Estelle Harman (September 11, 1922 – April 30, 1995) was an influential American

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad range of sk ...

coach in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, recognized for her dynamic approach to film acting education.

Biography

Harman began her career as an acting instructor at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

in the early 1940s. By the 1950s, she had moved to

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as Head of Talent Development, succeeding Rosenstein after his death in 1952. Harman was known for blending Modern acting techniques with

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 ...

's Method, focusing on script analysis and emotional authenticity through personal substitutions. Notable students included

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Bill Bixby Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III (January 22, 1934 – November 21, 1993) was an American actor and television director. His career spanned more than three decades, including appearances on stage, in films, and on television series. He is known ...

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor with a career that spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 films, in roles co ...

, Myrna Hansen, and

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. In 1957, after the decline of studio contracts, Harman established the Estelle Harman Actors Workshop in Los Angeles. The workshop was celebrated for its rigorous curriculum that met federal requirements for financial aid, and was accredited by the National Association of Technical and Trade Schools in 1976, making it one of the few acting schools at the time to achieve such recognition. Her teaching philosophy emphasized the 'independent actor,' capable of applying various acting methodologies without adhering strictly to one doctrine. Students from the later workshop years include Cady McClain, D.C. Douglas, A. Martinez, and

Gregory Harrison Gregory Neale Harrison (born May 31, 1950) is an American actor. He is known primarily for his roles as Dr. George Alonzo "Gonzo" Gates, the young surgeon assistant of Dr. Trapper John McIntyre (played by Pernell Roberts) on the CBS series '' Tr ...

. Her innovative approaches influenced numerous actors, including Sharon Gless, who noted that Harman had revised her teaching style from an 'outside-in' to an 'inside-out' approach because of her.

Legacy

Estelle Harman's contributions to the field of acting education left a lasting impact on Hollywood's training methods. She died in 1995, leaving behind a legacy of trained actors who continue to influence the industry. Her daughter, Eden Harman Bernardy, became a respected acting coach in Los Angeles. Eden carried on her mother's legacy in the acting community until her untimely death in 2016.

References

External links

Estelle Karchmer Harman obituary
latimes.com; accessed December 23, 2017. {{DEFAULTSORT:Harman, Estelle University of California, Los Angeles staff American acting coaches 1922 births 1995 deaths People from Beaumont, Texas Educators from Greater Los Angeles Actors from Greater Los Angeles