Sanford Meisner facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sanford Meisner
Born	(1905-08-31)August 31, 1905 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Died	February 2, 1997(1997-02-02) (aged 91) Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names	Sandy
Occupation	Actor acting teacher
Years active	1924–1997
Spouse(s)	Peggy Meredith ​ ​ (m. 1948; div. 1950)​ Betty Gooch (divorced)
Partner(s)	James Carville

Sanford Meisner (born August 31, 1905 – died February 2, 1997) was an American actor and a very important acting teacher. He created a special way of teaching acting called the Meisner technique. This technique helps actors perform in a real and believable way.

Meisner learned about different acting styles, but his method was unique. He focused on actors truly "doing" things in a scene, rather than just pretending. This idea became the main part of his teaching.

Early Life and Challenges

Sanford Meisner was born in Brooklyn, New York City. He was the oldest of four children. His parents, Hermann and Bertha, were Jewish immigrants from Hungary.

When Sanford was young, his family went to the Catskills to help him get healthier. Sadly, his younger brother Jacob got sick from drinking bad milk and passed away. Meisner later said this event was the most important emotional moment in his life. He felt very guilty, and his parents blamed him, which made him feel alone.

He found comfort playing the piano. He even studied at the Damrosch Institute of Music, which is now the famous Juilliard School. He wanted to be a concert pianist. But when the Great Depression hit, his father needed his help in the family business. Meisner spent long days working, but he kept his spirits up by playing classical piano pieces in his mind. This helped him develop a great sense of sound, almost like perfect pitch. Later, as a teacher, he would sometimes close his eyes to listen more carefully to his students' acting. This helped him tell if their performances felt real or fake.

After high school, Meisner decided to become an actor. He had already acted at a place called the Lower East Side's Chrystie Street Settlement House. At 19, he got a small role in a play called They Knew What They Wanted. This experience made him realize that acting was what he truly wanted to do with his life.

Joining the Group Theatre

Sanford Meisner (back row center) with members of the Group Theatre in 1938

Even though his parents weren't sure about it, Meisner kept pursuing acting. He got a scholarship to study at the Theatre Guild of Acting. There, he met Harold Clurman and Lee Strasberg again. Strasberg would become another very important acting teacher, known for "method acting."

In 1931, Clurman, Strasberg, and Cheryl Crawford started the Group Theatre. They chose 28 actors, including Meisner, to be part of this new company. The Group Theatre had a huge impact on acting in the United States.

However, Meisner and some other actors started to disagree with Strasberg's focus on using past memories to create emotions. In 1934, another Group Theatre member, Stella Adler, returned from studying with Konstantin Stanislavski in Paris. She shared that Stanislavski now believed actors should focus on imagination and physical actions, not just memories. This changed Meisner's ideas and led him to develop his own unique acting approach.

When the Group Theatre ended in 1940, Meisner continued teaching at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. He had been teaching there since 1935. Teaching gave him the same joy he felt playing the piano as a child. At the Playhouse, he developed his own acting method, which is now known as the Meisner technique.

Teaching at the Neighborhood Playhouse

In 1935, Meisner joined the faculty at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. He led the Acting Department until he retired in 1990. He remained involved as Director Emeritus until he passed away in 1997.

The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre opened in 1928. Its first small class of nine students learned from famous theater artists like Martha Graham. Over his many years of teaching there, Meisner developed and perfected his technique. Its main idea is: "To live truthfully under given imaginary circumstances." Today, the Meisner Technique is known worldwide as one of the best ways for actors to learn their craft.

Many famous actors studied with Sanford Meisner at The Neighborhood Playhouse. Some of them include: Dylan McDermott, James Caan, Steve McQueen, Robert Duvall, Gregory Peck, Diane Keaton, Jeff Goldblum, and Tony Randall.

Meisner/Carville School of Acting

In 1983, Meisner and his partner James Carville started the Meisner/Carville School of Acting. It was on the beautiful Caribbean island of Bequia. Students from all over the world came each summer to learn from Meisner himself.

The school also opened a location in North Hollywood in 1985. Meisner divided his time between the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York and these two new schools. Later, in 1995, the school became The Sanford Meisner Center for the Arts. This was a theater company and school in North Hollywood. Meisner attended every rehearsal and performance until the very end of his life.

Well-Known Students

Throughout his career, Meisner taught many students who became very famous. His technique is helpful for actors, directors, writers, and even teachers. Many directors, like Sidney Lumet, and writers, like Arthur Miller, also studied with him. At least 37 of his students were nominated for or won Academy Awards!

List of Students Who Became Famous

Film and TV Roles

Even though he was mainly a teacher, Sanford Meisner did act in a few films. These included Tender Is the Night, The Story on Page One, and Mikey and Nicky. His very last acting role was in an episode of the TV show ER called "Sleepless in Chicago." Actor Noah Wyle worked with him on that episode and said it was a highlight of his career.

Later Life and Passing

Sanford Meisner was married twice, to Peggy Meredith and Betty Gooch, but both marriages ended. He spent the rest of his life with his partner, James Carville.

In 1970, Meisner was diagnosed with throat cancer. He had surgery, but he lived for almost 30 more years after that. He passed away peacefully in his sleep on February 2, 1997, at the age of 91, at his home in Los Angeles.

The Meisner Technique Explained

Meisner's teaching methods were seen as different but very effective. One time, a writer named Dennis Longwell watched Meisner's class. Meisner gave two students a single line of dialogue. He told them to turn away and not say anything until something happened that made them say the words. This is a key idea in the Meisner technique: actors should react truthfully to what is happening in the moment.

For the first student, Meisner pinched him, and the student yelped his line in pain. For the second student, Meisner playfully touched her, and she giggled her line. These examples show how the technique focuses on real, honest reactions.

The main goal of the Meisner technique is to help actors "live truthfully under imaginary circumstances." This means actors learn to react as if the made-up world of the play is completely real.

See also

In Spanish: Sanford Meisner para niños

• Ion Cojar (1931–2009), Romanian acting teacher
• Sanford Meisner: The American Theatre's Best Kept Secret, 1990 documentary