Creator of 'Inside The Actors Studio' Passes Away at 93

Conceived by Lipton in 1994, Inside the Actors Studio was created to serve as a thinly disguised master class for the students of the Actors Studio Drama School, a joint venture of the Actors Studio and The New School.

Published: Monday,Mar 02, 2020 20:19 PM GMT-07:00

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James Lipton, who was best known for creating and hosting Inside The Acting Studio has passed away at 93.

Lipton passed away early Monday at his home in Manhattan from bladder cancer, his wife, Kedakai Mercedes Lipton, told The Hollywood Reporter.

"He lived each day as if it were his last," Kedakai Lipton said in a statement to THR. "His work was his passion, loved what he did and all the people he worked with. He empowered people to do their best and hopefully his spirit, curiosity and passion will live on."

Conceived by Lipton in 1994, Inside the Actors Studio was created to serve as a thinly disguised master class for the students of the Actors Studio Drama School, a joint venture of the Actors Studio and The New School. With Paul Newman as its initial guest, each one-hour program featured a top performer in an intimate and in-depth one-on-one interview with Lipton.

Nearly 300 subjects, including many Oscar and Emmy winners, shared the secrets of their craft with Lipton and his audience of students before the TV cameras. The show became one of cable's longest-running series.

"James Lipton was a titan of the film and entertainment industry and had a profound influence on so many," said Frances Berwick, president of NBCU Lifestyle Networks and home to Bravo, said in a statement on Monday. "I had the pleasure of working with Jim for 20 years on Bravo's first original series, his pride and joy Inside the Actors Studio. We all enjoyed and respected his fierce passion, contributions to the craft, comprehensive research and his ability to bring the most intimate interviews ever conducted with A-list actors across generations. Bravo and NBCUniversal send our deepest condolences to Jim's wife Kedakai and all of his family."

The recipient of three honorary Ph.D.s, Lipton was honored with the French Republic's Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres. In 2016, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Daytime Emmys and a Critics' Choice Award for best reality show host.