Lee Strasberg

In 1909, at age 7, he emigrated with his family to the United States, although he did not become a citizen until 1936.

Famed acting teacher Lee Strassberg was born in Budzanov, Austria-Hungary (now Budanov, Ukraine). Brought to America as a child, he had a brief acting career, before becoming one of the founders of the Group Theatre in 1931, directing a number of plays there.

His greatest influence, however, was through the Actors Studio, where he became director in 1950. A proponent of "method" acting, which he adapted from the "system" brought to America by Konstantin Stanislavski's disciple--and Marlon Brando's mentor--Stella Adler, he influenced several generations of actors, from James Dean to Dustin Hoffman.

Buried at Westchester Hills Cemetery in the village of Hastings-on-Hudson, Westchester County, New York, USA, a northern suburb (approximately 20 miles north of) New York City, where he is buried in a plot with his second wife, Paula Strasberg, who predeceased Lee by her early death at about 57 years old, in 1966. Westchester Hills is a Jewish cemetery, and many well-known entertainers and performers are interred there.

Strasberg lost the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of mob financier Hyman Roth in The Godfather: Part II (1974) to Robert De Niro's portrayal of Young Vito Corleone in the same film.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 766-768. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998.

On February 13, 1982, Strasberg made what was both his final filmed appearance, and his final public appearance, at the Night of 100 Stars (1982) benefit for the Actors Fund at Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA, where, along with protégées Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, he danced in the chorus line with the world renowned The Radio City Rockettes.

Is portrayed by Dana Goldstone in Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996).

October 27-28, 1999: Christie's auctioned the bulk of Marilyn Monroe's personal effects. In Monroe's last will and testament, she expressed a desire that Strasberg would "distribute (these) among my friends, colleagues and those to whom I am devoted." Having largely not accomplished distribution of Monroe's personal belongings to friends, etc., upon Strasberg's death, possession of Monroe's personal effects passed from Strasberg to his last wife, Anna Strasberg, who had never met Monroe. The Christie's auction of Monroe's possessions netted $12.3 million. Ironically, five years earlier, Anna Strasberg had declared that she would never sell Monroe's personal items after successfully suing Millington Conroy (nephew of Marilyn Monroe's business manager, Inez Conroy Melson) and Odyssey Auctions in 1994, preventing the sale of items which had been improperly withheld from Lee Strasberg by Monroe's former business manager, Inez Melson. Julien's staged a second auction of Monroe's personal effects in 2005.

Is portrayed by Lyle Kessler in James Dean (2001) and by Matthew O'Sullivan in Blonde (2001).

Lee Strasberg's oldest son, John Strasberg, like his father, also teaches at the Actors' Studio, Manhattan, New York City, New York, but is not the managing director or administrator, as Lee was. Lee's roles as both managing director and administrator of the Actors' Studio are now filled by an incredible SIX people! Ellen Burstyn, Harvey Keitel, and Al Pacino serve as co-Presidents of the whole studio, both east, in Manhattan, and west, in West Hollywood, California, USA, and co-Artistic Directors in Manhattan, while Mark Rydell and Martin Landau serve as co-Artistic Directors in West Hollywood. The administrator, now known as the Executive Director is (as of 2015) filled by a professional, full time administrator, Deborah Dixon.