James Lipton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James Lipton
Lipton at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival
Born	Louis James Lipton (1926-09-19)September 19, 1926 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Died	March 2, 2020(2020-03-02) (aged 93) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Host writer teacher actor producer lyricist
Years active	1951–2018
Notable work	Creator and host of Inside the Actors Studio
Spouse(s)	Shirley Blanc ​ ​ (m. 1947, divorced)​ Nina Foch ​ ​ (m. 1954; div. 1959)​ Kedakai Turner ​ (m. 1970)​
Parent(s)	Lawrence Lipton (father)

James Lipton (born September 19, 1926 – died March 2, 2020) was an American writer, actor, and teacher. He was best known as the creator, host, and executive producer of the TV show Inside the Actors Studio. This popular show, which started in 1994, featured Lipton interviewing famous actors, directors, and writers. He retired from the show in 2018.

Early Life

James Lipton was born in Detroit, Michigan, on September 19, 1926. He was the only child of Betty, a teacher, and Lawrence Lipton, a journalist and poet. His father wrote a famous book about the Beat Generation, a group of writers and artists. James's parents divorced when he was six years old, and his father left the family.

His family faced money problems, so James started working when he was just 13. In high school, he worked for a newspaper and acted in local theater and radio shows. After high school, he went to Wayne State University for a year. Then, he joined the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.

Career

Lipton first acted on radio, playing Dan Reid, the Lone Ranger's nephew, on The Lone Ranger. He originally planned to become a lawyer in New York City. However, he started acting to help pay for his education.

He wrote for many popular TV shows called soap operas. These included Another World, Guiding Light, and Capitol. He also acted on The Guiding Light for over ten years. Lipton spent many years studying acting with famous teachers like Stella Adler and Harold Clurman. He also learned voice and dance, even choreographing a ballet for the American Ballet Theatre.

In 1951, he appeared in a play on Broadway called The Autumn Garden. He also acted in a crime movie in 1953 called The Big Break. In 1967, he wrote the words for a Broadway musical called Sherry!. The music for this show was lost for a long time. But in 2003, a new recording with famous actors brought the show back to life.

His book, An Exaltation of Larks, was first published in 1968. This book is a collection of "terms of venery," which are special group names for animals, like "a pride of lions." Some of these names were real, and some Lipton made up himself.

In 1983, Lipton wrote a novel called Mirrors about dancers. He later turned it into a TV movie. He also produced many TV specials, including several birthday shows for the comedian Bob Hope. He even produced the first televised party for a president, for Jimmy Carter.

Later in his career, Lipton appeared in several TV shows and movies. He played Warden Stefan Gentles in Arrested Development and voiced the Director in the Disney movie Bolt. He also made guest appearances as himself on shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy.

Inside the Actors Studio

In the early 1990s, James Lipton wanted to create a special acting program. He was inspired by a French TV host named Bernard Pivot. Lipton wanted to share what he had learned from his many years of studying acting.

In 1994, he helped the Actors Studio team up with New School University in New York City. They created the Actors Studio Drama School, a program where students could earn a degree in acting. Later, the school moved to Pace University.

As part of this school, Lipton started a class called Inside the Actors Studio. In this class, famous actors, directors, and writers would visit. Lipton would interview them, and then the acting students could ask questions. These interviews were also filmed and shown on the Bravo TV channel. The show became very popular, watched in 89 million homes in 125 countries.

Lipton hosted the show and conducted the main interviews. He once said he never imagined how successful the show would become. He worked very hard, often for 16 hours a day, as the school's dean, the show's writer, host, and producer. In 2014, France honored him with an award called the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his work on the show.

His last interview on Inside the Actors Studio was with actor Ted Danson, which aired in January 2018. In September 2018, Lipton announced he was leaving the show after more than 24 years.

Personal Life

James Lipton was married twice. From 1954 to 1959, he was married to actress Nina Foch. In 1970, he married Kedakai Turner Lipton, a model and real estate agent. They stayed married until his death. Kedakai was known for being the model on the cover of the board game Clue, playing Miss Scarlett. She also designed the book for Lipton's An Exaltation of Larks.

Lipton once shared that he was an atheist. He also loved flying planes. He became a certified pilot in 1980 and had flown for over 1,000 hours. He was a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

Death

James Lipton died at his home in Manhattan, New York, on March 2, 2020. He was 93 years old and passed away from bladder cancer.

What He Did

James Lipton had a long career in entertainment. Here are some of the movies and TV shows he was part of, and some of the projects he worked on behind the scenes.

Movies and TV Shows

Behind the Scenes

Books He Wrote

• An Exaltation of Larks (1968)
• Mirrors (1981)
• Inside Inside (2007)

See also

In Spanish: James Lipton para niños

• List of awards and nominations received by James Lipton