Lee Strasberg - founder of the Theater Institute for Professional Training of Actors, director. There are several dozen world celebrities among Strasberg's students.
In each Hollywood studio, followers of the methodology proposed by Strasberg work, and some of his fans pass on the experience gained from the maestro to the youth themselves.
The author of the advanced technique
The maestro was born in 1901, in Buldanov, which is located in the Ternopil region, on November 17.
With the child, the parents of the future famous figure moved to the United States.
His artistic career began with twenty years of complete fiasco on stage. And by 1925 the theater had completely absorbed the young man.
The time of development of Strasberg as a director was 1931. He founded the creative Group Theater. After a decade, the experimental theater closed, but it became the most interesting experience on the American stage.
Simultaneously, Lee began teaching artistic skills, calling the school "Actors' Studio."
In 1952, he became the head of a new institution and took the Stanislavsky system as the basis of training.
Before her appearance, the actors did not know what the inner mood was, which ensured the naturalness of the game. The new organization immediately gained popularity among creative people.
Many famous actors were trained in it, who later became stars of the first magnitude.
Among them are Marlon Brando, and Dustin Hoffman, and Robert De Niro, and Paul Newman, and Marilyn Monroe, and Al Pacino, and Jane Fonda.
In 1966, Strasberg in Los Angeles created the "Western Studio of Actors".
Three years later, he founded the Institute of Theatrical Arts of his own name.
Innovative teaching
The maestro starred as an actor in one picture or another. Thus, he learned to feel the roles from the inside, tried to understand what the feelings of an artist in the image are like.
For his work in Francis Coppola's film "The Godfather", Strasberg was nominated for the most prestigious film awards. He brilliantly played a supporting character.
However, all the attention of the master was always given to his institute. Since the beginning of the opening, the work of the educational institution has been limited by a small enrollment of students. Very few passed the extremely tough selection. The lucky ones who received the right to attend lectures could not compare with the gigantic number of aspiring to take a place in the coveted audience.
The selection was extremely meticulous. So, Hoffman had to audition six times, Nicholson - five, and many were completely forced to leave disappointed.
Martin Landau and Steve McQueen received two coveted vacancies, being selected from four thousand applicants.
Master awards
Strasberg devoted a lot of time to the Broadway theaters. Very soon he became the most popular stage director. In 1964, Lee showed his last work based on Chekhov's Three Sisters.
Its leitmotif, the author chose the disappointment of everyone and in everything, the growth of melancholy, an atmosphere of hopelessness and decadence. The Russian character easily coped with such emotions.
But Strasberg had a hard time. He had to teach him to be sad, like Russian performers, smiling Americans. However, the creativity received high marks. The work was successful.
In 1974, Al Pacino, who portrayed one of the key characters of Michael Carleone on the screen in The Godfather, invited the maestro to work in the sequel.
The role he was given a noticeable, albeit secondary. The master was awarded the Golden Globe and Oscar for her. Strasberg was assigned in 1979 to play Sam Kirkland in Justice for All, where Al Pacino also starred.
The master reduced all the principles of teaching mastery, verified in practice and became world famous, to constant improvisation and training and reliability of emotional memory.
Great disciples of a great teacher
Thanks to the use of such techniques, the artist can endlessly expand his own capabilities, turning into a generalist.
Lee's method of work was mainly based on the principles of the art of Russian theater. He successfully developed the deep drama laid down by Stanislavsky.
The original methods helped Strasberg settle in a special niche of drama art that had not previously existed in America, taking pride of place. The master's practical methods are currently in constant demand.
For all the time, the teacher has trained actors who are included in the twenty greatest Hollywood stars. If the character offered to the master fully corresponded to the storyline, then the maestro agreed to act himself.
From 1937 to 1979 he was Willie in A Glass of Water, tried on the image of Haitman Roth in The Godfather 2, was a military policeman from The Third Man, Seighton in Macbeth.
Her debut role in A Glass of Water had no influence on her artistic career. It turned out to be too microscopic.
The master reincarnated as Sergeant Foster for The Long Day, became Geman Kaplan in Kassandra's Pass.
In "Justice for All" he portrayed Sam Kirkland, in "The Promenade" he became David Rosen, and for "Nice to Leave" he transformed into Willie.
Private life
In 1926 the director married Nora Krechean. The newlyweds did not live together for long. The wife died three years later.
The next darling of the maestro made dramatic actress and teacher Paulo Miller.
But this family did not last long either. The wife left untimely, leaving her daughter and son to her husband in 1966.
Suzanne became an actress, and John became an acting teacher.
The last wife of Strasberg was Anna Mizrahi. The wife turned out to be four decades younger than her husband. She gave Lee two sons, Edam and David.
Cinema star Marilyn Monroe played a significant role in the life of the great master. They stayed on friendly terms for many years.
After the tragic departure, the actress left her friend and teacher personal notes and diaries.
The master passed away on February 17, 1982 due to a heart attack. The day before, the great figure was inducted into the American Theater of Fame Hall of Fame.
