Actress


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

Tabs

Highlights
Doris Roberts on advice to aspiring actors
03:11
Isabel Sanford on her process as an actress
03:32
Yeardley Smith on her stage fright and how she's overcome it by being "over prepared"
01:27
Sonia Manzano on the power of being on stage
00:26
Geri Jewell on advice for aspiring actors
02:45
Lee Grant on working with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse
06:10
Who talked about this profession

Edie Adams

View Interview
Edie Adams on advice to aspiring performers
01:46

Lucie Arnaz

View Interview
Lucie Arnaz on the craft of acting in different media and advice to aspiring actors
05:52

Beatrice Arthur

View Interview
Beatrice Arthur on finding her comedic voice
03:09
Beatrice Arthur on acting in a sitcom
01:31
Beatrice Arthur on her advice to aspiring actors
03:37

Bonnie Bartlett

View Interview
Bonnie Bartlett on what she likes about acting, and on doing comedy
02:01
Bonnie Bartlett on her process of acting once she gets a script, and on acting in different media
01:37

Lucille Bliss

View Interview
Lucille Bliss on wanting to be an actress when she was little
01:07
Lucille Bliss on discovering she had a talent for doing voices when she acted in radio serials
00:26

Connie Britton

View Interview
Connie Britton on studying acting with Sanford Meisner 
02:37
Connie Britton on learning television comedy for Spin City
02:41
Connie Britton on the process of shooting and acting on Friday Night Lights
04:45

Carol Burnett

View Interview
Carol Burnett on the first scene she ever performed and how she caught the acting bug
01:25

Margaret Cho

View Interview
Margaret Cho on always wanting to be an actress and on how she got roles when there were no parts for Asian Americans
02:06

Janis Paige with Emerson College

View Interview
Janis Paige on navigating her acting career through the years
03:11

Beatrice Arthur with Emerson College

View Interview
Beatrice Arthur on her time at the Actors Studio and lessons she learned there and from others she worked with
06:18

Barbara Feldon with Emerson College

View Interview
Barbara Feldon on what got her interested in performing and the thrill of performing when she was young; on her early interest in ballet
02:09
Barbara Feldon on doing comedy v. drama and acting in the film Smile
04:08

Betty White with Emerson College

View Interview
Betty White on her "bag of tricks" as an actress 
03:47
Betty White on dealing with agents and managers
02:08
Betty White on her career longevity 
01:44
Betty White on words of wisdom for aspiring television performers
04:09

Jeanne Cooper

View Interview
Jeanne Cooper on type casting
01:56
Jeanne Cooper on managing a busy work schedule
02:02
Jeanne Cooper on the development and evolution of her character "Katherine Chancellor" on The Young and the Restless
16:00

Jane Curtin

View Interview
Jane Curtin on advice to aspiring actors
01:30
Jane Curtin on what she enjoys about acting 
01:18

Ann B. Davis

View Interview
Ann B. Davis on her sense of gratitude toward writers
01:56

Ruby Dee

View Interview
Ruby Dee on one of her first film roles - an Army movie to combat venereal disease
00:27

Elinor Donahue

View Interview
Elinor Donahue on her very early start in show business
02:40

Patty Duke

View Interview
Patty Duke on how her acting process has evolved over the years
00:58
Patty Duke on advice to an aspiring actor
01:37

Barbara Eden

View Interview
Barbara Eden on one of her first TV jobs on Gunsmoke
02:54
Barbara Eden on the craft of acting
04:25

Stephanie Edwards

View Interview
Stephanie Edwards on wanting to be an actress, but having trouble with competition
00:35

Nanette Fabray

View Interview
Nanette Fabray on her acting style
02:30
Nanette Fabray on good advice she's gotten regarding her acting in her career
01:53
Nanette Fabray on working with a difficult director
02:29
Nanette Fabray on advice to aspiring actors
02:30

Edie Falco

View Interview
Edie Falco on not consciously doing research for roles
00:57
Edie Falco on what she likes in a director, as an actor
01:13
Edie Falco on what she likes in a director, as an actor
01:13
Edie Falco on why she prefers shooting single-camera television shows without an audience
00:57
Edie Falco on what she likes about acting
01:55
Edie Falco on advice to aspiring actors
00:46

Barbara Feldon

View Interview
Barbara Feldon on her early interest in acting
03:53

Sally Field

View Interview
Sally Field on film acting versus television acting
04:20
Sally Field on becoming a mother, and on studying under Lee Strasberg
02:17
Sally Field on studying under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio
02:55
Sally Field on advice to an aspiring actress
00:55

Genie Francis

View Interview
Genie Francis on being an adolescent TV performer
01:19

Eileen Fulton

View Interview
Eileen Fulton on her acting style, and on advice to aspiring actors
02:21

Betty Garrett

View Interview
Betty Garrett on advice to aspiring performers
01:21

Mitzi Gaynor

View Interview
Mitzi Gaynor on joining the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera Company and her first show
00:33

Marla Gibbs

View Interview
Marla Gibbs on taking acting classes when she first got to Los Angeles
01:34
Marla Gibbs on advice to an aspiring actor
04:15

Melissa Gilbert

View Interview
Melissa Gilbert on how she got involved in acting
01:27

Sharon Gless

View Interview
Sharon Gless on what caused her to lose her fear of pursuing acting
00:42
Sharon Gless on why being on a hit TV show is her favorite acting experience
00:36

Whoopi Goldberg

View Interview
Whoopi Goldberg on starting to gain traction as a performer in San Diego and starting to do improv
04:24
Whoopi Goldberg on Jumpin' Jack Flash and playing roles that were originally intended for people of other races and genders
01:00
Whoopi Goldberg on hosting Comic Relief as another character, "Whoopi"
00:28

Lee Grant

View Interview
Lee Grant on working with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse
06:10
Lee Grant on advice to aspiring actors
01:06

Valerie Harper

View Interview
Valerie Harper on joining Second City and her acting philosophy
03:37
Valerie Harper on her acting style
03:02

Patricia Heaton

View Interview
Patricia Heaton on wanting to be a performer
03:25
Patricia Heaton on acting tips from William Esper
01:27
Patricia Heaton on what made her character on Everybody Loves Raymond a comedic force; the power of silence
01:06
Patricia Heaton on the benefits of performing in front of a live audience
02:20
Patricia Heaton on her advice to aspiring actresses
02:19

Katherine Helmond

View Interview
Katherine Helmond on what Soap did for her career as an actor
Katherine Helmond on advice to aspiring actors: "take every job" that comes along

Florence Henderson

View Interview
Florence Henderson on deciding to become an actress
01:21
Florence Henderson on advice to young actors
01:02
Florence Henderson on making scenes believable
02:32

Marilu Henner

View Interview
Marilu Henner on advice to an aspiring actor
02:53

Ellen Holly

View Interview
Ellen Holly on appearing as "Stephanie" in the Broadway production of Too Late the Phalarope, and on how she played the role
08:53
Ellen Holly on being invited to join the Actors Studio by Lee Strasberg
03:17
Ellen Holly on what she learned at the Actors Studio, and why she didn't like Lee Strasberg as a teacher
04:46
Ellen Holly on what she learned from her time on One Life to Live, including advice she would give to young actors about the business-end of television
06:00

Monica Horan

View Interview
Monica Horan on how she always knew she wanted to be an actress
01:24
Monica Horan on memorable work experiences in television
01:08
Monica Horan on the impact and influence that working with different creative people has had upon her life and career
02:05
Monica Horan on advice she would give to someone starting out in acting
01:19

Felicity Huffman

View Interview
Felicity Huffman on what she likes about acting and the importance of storytelling
01:27
Felicity Huffman on advice for aspiring actors
00:55
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on Macy studying acting with David Mamet at Goddard College and how that led to Macy teaching acting in New York, where Huffman studied with him
03:40
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on how they help each other prepare for roles and the challenges of preparation as an actor
06:18
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on watching each other's work and their own, and how much they prepare for roles
02:33
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on Macy studying acting with David Mamet at Goddard College and how that led to Macy teaching acting in New York, where Huffman studied with him
03:40
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on how they help each other prepare for roles and the challenges of preparation as an actor
06:18
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on watching each other's work and their own, and how much they prepare for roles
02:33

Kim Hunter

View Interview
Kim Hunter on advice to aspiring actors
02:31

Allison Janney

View Interview
Allison Janney on becoming interested in acting and doing a play directed by Paul Newman
05:32
Allison Janney on memorization's place in acting
00:49
Allison Janney on worries about being typecast
01:03
Allison Janney on her acting style
01:49
Allison Janney on the most important advice she ever received about acting
00:38
Allison Janney on advice to aspiring actors
00:44

Geri Jewell

View Interview
Geri Jewell on filming the Deadwood episode "Jewel's Boot Is Made for Walking" and how show creator/director David Milch coaxed a reaction from her
03:55
Geri Jewell on what she loves about performing and her hopes for her career as she ages
03:12
Geri Jewell on advice for aspiring actors
02:45

Shirley Jones

View Interview
Shirley Jones on advice to an aspiring actress, and on how she'd like to be remembered
01:29

Kathryn Joosten

View Interview
Kathryn Joosten on her first paid job in television - on Family Matters
01:07
Kathryn Joosten on what she loves about acting, her approach to acting, and advice to aspiring actors
04:13

Eartha Kitt

View Interview
Eartha Kitt on performing on live television
06:46

Lisa Kudrow

View Interview
Lisa Kudrow on realizing there was no "mystical truth" to becoming a working actor after seeing her brother's friend, Jon Lovitz, land a gig on Saturday Night Live
01:39
Lisa Kudrow on what she learned about acting from her work at The Groundlings Improv group and how invaluable the character monologues were
Lisa Kudrow on her first-ever performance in front of an audience
03:21
Lisa Kudrow on some realities of working in television and the expectations and challenges of coming in as guest-star on a long-running sitcom
04:18
Lisa Kudrow on the challenges of performing the same character for so many years, as on Friends with "Phoebe"
02:08
Lisa Kudrow on advice to aspiring actors "as long as it's not porn, do it"
01:09

Sheila Kuehl

View Interview
Sheila Kuehl on advice to aspiring actors and politicians
01:21

Angela Lansbury

View Interview
Angela Lansbury on wanting to be an actress
01:01

Louise Lasser

View Interview
Louise Lasser on being typecast after Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and on her relationship with the character
03:07
Louise Lasser on advice to an aspiring actor
01:57

Piper Laurie

View Interview
Piper Laurie on the craft of acting for television
03:55

Lucy Lawless

View Interview
Lucy Lawless on what she likes about acting and her approach to acting
02:23
Lucy Lawless on her advice to an aspiring actor
00:57

Vicki Lawrence

View Interview
Vicki Lawrence on advice to aspiring performers

Michael Learned

View Interview
Michael Learned on what she likes about acting
01:15
Michael Learned on advice to aspiring actors
01:21

Judith Light

View Interview
Judith Light on figuring out her acting career
06:05
Judith Light on advice to an aspiring actor
08:30
Judith Light on balancing her career as an actress and marriage 
06:21
Judith Light on what she loves about acting 
24:25

Loretta Long

View Interview
Loretta Long on advice to aspiring actors, and how she'd like to be remembered
01:42

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

View Interview
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on her early interest in acting
02:39
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the challenge of portraying a version of herself on Curb Your Enthusiasm
01:40
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on developing her character "Selina Meyer" on Veep; on speaking with actual Vice-Presidents and the research that went into creating the character
05:47
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on developing her character "Selina Meyer" on Veep; on speaking with actual Vice-Presidents and the research that went into creating the character
05:47
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on one of her favorite improv moments on Veep
04:27
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on advice to aspiring actors
00:35

Susan Lucci

View Interview
Susan Lucci on receiving and learning her All My Children  scripts and the rehearsal process
02:26
Susan Lucci on good advice she's received as an actor
01:00
Susan Lucci on her advice to aspiring actors
00:45

Nancy Malone

View Interview
Nancy Malone on what she learned from studying acting with Stella Adler
02:37

Sonia Manzano

View Interview
Sonia Manzano on being cast on Sesame Street
04:15
Sonia Manzano on the power of being on stage
00:26

Penny Marshall

View Interview
Penny Marshall on her advice to aspiring actors and directors
03:40
Cindy Williams and Penny Marshall on performing the physical comedy of Laverne & Shirley
13:36

Rue McClanahan

View Interview
Rue McClanahan on acting in front of an audience, and on the best advice she ever got about acting
08:41

Jayne Meadows

View Interview
Jayne Meadows on her early stage experience and deciding to become an actress
03:36
Jayne Meadows on playing different historical characters on the series Meeting of Minds
09:07
Jayne Meadows on advice she'd give to aspiring actors
02:17

Anne Meara

View Interview
Anne Meara on her path to becoming an actress
01:12
Anne Meara on her acting style
02:22

S. Epatha Merkerson

View Interview
S. Epatha Merkerson on advice to an aspiring actor
02:19

Mary Tyler Moore

View Interview
Mary Tyler Moore on initially being a "dramatic" actress on a comedy on The Dick Van Dyke Show
01:21

Rita Moreno

View Interview
Rita Moreno on how acting for television is different than acting for films, and appearing in Oz
05:04
Rita Moreno on having the "EGOT" (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) and on studying acting
01:39
Rita Moreno on what it is like for an actor to guest-star on a show

Diana Muldaur

View Interview
Diana Muldaur on what it means for an actor to work in a creative environment
02:14
Diana Muldaur on advice to an aspiring actress
00:32

Laraine Newman

View Interview
Laraine Newman on creating characters for Saturday Night Live
03:16
Laraine Newman on creating characters for animated shows
04:38
Laraine Newman on advice to aspiring actors
01:16

Nichelle Nichols

View Interview
Nichelle Nichols on the challenge of moving from acting on stage to acting in features or on television
02:19
Nichelle Nichols on advice to an aspiring actor
01:28

Estelle Parsons

View Interview
Estelle Parsons on advice to an aspiring actor
03:05

Charlotte Rae

View Interview
Charlotte Rae on what she likes about acting
01:25
Charlotte Rae on advice to aspiring actors, and how she'd like to be remembered
03:01

Joyce Randolph

View Interview
Joyce Randolph on joining the Catholic Theater Group tour and eventually getting to New York
02:38

Phylicia Rashad

View Interview
Phylicia Rashad on a reading she did at a local music festival that inspired her to become an actress
03:09
Phylicia Rashad on her approach to acting
00:56
Phylicia Rashad on the instruction Bill Cosby gave the cast at the beginning of The Cosby Show
00:17

Frances Reid

View Interview
Frances Reid on her acting style, and her career
01:15

Maria Riva

View Interview
Maria Riva on establishing herself as a TV star in the 1950s, and how little TV demanded of acting "talent" in the early days of the medium
01:28
Actress Maria Riva on the difference to the public between a movie star and a television actor as she noted when approached by a fan while accompanying her mother Marlene Dietrich in the 1950s
01:33

Doris Roberts

View Interview
Doris Roberts on the difference between acting on stage and acting on television
00:32

Marion Ross

View Interview
Marion Ross on her process for learning her lines
01:32
Marion Ross on acting in front of an audience
00:45
Marion Ross on how she creates her characters
02:12
Marion Ross on important advice she's received as an actress, and on the importance of having an agent
01:31
Marion Ross on advice to an aspiring actor
00:50

Isabel Sanford

View Interview
Isabel Sanford on her process as an actress
03:32

Hazel Shermet

View Interview
Hazel Shermet on the audition process for television commercials
03:12
Hazel Shermet on her experience acting in commercials
02:30

Doris Singleton

View Interview
Doris Singleton on her acting style
00:39
Doris Singleton on honing her acting skills in radio
01:23
Doris Singleton on learning comedic timing from her work in radio
00:17
Doris Singleton on performing in front of an audience on radio shows
00:49
Doris Singleton on how acting for soap operas differed from acting for sitcoms
01:31
Doris Singleton on the most important advice anyone ever gave her about acting
01:02
Doris Singleton on acting for television, stage, radio
01:10

Erika Slezak

View Interview
Erika Slezak on wanting to become an actress and her father insisting that she be properly trained in acting
04:26
Erika Slezak on her advice to aspiring daytime drama actors
01:15

Jaclyn Smith

View Interview
Jaclyn Smith on her advice to an aspiring actor
00:43

Yeardley Smith

View Interview
Yeardley Smith on her stage fright and how she's overcome it by being "over prepared"
01:27
Yeardley Smith on her early determination to find success as an actress, and feeling that she had a "gift"
03:36
Yeardley Smith on playing to your strengths as an actor and finding her way into a role
01:51
Yeardley Smith on the differences between television/film and theater, and appearing as a guest star on a TV show
06:08
Yeardley Smith on performing "Lisa Simpson"
01:11
Yeardley Smith on being on The Simpsons and wanting to get more on-camera roles
05:52

Suzanne Somers

View Interview
Suzanne Somers on her experiences at the beginning of Three's Company, and learning to play "Chrissy Snow" as she went
02:32
Suzanne Somers on advice for aspiring actresses
00:42

Jean Stapleton

View Interview
Jean Stapleton on the professional reasons for not giving her age
00:44
Jean Stapleton on consciously trying to avoid being typecast by "Edith Bunker"
01:32

Johnny Stearns

View Interview
Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns on the challenges of acting in live television
00:40

Mary Kay Stearns

View Interview
Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns on the challenges of acting in live television
00:40
Mary Kay Stearns on how she conquers stage fright
01:46
Mary Kay Stearns on how she approaches a role
02:02

Gale Storm

View Interview
Gale Storm on her experiences working on the radio show, Gateway To Hollywood
11:10
Gale Storm on how Lindsey Parsons affected her career
08:29
Gale Storm on advice she received from Jackie Cooper about acting
03:05
Gale Storm on her My Little Margie character "Margie Albright"
01:48
Gale Storm on hosting the NBC Comedy Hour nine times
05:22

Maxine Stuart

View Interview
Maxine Stuart on performing under bandages, her face entirely obscured, for the classic Twilight Zone episode "Eye of the Beholder"
01:33

Loretta Swit

View Interview
Loretta Swit on preparing for her role on M.A.S.H as a nurse

Marlo Thomas

View Interview
Marlo Thomas on her advice to aspiring actors and producers
01:08

Leslie Uggams

View Interview
Leslie Uggams on studying acting as a child and later on with Stella Adler
02:03
Leslie Uggams on performing on stage versus performing on television
01:28
Leslie Uggams on advice to an aspiring actress
01:15

Tracey Ullman

View Interview
Tracey Ullman on how she transforms into characters
02:15

Helen Wagner

View Interview
Helen Wagner on her advice to aspiring actresses
01:14

Ruth Warrick

View Interview
Ruth Warrick on acting in live television
10:15
Ruth Warrick on developing her All My Children character "Phoebe Tyler," and learning that an audience can accept a villainous character that they "love to hate" 
03:56

Dawn Wells

View Interview
Dawn Wells on wanting to be an actress
02:35
Dawn Wells on teaching acting; on the Spud Fest Family Film Festival
02:59

Cindy Williams

View Interview
Cindy Williams on working with Penny Marhsall on the physical comedy of Laverne & Shirley
04:37
Cindy Williams on what she enjoys about acting
02:17
Cindy Williams on advice to aspiring actors
01:12
Cindy Williams and Penny Marshall on performing the physical comedy of Laverne & Shirley
13:36

Jane Wyatt

View Interview
Jane Wyatt on the differences between acting for film, television, and the stage
01:11
Jane Wyatt on her acting technique
13:12
Jane Wyatt on advice to aspiring actors
01:04

Kim Zimmer

View Interview
Kim Zimmer on her early interest in acting (and participating in pageants)
02:20
Kim Zimmer on her approach to acting
01:46
Kim Zimmer on being comfortable on camera right away
01:17
Kim Zimmer on her struggle for "mutuality of contract" with producers
02:22
Kim Zimmer on her struggle for "mutuality of contract" with producers
02:22
Kim Zimmer on advice to a daytime writer, from an actor's perspective
01:07
About

Interviewees discuss the craft of acting and the role of an actress.