Bennes Mardenn (January 19, 1916 – May 13, 2010) was an American actor, director, teacher, and mentor.

Biography

Bennes Mardenn was personally trained by the Group Theatre:

Stella Adler Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher. A member of Yiddish Theater's Adler dynasty, Adler began acting at a young age. She shifted to producing, directing, and teaching, founding the ...

, Bobby Lewis,

Harold Clurman Harold Edgar Clurman (September 18, 1901 – September 9, 1980) was an American theatre director and drama critic. In 2003, he was named one of the most influential figures in U.S. theater by PBS.

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American acting coach and actor. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed ...

, and his mentor,

Morris Carnovsky Morris Carnovsky (September 5, 1897 – September 1, 1992) was an American stage and film actor. He was one of the founders of the Group Theatre (1931-1940) in New York City and had a thriving acting career both on Broadway and in films u ...

. He moved from

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

in 1935. Mardenn studied at the

Dramatic Workshop Dramatic Workshop was the name of a drama and acting school associated with the New School for Social Research in New York City. The German expatriate stage director Erwin Piscator began a long association with the school in 1940. Among the facul ...

with

Erwin Piscator Erwin Friedrich Maximilian Piscator (17 December 1893 – 30 March 1966) was a German theatre director and Theatrical producer, producer. Along with Bertolt Brecht, he was the foremost exponent of epic theatre, a form that emphasizes the socio- ...

and

Michael Chekhov Mikhail Aleksandrovich Chekhov (; 16 August 1891 – 30 September 1955), known as Michael Chekhov, was a Russian-American actor, Theatre director, director, author, and theatre practitioner. He was a nephew of the playwright Anton Chekhov an ...

. At

The New School The New School is a Private university, private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for p ...

, he studied

child psychology Developmental psychology is the scientific study of how and why humans grow, change, and adapt across the course of their lives. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to include adolescence, adult development, ...

under

Abraham Maslow Abraham Harold Maslow ( ; April 1, 1908 – June 8, 1970) was an American psychologist who created Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a theory of psychological health predicated on fulfilling innate human needs in priority, culminating in self-actua ...

, focusing on the Psychology of Being, and under Lawrence J. Stone of

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...

to become a Creative Dramatics Specialist. He has taught in New York, Hollywood, Rome, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem. In New York, Mardenn taught at Carnegie Hall, the 92nd Street YMHA, Educational Alliance, and was the Speech and Drama Director at Henry Le Tang’s Dance School. From 1958 to 1963, he acted and directed the Living Theatre Company and Repertory School. In Hollywood, Mardenn opened a studio called the Drama Lab where he trained Talia Shire,

Herschel Bernardi Herschel Bernardi (October 30, 1923 – May 9, 1986) was an American actor and singer. He is best known for his supporting role in the television detective series ''Peter Gunn'' (1958–1961) for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emm ...

, Sal Mineo, Gary Crosby, Charlie Brill, Mitzi McCall, Richard Hatch, Danny Michael Mann,

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (January 17, 1931 – September 9, 2024) was an American actor. A pioneer for black actors in the entertainment industry, Jones is known for his extensive and acclaimed roles on stage and screen. Jones is one of the few perfor ...

, Diana Sands, and Kim Darby. Later, he went on to train and coach Joe Penny,

Fisher Stevens Stephen Fisher (born November 27, 1963), known professionally as Fisher Stevens, is an American actor, director, producer and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Ben Jahveri in ''Short Circuit'' (1986) and ''Short Circu ...

, and Raphael Sparge. In Rome, Mardenn transformed his villa into an international school of acting called the Drama Lab Europa where Joe Namath, Barbara Bouchet, and Carol Andre came to work and develop their acting. While in Rome, he was featured in Visit to Rome by Marco Ferreri, starring David Warner; also in Brother Sun, Sister Moon by Franco Zeffirelli, starring Valentini Cortese. In Israel, Mardenn held the position of Director of Dramatic Activities and Events for the American Cultural Center. He directed ''Bird Bath'' by Leonard Melfi; Voices of Sylvia Plath at Tzavta Theatre in Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem and co-directed ''Shalosh'' at the Kahan Theatre in Jerusalem. He was featured by director, Giorgio Giulani in Moses, the ''Lawgiver'' and Sacco and Vanzetti. He also was featured by Michael Caccoyannis in Jacob and Joseph. As an actor, he has performed with and/or been directed by

Montgomery Clift Edward Montgomery Clift (October 17, 1920 – July 23, 1966) was an American actor. A four-time Academy Award nominee, he was known for his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men", according to ''The New York Times''. He is best remembered f ...

, David Opatoshu,

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...

, Jason Robards, Colleen Dewhurst,

, Harold Gould, John Randolf, Milo O’Shea,

Ruby Dee Ruby Dee (born Ruby Ann Wallace; October 27, 1922 – June 11, 2014) was an American actress. She was married to Ossie Davis, with whom she frequently performed until his death in 2005. She received numerous accolades, including an Emmy Award, ...

, Ozzie Davis, James Farentino, Canada Lee, Didi Pheiffer, J.D. Cullum,

Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor and musician. The recipient of numerous accolades in a career on screen spanning four decades, he is known for his leading roles in action films, his amiable public imag ...

, Sal Mineo, Burl Ives,

Martin Sheen Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. His work spans over six decades of television and film, and his accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and ...

Judith Malina Judith Malina (June 4, 1926 – April 10, 2015) was a German-born American actress, director and writer. With her husband Julian Beck, Malina co-founded The Living Theatre, a radical political theatre troupe that rose to prominence in New York C ...

Julian Beck Julian Beck (May 31, 1925 – September 14, 1985) was an American actor, stage director, poet, and painter. He is best known for co-founding and directing the Living Theatre, as well as his role as Reverend Henry Kane, the malevolent preacher ...

, Joe Chaikin, George Bartenieff,

Ed Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor. He is most notable for portraying Lou Grant on the sitcom ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977) and drama '' Lou Grant'' (1977–1982), making him one of the few ...

, and

Zsa Zsa Gabor Zsa Zsa Gabor ( , ; born Sári Gábor ; February 6, 1917 – December 18, 2016) was a Hungarian Americans, Hungarian-American socialite and actress. Her sisters were socialites and actresses Eva Gabor and Magda Gabor. Gabor competed in the ...

Famous works

Stage appearances

* 1963 ''The Connection'' ff-BroadwayJim Dunn * 1960 ''In the Jungle of Cities'' ff-BroadwayC. Maynes * 1960 ''The Theatre of Chance'' ff-Broadway''Ancient King II'': David (marrying Maiden)

Film/TV

* 1995 ''The Golem'' (short) Grandfather * 1974 ''The Story of Jacob and Joseph'' (TV movie) Potiphar * 1972 ''Cool Million'' (TV series) – Pilot (1972) * 1970 ''Blood of the Iron Maiden'' * 1969 ''The Bold Ones: The Lawyers'' (TV series) Doctor Sloan * 1969 ''The Whole World Is Watching'' Doctor Sloan

Students

* Charlie Brill *G. Beaudin * Gary Crosby *Kim Darby *Richard Hatch *

*Danny Michael Mann *Mitzi McCall *Sal Mineo *Joe Penny * Diana Sands *Talia Shire *Raphael Sparge *

* Dirk Weiler * Tom Wallace

External links

thedramaloftBennes Mardenn's films
*

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mardenn, Bennes American male stage actors American theatre directors American acting coaches 2010 deaths 1916 births Male actors from New York City