James Lipton

• Published in: Time (Chicago, Ill.) Vol. 195; no. 9/10; p. 25
• Main Author: Burstyn, Ellen
• Format: Magazine Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Time Incorporated 16-03-2020
• Subjects: Actors; Deaths; Lipton, James; Writers
• ISSN: 0040-781X; 2169-1665

Burstyn presents an obituary for writer, actor, producer, and director James Lipton, who died on Mar 2, 2020 at the age of 93. When Lipton first came to the writer-directors unit at the Actors Studio, Burstyn knew who he was from his 1968 book, An Exaltation of Larks. This was soon after the death in 1982 of Lee Strasberg, who was head of the studio, and they had to take over the responsibility of keeping the Actors Studio going. They invited Lipton to be on the board, and he suggested the idea that they develop a master's-degree program, so they'd have a workshop for professional actors but also a school that trains the new generation. Lipton became the dean of the school, and then they designed a master class where members of the studio, like Al Pacino and Paul Newman, would come in and be interviewed by Lipton for the students.