Charles Erich Conrad (May 23, 1925October 29, 2009) was an American acting coach. Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, the only child of German immigrants, Charles Conrad spent his early years growing up in New York City. At the age of 17, he joined the Navy where he served as an armed guard on Merchant ships during World War II. He subsequently studied theater directing at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now part of

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

). In 1952, he began studying the craft of acting with

Sanford Meisner Sanford Meisner (August 31, 1905 – February 2, 1997) was an American actor and acting teacher who developed an approach to acting instruction that is now known as the Meisner technique. While Meisner was exposed to method acting at the Group ...

at the

Neighborhood Playhouse A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neighbourh ...

. He subsequently moved to California, where he opened his own studio (CEC Studio) in Burbank. He taught using his own refinements of the Meisner Technique. Among the actors he coached were

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, and

Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall (; born January 5, 1931) is an American actor. With a career spanning seven decades, he is regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. He has received an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a British Academy Film Awards ...

. He died, aged 84, from

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

on October 29, 2009."Acting teacher Charles Conrad dies" ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', November 10, 2009

Accessed Jan 9, 2020

References

Sources

* Judy Kerr. "Acting Is Everything: An Actor's Guidebook for a Successful Career in Los Angeles" (11th ed; 2006). September Publishing;

External links

The Neighborhood Playhouse
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conrad, Charles 1925 births 2009 deaths American drama teachers Male actors from New York City American people of German descent Deaths from kidney failure Carnegie Mellon University alumni