James Lipton

In his one-and-a-half-hour interview, James Lipton (1926-2020) talks about his early years, and his very first acting role on the radio version of The Lone Ranger. He describes moving to New York City, and studying acting under Stella Adler, while appearing on the daytime drama Guiding Light, and making guest appearances on shows such as You Are There. He recounts Irna Phillips making him head writer of Another World, and writing the Broadway musicals Nowhere to Go But Up and Sherry!. He speaks of producing Jimmy Carter’s Inaugural Gala, as well as a series of Bob Hope birthday specials, including Happy Birthday, Bob, which featured then-president Ronald Reagan. He details creating a formal degree program for The Actors Studio, from which sprung his show Inside the Actors Studio. He chronicles his interview technique for that show, as well as the exhaustive research that goes into it. Jim Colucci conducted the interview on April 30, 2009 in New York, NY.