favorite student. In the book, Susan swings between admiration and disillusionment with Monroe ( Susan describes Monroe as someone who sketched, wrote poetry and sympathized with underdogs when she wasn't floundering in depressed insomnia or drug-induced paranoia ).

In her final will, Monroe left Strasberg total control of 75% of her estate, including the licensing of her image as gratitude for his mentorship and kindness before and after she became a star. In her will, Monroe expressed her desire that Strasberg, or, if he predeceased her, her executor, "distribute (these) among my friends, colleagues and those to whom I am devoted."

Strasberg willed the rights to his widow (3rd wife) Anna, who never met Monroe but who today administers the estate.

Anna declared that she would never sell Monroe's personal items after successfully suing Odyssey Auctions in 1994 to prevent the sale of items that Strasberg withheld from Monroe's former business manager Inez Melson. However, in October 1999 Christie's auctioned the bulk of Monroe's personal effects - the auction netted $12.3 million.

Four Walls (1927) - Actor The Vegetable (1929) - Director Red Rust (1929) - Actor Green Grow the Lilacs (1931) - Actor The House of Connelly (1931) - Co-Director 1931 (1931) - Director Success Story (1932) - Director Men in White (1933) - Director Gentlewoman (1934) - Director Gold Eagle Guy (1934) - Director Paradise Lost (1935) - Produced by Group Theatre Case of Clyde Griffiths (1936) - Director, Produced by Group Theatre Johnny Johnson (1936) - Director, Produced by Group Theatre Many Mansions (1937) - Director Golden Boy (1937) - Produced by Group Theatre Roosty (1938) - Director Casey Jones (1938) - Produced by Group Theatre All the Living (1938) - Director Dance Night (1938) - Director Rocket to the Moon (1938) - Produced by Group Theatre The Gentle People (1939) - Produced by Group Theatre Awake and Sing! (1939), revival - Produced by Group Theatre Summer Night (1939) - Director Night Music (1940) - Produced by Group Theatre The Fifth Column (1940) - Director Clash by Night (1941) - Director A Kiss for Cinderella (1942), revival - Director R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) (1942), revival - Director Apology (1943) - Producer and Director South Pacific (1943, apparently no relation to the Broadway musical South Pacific) - Director Skipper Next to God (1948) - Director The Big Knife (1949) - Director The Closing Door (1949) - Director The Country Girl (1950) - Co-Producer Peer Gynt (1951), (revival) - Director Strange Interlude (1963), (revival) - Produced by The Actors Studio - Tony Award Co-nomination for Best Producer of a Play Marathon '33 (1963) - Production supervisor The Three Sisters (1964), (revival) - Director, Produced by The Actors Studio