Roy London(1943-1993)

In the last fifteen years of Roy London's life, he became the premier acting coach in Hollywood. He has been cited as a profound influence on film acting. He taught over two hundred and fifty actors weekly, and coached many more privately. In addition to preparing his clients for performances, London was also called upon to help develop and shape their projects. His knowledge of writing, combined with his experience of having acted in over 150 roles on Broadway, Off-Broadway, The Royal Shakespeare Company, feature films and television, led him to discover how to help actors reveal material in dynamic ways that led to exciting performances. Synthesizing techniques from many acting schools, with a focus on results - he had no tolerance for psychobabble - his reputation exploded. London's classes began in his living room, and spread by word of mouth. In 1984 he moved to his own studio in Hollywood, but never put a sign on the door, didn't list his phone number, or never advertised classes. His students, who have thanked him on the Academy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards, as well as countless newspapers, magazines and autobiographies, have remembered London fondly. A documentary about his work, featuring interviews with over 50 of his students and friends, including Brad Pitt, Sharon Stone, Forest Whitaker, Jeff Goldblum, Hank Azaria, Patrick Swayze, Patricia Arquette, Geena Davis, Famke Janssen, Garry Shandling, Lanford Wilson, Lois Chiles, Drew Carey and Janel Moloney, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2005.