Actors who never darkened the door of the Actors Studio

Angie Dickinson, Ilene Graf, Joanna Kerns, Alley Mills, Lacey Chabert, Caren Kaye, Matt Lattanzi, Lauren Tewes, Kim Fields, Shanna Reed, Cathy Silvers, Donny Most, Danny Ponce, Josie Bisset, Ben Savage, Vicki Laurence, Beverly Garland, Shelley Hack

You forgot Rex Harrison

Many excellent actors attended HB Studio and still do.

Denise Richards

Suzanne Sommers

Morgan Fairchild

Susan Dey

Zac Efron

Howard Stern

Ron Jeremy

Conor Maguire

Chaz Bono

Jazz Jennings

I’m an actor and recently did a workshop with an actress who went on and on about how she studied at RADA and just moved to nyc and had meetings set up with several managers. Great for her. But she was dreadful in the workshop. Too much thinking and analyzing everything to death. She was so lost and had no idea what she was doing. You want to be an actor then audition for everything and get as much experience as you can. You’ll find out very quickly if you’re good or if you suck. I don’t think acting can be taught. If the talent is there you can take classes and nurture it but no one can teach you.

Rex Harrison isn't no-maj, he's all-maj

Underrated Ben Mendelson

Marlon was Stella’s student. Stella positioned herself as the only, true heir to Stanislavsky.

It is fun to romanticise actors and say they "just had it" or "just did it."

But in fact, everyone on your list either had formal training somewhere other than the actor's studio, or an apprenticeship where they learned how to act.

Off the top of my head, Brando. Hackman, and Robards had formal training (with Stella Adler, Pasadena Playhouse, and American Academy of the Dramatic Arts)., Even though the Brits tend to go the apprenticeship route, Miren, Hopkins, and Holm had formal acting training.

Those are the ones I know off the top of my head.

Self taught Cheryl Ladd

Yes, all actors have some kind of formal training, whether in an actual school or on-the-job training, but most of the English actors mentioned were drilled in speech, voice, and verse speaking. I doubt RADA or Central School students, trained in the 50s, ever did Strasberg's song and dance exercise - one of the greatest acting exercises ever devised. But then you marvel at Geo C. Scott who never had any formal acting training at all. I recall hearing about great voice and speech teachers from 20s,30s, 40s, 50s, like Elsie Fogerty, Clifford Turner, Cecily Berry, but not influential acting teachers like the Americans

Shelley Duvall - she went to the Robert Altman/Stanley Kubrick schools of acting.

Marlon Brando did indeed take classes at The Actors Studio, under the auspices of Robert Lewis, Cheryl Crawford, and Elia Kazan. Strasberg took over as artistic director in 1951, when Brando was already making films in Hollywood.

Yeah, I forgot Lee Stressburg came into theStudio in '51. You are right, reply 14

Is that why Shelley Duvall is brain dead today?

[quote]Shelley Duvall - she went to the Robert Altman/Stanley Kubrick schools of acting.

Is that where they beat it out of her?

Altman treated Shelley Duvall really well. Kubrick of course is another story.

Given your convoluted post with a bunch of names and no direct references it is impossible to decipher your point, OP. Are the names you put forth "The Good Guys" or the "Underdogs"?

Marlon Brando was with the Actors Studio, genius OP. Just not under Strasberg - he worshiped Stella Adler. And of course many of the rest of the people you list weren't at the Actors Studio because they weren't Americans, and the Americans on your list had training that couldn't have been radically different from the Actors Studio.

That being said, I don't get the hard-on for British actors on here. The American or other European (French, Italian) counterparts of the same era have always been better to me save Peter O'Toole and Vanessa Redgrave.

Where did Pia Zadora study?

OP, I've never heard of any of the actors you mention. Have they done any work on the legitimate stage?

Marilyn Chambers