Lee Strasberg

Born

June 17, 1901

Died

1982

From

Budzanów, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Budaniv, Ukraine]·New York City, New York, USA

Height

1.65 m (5'5")

Also:
Director

Credits on file

Decades active

Awards

In short · Acted for 10 decades — 28 credits.

Remembered for

Ranked by community engagement + sustained interest across this person's credits in our database.

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Biography

Lee Strasberg, born Israel Strassberg in Budzanov, Austria-Hungary (now Budanov, Ukraine), moved to the United States as a child. He began with a short acting career before co-founding the Group Theatre in 1931, where he directed several plays. His most significant impact, however, came through his role as director of the Actors Studio, which he assumed in 1950. A key advocate of "method" acting, which he modified from the "system" introduced to America by Konstantin Stanislavski's student and Marlon Brando's mentor, Stella Adler, Strasberg influenced numerous actors across several generations, including James Dean and Dustin Hoffman. He is perhaps best known to film audiences for his portrayal of gangster Hyman Roth in *The Godfather Part II* (1974).