Ellen Burstyn remembers 'Inside The Actor's Studio' host James Lipton: 'There had never been an interview show like it'
, so I knew him from that. And then he came to the Actors Studio to the playwright-directors unit after Lee Strasberg had died and I learned that he was so much more than a writer. He produced, he directed, he studied ballet dancing and had been a choreographer at one point.
Jim came up with the idea of starting a school at the Actors Studio. That was his idea. Lee had always taken on the responsibility for keeping the Studio going — he had his friends donate money to keep the doors open.
The school was very successful and then we started taking about having a master class with some well-known actors and writers being interviewed by Jim. And then somebody — I don’t know if it was Jim or not, but it might have been — said we should really tape this for posterity. But Jim was definitely the one who said we should air it. He brought it to Bravo and they bought it and it becameI have to say that Jim did all the work on the show.
I would say he enjoyed [the success] of the show. He was not a shy man. I’d be out on the street with him and people came running up asking for his autograph while I’d stand there invisibly. I think he enjoyed the recognition. But he was the same man off the air as what you saw on television. He was very erudite, very well-educated. He was good at just about everything. I remember I once went to visit him at his house in the Hamptons and he suggested we go to the stables to ride horses.
You know, most of us at the Actors Studio — not all but most — managed to do imitations of Jim. I’m not naming names. I’m not saying whether I did one or not. But most of us imitated him. He was a lot of fun.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
James Lipton, 'Inside the Actors Studio' Host and Creator, Dead at 93 from Bladder Cancer'Inside the Actors Studio' Host James Lipton Dead at 93
Read more »
Journey to the Past When James Lipton Journeyed to the Future With Conan O’BrienWatch this 'In the Year 2000' clip with James Lipton, the beloved late TV host (and semi-correct soothsayer)
Read more »
James Lipton Loved Will Ferrell's 'SNL' Impression: 'He's Got Me Cold, The Rat''We're good friends — and I think he's got me cold.' James Lipton was a fan of Will Ferrell's SNL impression of him
Read more »
James Lipton was 'every actor's dream interview': Stars react to his deathEveryone from Andy Cohen to Donald Trump Jr. fondly paid tribute to James Lipton, the 'Inside the Actors Studio' host who died Monday at age 93.
Read more »
US warns foreign actors: Stay out of Super Tuesday or 'face sharp consequences'Top officials from the State Department, Department of Justice, Homeland Security Department, the FBI and U.S. Cyber Command issued an unusual joint warning on Monday to countries or other foreign actors that might try to interfere in the nation's Super Tuesday primaries: Stay out or face 'sharp
Read more »
James Lipton, 'Inside the Actors Studio' Host and Creator, Dead at 93 from Bladder Cancer'Inside the Actors Studio' Host James Lipton Dead at 93
Read more »