Don Richardson (director)

Don Richardson
Don Richardson
Born	April 30, 1918; New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	January 10, 1996 (aged 77); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actor, director, teacher, author
Years active	1949–1973

Don Richardson^[1] (April 30, 1918 – January 10, 1996) was an American actor, director, acting teacher, as well as an author.

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Career

Richardson was an original member of the Group Theatre, which was the nucleus of Acting in the United States. His fellow Group Theatre members included Lee Strasberg, Sanford Meisner, Stella Adler, and Uta Hagen, although Richardson was the only student who said, "The Method isn’t what acting is about." Richardson directed three Broadway productions and over 800 television shows,^[1] including Get Smart (TV series) (1965), One Day at a Time (TV series) (1975–1976), Lost in Space (TV series) (1966–1968), The Defenders (TV series) (1961–1963), and Bonanza (TV series) (1968–1971).^[2] His work remains in the permanent collection of The Museum of Broadcasting, The Jewish Museum of New York, and UCLA Film and Television Archive.^[1] Richardson taught acting at UCLA, Colombia’s Barnard College and American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and California. He was awarded a professorship at Tel Aviv University in Israel. As an acting coach, he wrote and published the book Acting Without Agony: An Alternative to the Method,^[3] which is still used today by his successors.^[4] Richardson's students include Grace Kelly, Anne Bancroft, Zero Mostel, and John Cassavetes.^[5]

Richardson had a two-year relationship with his student, Grace Kelly, which began in the Autumn of 1948, despite the disapproval of her parents.^[6]

[1]
"Don Richardson; Director, Acting Teacher". Richard T. Schlosberg III. 19 January 1996. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
[2]
"Approach". Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
[3]
Richardson, Don (1994). Acting without Agony: An Alternative to the Method. ISBN 0205151655.
[4]
"The Team". Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
[5]
"Don Richardson". Answers.com. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
[6]
"Grace : The secret lives of a princess" by James Spada. Sidgewick and Jackson. 1987