Herbert Berghof

Herbert Berghof (13 September 1909 – 5 November 1990) was an Austrian-American actor, director and acting teacher. Early life Born and educated in Vienna, Austria, Berghof studied acting there with Max Reinhardt. In 1939, he moved to New York where he launched a career as an actor and director on Broadway, and worked with Lee Strasberg. Berghof became a charter member of the Actors Studio in 1947, with classmates including Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Jerome Robbins, and Sidney Lumet. Career In 1945, he co-founded HB Studio (the Herbert Berghof Studio) in New York City, as a place where aspiring actors could train and practice. In 1948, Uta Hagen joined the Studio as Berghof's artistic partner, and they married in 1957. They ran the studio together until his death in 1990. Notable alumni included Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Liza Minnelli, Robert De Niro, Geraldine Page, Fritz Weaver, Anne Bancroft, Donna McKechnie and Matthew Broderick. Despite being a charter member of the Actors Studio, he differed "with those colleagues who expounded the Method technique when his approach shifted to an emphasis on actions rather than thoughts and reactions."