Robert Lewis
Robert Lewis (born March 16, 1909 in Brooklyn , New York City , † November 23, 1997 in New York City, New York ) was an American actor , director , drama teacher, writer and 1947 co-founder of the influential Actors Studio in New York City.
life and career
He was an early follower of Konstantin Stanislavski and a founding member of the revolutionary Group Theater in the 1930s. Lewis took lessons from the Russian actor and director Michael Chekhov , an emigrated nephew of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov . He himself taught Marlon Brando , Montgomery Clift , Maureen Stapleton , Eli Wallach , John Forsythe , Sidney Lumet , Kevin McCarthy , Karl Malden , Walter Matthau and Marilyn Monroe at the Actors Studio . Later, Meryl Streep , Faye Dunaway , Sigourney Weaver and Liza Minnelli were among his students.
For many years Lewis was a successful director on New York's Broadway . In Hollywood he tried his hand at directing two film musicals and worked as an actor in several films, the most famous of which is the Charlie Chaplin comedy Monsieur Verdoux - The Woman Killer of Paris (1947). In the 1970s, he was the director of the Yale School of Drama (Acting and Directing Departments). He left Yale in 1976.
Filmography
As an actor
- 1943: Tonight We Raid Calais
- 1943: Bomber's Moon
- 1943: Paris After Dark
- 1944 dragon's (Dragon Seed)
- 1945: Son of Lassie
- 1945: The Last Installment (short film)
- 1945: Broadway melody 1950 (Ziegfeld Follies)
- 1945: The Hidden Eye
- 1947: Monsieur Verdoux - The woman murderer of Paris (Monsieur Verdoux)
- 1973: Männerwirtschaft ( The Odd Couple ; TV series, 1 episode)
- 1987: Hawken's Breed
As a director
- 1945: Broadway Melody 1950 (Ziegfeld Follies ; segment)
- 1956: Broadway Magic (Anything Goes)
- 1980: Secrets of Midland Heights (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1992: Under the California Sun ( Knots Landing ; TV series, 1 episode)
Works
- Method or Madness? Samuel French, 1958, ISBN 0-573-69033-2 .
- Advice To The Players. Stein and Day, 1980, ISBN 1-55936-003-8 .
- Slings And Arrows: Theater In My Life. Harper & Row, 1984, ISBN 1-55783-244-7 .
Web links
- Robert Lewis in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Robert Lewis in the Internet Broadway Database (English)
- Group Theater
- Lecture from November 2, 1987 from the series ATW - SDCF Masters of the Stage
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lewis, Robert |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American actor, director, acting teacher, writer and co-founder of the Actors Studio |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 16, 1909 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Brooklyn , New York City |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 23, 1997 |
| Place of death | New York City , New York |