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''Inside the Actors Studio'' is an American talk show that airs on Ovation. The series premiered in 1994 on Bravo where it aired for 22 seasons and was hosted by James Lipton from its premiere until 2018. It is taped at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University's
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
campus. On April 2, 2019, it was announced that the show would move to Ovation with the 23rd season premiering on October 13, 2019. Along with producing a new season, Ovation acquired the rights to all previous seasons. With the new format, the show now uses a rotating panel of hosts.


About the program

The program began as a televised craft seminar for students of the Actors Studio Drama School, originally a joint venture of the Actors Studio and
New School University The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinker ...
in 1994, with Paul Newman, a former Actors Studio president, as its first guest, and soon became Bravo's flagship program. At first taped at the New School's Tishman Auditorium in Greenwich Village,
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, it was shifted subsequently to its present location, Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University's
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
campus. The program is presented as a seminar to students of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University. The show deliberately uses a slower pace in the interviews as compared with a typical celebrity interview, thus cameras usually record a couple of hours of conversation, later edited to one or two hours. The result, as a ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' article expressed it, "In Mr. Lipton's guest chair, actors cease being stars for a while and become artists and teachers." Though sometimes, some interviews go longer; Steven Spielberg's 1999 visit, for example, stretched to four hours, and was later shown as two episodes of one hour each. The interviews are guided by Lipton's trademark index-card questions, which sometimes reveal his well-researched knowledge of guests' lives, often startling some. On one such occasion, Billy Crystal told Lipton, "You know you're scary, don't you?" On another occasion, Martin Sheen asked Lipton, "How do you know all this? This is extraordinary." And Sir Anthony Hopkins, upon learning that Lipton knew the exact address where the former had been born and raised in Wales, turned to the audience and remarked, "He's a detective, you know." In May 2005, the contract between the Actors Studio and New School University was not renewed. Beginning with the 12th season, in the fall of 2005, the program was taped at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University's New York City campus. The show featured a new set with a gritty backstage feel, designed by Will Rothfuss for Blair Broadcast Designs, and The Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University re-opened in new facilities. Since its premiere, ''Inside the Actors Studio'' has had over 300 guests. The first episode's guest was Paul Newman ( Alec Baldwin was the first guest, but his interview was broadcast after Newman's). The guests have included 74
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
winners: eight directors; four screenwriters; 61 actors and actresses; and three composers. For its 200th show, Lipton became the guest subject of the show. He was questioned by Dave Chappelle, whom he picked personally. The show ended with the Pace University provost announcing that the college is sponsoring a scholarship in Chappelle's name to his high school alma mater. Based on the show, James Lipton published a book titled ''Inside Inside'' in 2007. In September 2018, Lipton declared that he was stepping down from the program after 23 seasons. Starting in 2019, the show is hosted by different celebrities. In his review of the program, '' The Sunday Times'' critic A.A. Gill wrote: "The format is simple and idiotically inspired. The Actors Studio is the New York drama school made famous by Stanislavsky and his method (although the series is now filmed elsewhere). These shows are thinly set-up masterclasses for students. The cleverness is in the vanity it allows the guests, who are the very greatest and most self-regarding performers and creators of theatre and film. People who are too grand to talk to anyone will talk to ''Inside the Actors Studio''. They believe they're giving something back, offering precious pearls of insight to a new generation. And who doesn't look good passing it on to adoring students? In truth, it's just a chat show on satellite, but the veil of education and posterity is held decorously high, so everybody turns up and talks with a smile." While most of the show is a one-on-one interview conducted by the host (Lipton in the first 22 seasons, rotating hosts since season 23), this is followed by the host submitting a questionnaire to the guest. The questionnaire concept was originated by
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
personality Bernard Pivot on his show '' Apostrophes'', after the Proust Questionnaire. The 10 questions Lipton asks are: #What is your favorite word? #What is your least favorite word? #What turns you on? #What turns you off? #What sound or noise do you love? #What sound or noise do you hate? #What is your favorite curse word? #What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? #What profession would you not like to do? #If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? The program usually concludes with a question-and-answer session with the students. In France, the show has been broadcast since 1999 on Paris Première, with French subtitles.


In popular culture

The show has been good-naturedly lampooned for Lipton's paused and somewhat clipped delivery on ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...
'', in which Will Ferrell portrayed Lipton interviewing himself as an annoyed guest. He was also spoofed on '' The Simpsons'', where character
Rainier Wolfcastle The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The writ ...
(a parody of Arnold Schwarzenegger) shoots his interviewer and a dying Lipton croaks, "It's a pleasure to eat your lead, good sir." In another episode of ''The Simpsons'', in which Homer donates a kidney, he single-mindedly rushes his family home so he can watch the ''Inside The Actors Studio'' interview of
F. Murray Abraham F. Murray Abraham (born Murray Abraham; October 24, 1939) is an American actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he came to prominence for his acclaimed leading role as Antonio Salieri in the drama film '' Amadeus'' (1984) for which he w ...
. Ferrell, with his '' Old School'' co-stars Vince Vaughn, Luke Wilson and director Todd Phillips, again portrayed a satirical version of Lipton in a skit called "Inside the Actors Studio Spoof", which can be seen as part of the DVD release
special features A feature story is a piece of non-fiction writing about news. A feature story is a type of soft news. The main sub-types are the ''news feature'' and the ''human-interest story''. A feature story is distinguished from other types of non-news ...
for the film. Ferrell appears as himself and answers questions poking fun at some of his less successful films, such as ''
A Night at the Roxbury ''A Night at the Roxbury'' is a 1998 American comedy film based on a recurring sketch on television's long-running ''Saturday Night Live'' called " The Roxbury Guys". ''Saturday Night Live'' regulars Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, Molly Shannon, M ...
'', in what is obviously a comedic take on Lipton's reverential approach to his interviewees. Comedian Will Sasso portrayed Lipton on '' Mad TV'' and
David Cross David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and writer known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series ''Mr. Show'' (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/ Netflix sitco ...
parodied him as Cyrus on '' Mr Show''. Weird Al Yankovic's song "Couch Potato" describes "James Lipton discussing the oeuvre of Mr. Rob Schneider." among other things on TV. In the '' Mystery Science Theater 3000'' episode " Werewolf," Mike Nelson hits his head and thinks he is James Lipton.


Guests

Guest list for the show sorted alphabetically by last name. For a full list, see List of ''Inside the Actors Studio'' episodes.


A

* Amy Adams * Ben Affleck * Alan Alda * Tim Allen *
Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...
* Judd Apatow * Will Arnett * Hank Azaria


B

* Lauren Bacall * Alec Baldwin (twice) * Antonio Banderas * Ellen Barkin * Roseanne Barr * Drew Barrymore * Kim Basinger * Jason Bateman * Kathy Bates * Ned Beatty * Halle Berry *
Juliette Binoche Juliette Binoche (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress and dancer. She has appeared in more than sixty feature films and has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Silver Bear, ...
* Jack Black * Cate Blanchett * Jon Bon Jovi * Alex Borstein *
Julie Bowen Julie Bowen Luetkemeyer (born March 3, 1970) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Claire Dunphy in the ABC sitcom '' Modern Family'' (2009–2020), for which she received critical acclaim and six nominations for the Primet ...
* Peter Boyle * Jeff Bridges * Matthew Broderick * Josh Brolin * Pierce Brosnan * David Bryan * Carol Burnett * Ty Burrell * Ellen Burstyn * Gabriel Byrne


C

* James Caan * Nicolas Cage * Michael Caine * James Cameron * Steve Carell *
George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American comedian, actor, author, and social critic. Regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercul ...
* Jim Carrey *
Dan Castellaneta Daniel Louis Castellaneta (; born October 29, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series ''The Simpsons'' (as well as other characters on the show such as Abraham "Grampa" ...
* Nancy Cartwright * Stockard Channing * Dave Chappelle (only artist to appear 3 times - 2005, 2008, 2013) * Jessica Chastain * Don Cheadle * George Clooney * Lauren Cohan * Glenn Close * Chris Colfer * Jennifer Connelly * Bradley Cooper (twice) Bradley Cooper was the first guest to have attended the Actors Studio as a student. ( ) * Francis Ford Coppola * Kevin Costner * Bryan Cranston * Russell Crowe * Tom Cruise * Billy Crystal (twice) * John Cusack


D

* Willem Dafoe (twice) * Matt Damon * Jeff Daniels * Ted Danson * Geena Davis * Viola Davis * Benicio del Toro * Robert De Niro * Bruce Dern *
Laura Dern Laura Elizabeth Dern (born February 10, 1967) is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award, and five Golden Globe Awards. Born to actor Bruce Dern and act ...
(twice) * Johnny Depp * Danny DeVito *
Cameron Diaz Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress. With a variety of works in film, she is widely recognised for her work in romantic comedies and animation. Diaz has received various accolades, including nominations for fo ...
* Matt Dillon * Stanley Donen *
Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the AF ...
* Robert Downey Jr. * Richard Dreyfuss *
David Duchovny David William Duchovny ( ; born ) is an American actor, writer, producer, director, novelist, and singer-songwriter. He is known for portraying FBI agent Fox Mulder on the television series ''The X-Files'' (1993–2002, 2016-2018) and as write ...
*
Olympia Dukakis Olympia Dukakis (June 20, 1931 – May 1, 2021) was an American actress. She performed in more than 130 stage productions, more than 60 films and in 50 television series. Best known as a screen actress, she started her career in theater. Not lon ...
* Faye Dunaway * Lena Dunham * Robert Duvall


E

* Clint Eastwood


F

* Peter Falk * Jesse Tyler Ferguson * Tina Fey * Sally Field * Ralph Fiennes * Colin Firth * Laurence Fishburne * Jane Fonda * Harrison Ford * Jodie Foster * Michael J. Fox (with Tracy Pollan) * Jamie Foxx * James Franco * Morgan Freeman


G

* James Gandolfini * Andy García * Danai Gurira * Brad Garrett * Richard Gere * Ricky Gervais * Danny Glover *
William Goldman William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He first came to prominence in the 1950s as a novelist before turning to screenwriting. He won Academy Awards for his screenplays '' ...
* Whoopi Goldberg * Cuba Gooding Jr. * John Goodman * Hugh Grant *
Lee Grant Lee Grant (born Lyova Haskell Rosenthal; October 31, during the mid-1920s) is an American actress, documentarian, and director. She made her film debut in 1951 as a young shoplifter in William Wyler's '' Detective Story'', co-starring Kirk Doug ...
* Seth Green * Melanie Griffith * Jake Gyllenhaal


H

* Gene Hackman * Jon Hamm * Tom Hanks (twice) * Alyson Hannigan * Mariska Hargitay * Ed Harris * Jared Harris * Neil Patrick Harris (twice) * Teri Hatcher * Ethan Hawke * Goldie Hawn * Salma Hayek * Sean Hayes * Patricia Heaton * Christina Hendricks * Mike Henry * Dustin Hoffman * Philip Seymour Hoffman * Anthony Hopkins (twice) * Dennis Hopper *
Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of '' The Twilight Zone''. ...
* Kate Hudson * Helen Hunt * Holly Hunter * John Hurt * Mitchell Hurwitz *
Anjelica Huston Anjelica Huston ( ; born July 8, 1951) is an American actress and director. Known for often portraying eccentric and distinctive characters, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nom ...


I

* Jeremy Irons


J

* Hugh Jackman (twice) *
Anne Jackson Anne Jackson (September 3, 1925 – April 12, 2016); retrieved April 16, 2016Archivedfrom the original on April 16, 2016. was an American actress of stage, screen, and television. She was the wife of actor Eli Wallach, with whom she often co-st ...
(with Eli Wallach) * Samuel L. Jackson * Allison Janney * Norman Jewison * Billy Joel * Scarlett Johansson * Elton John * Angelina Jolie * January Jones *
Tommy Lee Jones Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor and film director. He has received four Academy Award nominations, winning Best Supporting Actor for his performance as U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard in the 1993 thriller film '' T ...


K

* Vincent Kartheiser * Julie Kavner * Harvey Keitel * Val Kilmer * Ben Kingsley * Jemima Kirke * Kevin Kline


L

*
Martin Landau Martin James Landau (; June 20, 1928 – July 15, 2017) was an American actor, acting coach, producer, and editorial cartoonist. His career began in the 1950s, with early film appearances including a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's ''North ...
* Diane Lane * Nathan Lane * Jessica Lange *
Anthony LaPaglia Anthony LaPaglia (, ; born 31 January 1959) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his role as Jack Malone in the television drama ''Without a Trace'' (2002–2009), for which he received a Golden Globe Award in 2004. LaPaglia won a Prim ...
*
Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album ''All Hail the Que ...
* Hugh Laurie * Jude Law * Martin Lawrence * Denis Leary * Spike Lee * Jennifer Jason Leigh * Jack Lemmon * Jay Leno * Jerry Lewis * Laura Linney * James LiptonJames Lipton's episode was hosted by previous guest Dave Chappelle. * Jennifer Lopez * Julia Louis-Dreyfus * Sidney Lumet * Jane Lynch


M

* Seth MacFarlane * Shirley MacLaine *
William H. Macy William Hall Macy Jr. (born March 13, 1950) is an American actor. His film career has been built on appearances in small, independent films, though he has also appeared in mainstream films. Some of his best known starring roles include those i ...
* Zosia Mamet * Leslie Mann * Mary Stuart Masterson * Matthew McConaughey * Eric McCormack * Ian McKellen *
Chris Meloni Christopher Peter Meloni (; born April 2, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC legal drama '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' for its first 12 seasons and its spin-off ' ...
*
S. Epatha Merkerson Sharon Epatha Merkerson (born November 28, 1952) is a film, stage, and television actor. Known by her stage name S. Epatha Merkerson, she has received numerous high-profile accolades for her work, including an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a ...
* Debra Messing * Lea Michele * Bette Midler * Arthur Miller * Liza Minnelli * Mo'Nique * Cory Monteith * Julianne Moore *
Mary Tyler Moore Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on '' The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966) and '' The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), whi ...
* Jeanne Moreau * Matthew Morrison * Megan Mullally * Eddie Murphy * Ryan Murphy * Mike Myers (twice)


N

*
Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed 7th on '' Th ...
* Paul Newman * Mike Nichols *
Chris Noth Christopher David Noth ( ; born November 13, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Mike Logan on ''Law & Order'' (1990–95), Big on ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), and Peter Florrick on ''The ...
* Edward Norton


O

* Conan O'Brien * Rosie O'Donnell * Ed O'Neill *
David Oyelowo David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo ( ; born 1 April 1976) is a British actor, director and producer. His accolades include a Critics' Choice Award and two NAACP Image Awards as well as nominations for two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, ...


P

* Al Pacino (twice) * Gwyneth Paltrow * Sarah Jessica Parker (twice) * Estelle Parsons * Jim Parsons * Arthur Penn * Sean Penn * Bernadette Peters * Michelle Pfeiffer * Brad Pitt * Amy Poehler * Sydney Pollack * Tracy Pollan (with Michael J. Fox) *
Natalie Portman Natalie Portman (born Natalie Hershlag, he, נטע-לי הרשלג, ) is an Israeli-born American actress. She has had a prolific film career since her teenage years and has starred in various blockbusters and independent films, receiving mu ...


Q

* Dennis Quaid * Anthony Quinn


R

* Daniel Radcliffe * Josh Radnor * Robert Redford * Vanessa Redgrave * Norman Reedus * Christopher Reeve * Burt Reynolds * Tim Robbins * Doris Roberts * Julia Roberts * Chris Rock * Ray Romano * Diana Ross * Portia de Rossi * Mickey Rourke * Mark Ruffalo * Meg Ryan *
Mark Rydell Mark Rydell (born Mortimer H. Rydell; March 23, 1929) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has directed several Academy Award-nominated films including '' The Fox'' (1967), '' The Reivers'' (1969), ''Cinderella Liberty'' (1973) ...


S

* Richie Sambora * Susan Sarandon * Robert Schneider *
Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, incl ...
* Kyra Sedgwick * Jason Segel * Alia Shawkat * Harry Shearer *
Charlie Sheen Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as ''Platoon'' (1986), ''Wall Street'' (1987), '' Young Guns'' (1988), '' The Rookie'' (1990), ''The Thr ...
* Martin Sheen * Brooke Shields * Kiernan Shipka * Martin Short * Sarah Silverman * Neil Simon * Gary Sinise * Christian Slater * John Slattery * Yeardley Smith * Will Smith *
Cobie Smulders Jacoba Francisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders (born April 3, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her starring role as Robin Scherbatsky in the CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'' (2005–2014) and as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in the Ma ...
*
Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...
* Sissy Spacek * Kevin Spacey * Steven Spielberg * Sylvester Stallone * Ben Stiller * Sharon Stone *
Eric Stonestreet Eric Allen Stonestreet (born September 9, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for portraying Cameron Tucker in the ABC mockumentary sitcom ''Modern Family'', for which he received two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supportin ...
*
Susan Stroman Susan P. Stroman (born October 17, 1954) is an American theatre director, choreographer, film director and performer. Her notable theater productions include '' The Producers'', '' Crazy for You'', ''Contact'', and '' The Scottsboro Boys''. She is ...
* Meryl Streep *
Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...
* Donald Sutherland * Kiefer Sutherland * Hilary Swank


T

* Jeffrey Tambor *
Tico Torres Hector Juan Samuel "Tico" Torres (born October 7, 1953) is an American musician, artist, and entrepreneur, best known as the drummer, percussionist, and a songwriter for American rock band Bon Jovi. In 2018, Torres was inducted into the Rock ...
* Charlize Theron * Billy Bob Thornton * John Travolta


V

* Sofía Vergara


W

*
Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), former stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, businessman, and former rapper. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Mark Wahlberg, multiple accolades, including a B ...
* Christopher Walken * Eli Wallach (with
Anne Jackson Anne Jackson (September 3, 1925 – April 12, 2016); retrieved April 16, 2016Archivedfrom the original on April 16, 2016. was an American actress of stage, screen, and television. She was the wife of actor Eli Wallach, with whom she often co-st ...
) * Jessica Walter * Barbara Walters * Naomi Watts * Sigourney Weaver * Matthew Weiner * Kristen Wiig *
Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. After making his f ...
* Betty White * Gene Wilder * Allison Williams *
Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...
* Bruce Willis * Debra Winger * Henry Winkler * Kate Winslet * Shelley Winters * Dick Wolf *
Alfre Woodard Alfre Woodard (; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including four Primetime Emmy Awards (tying the record for the most acting Emmys won by an African-American performer, along with Regina King), ...
* James Woods * Joanne Woodward


Y

* Steven Yeun


Z

* Renée Zellweger ;Cast notes


Ensemble guests

* Cast of '' Everybody Loves Raymond'': Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, Doris Roberts, and Peter Boyle * Cast of '' Family Guy'': Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green and Mike Henry ** Mila Kunis, who plays Meg Griffin, had a schedule conflict and was unavailable. * Casts of '' Law & Order'': creator Dick Wolf,
Chris Noth Christopher David Noth ( ; born November 13, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Mike Logan on ''Law & Order'' (1990–95), Big on ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), and Peter Florrick on ''The ...
(''Law & Order''; '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent''),
S. Epatha Merkerson Sharon Epatha Merkerson (born November 28, 1952) is a film, stage, and television actor. Known by her stage name S. Epatha Merkerson, she has received numerous high-profile accolades for her work, including an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a ...
(''Law & Order'') ** Christopher Meloni ('' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'') had to leave before his interview during the taping because of an illness he had that day, he was edited out of the introduction since he was not able to be interviewed during the show. * Cast of '' The Producers'' musical: director
Susan Stroman Susan P. Stroman (born October 17, 1954) is an American theatre director, choreographer, film director and performer. Her notable theater productions include '' The Producers'', '' Crazy for You'', ''Contact'', and '' The Scottsboro Boys''. She is ...
, Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick * Cast of '' The Simpsons'':
Dan Castellaneta Daniel Louis Castellaneta (; born October 29, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series ''The Simpsons'' (as well as other characters on the show such as Abraham "Grampa" ...
, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, and Harry Shearer ** Kavner left in the middle of the show without an on-air explanation, leaving an empty chair for much of the show, until it was removed during a commercial break. When James Lipton appeared on The ''Simpsons'' Season 13 DVD Audio Commentary (Episode " The Sweetest Apu"), he explained that Kavner was scheduled to go to Shelter Island on Long Island on an 11:15pm ferry, so she had to leave. Although Kavner is known for not approving of doing her Marge Simpson voice in person, she did perform the voice (as well as that of Patty and Selma Bouvier) while hiding her face behind a cardboard cutout of Marge's face although the final broadcast showed clips of the character as well as the characters portrayed by the other actors while they did their voices. * Cast of '' Will & Grace'': Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes, and Megan Mullally * Members of Bon Jovi: Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, David Bryan and
Tico Torres Hector Juan Samuel "Tico" Torres (born October 7, 1953) is an American musician, artist, and entrepreneur, best known as the drummer, percussionist, and a songwriter for American rock band Bon Jovi. In 2018, Torres was inducted into the Rock ...
* Cast of '' Modern Family'': Ed O'Neill, Sofia Vergara,
Julie Bowen Julie Bowen Luetkemeyer (born March 3, 1970) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Claire Dunphy in the ABC sitcom '' Modern Family'' (2009–2020), for which she received critical acclaim and six nominations for the Primet ...
, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and
Eric Stonestreet Eric Allen Stonestreet (born September 9, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for portraying Cameron Tucker in the ABC mockumentary sitcom ''Modern Family'', for which he received two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supportin ...
*Cast of '' Glee'': Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Chris Colfer, Jane Lynch, Matthew Morrison, and creator Ryan Murphy *Cast of '' Mad Men'': Jon Hamm, January Jones, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina Hendricks, Kiernan Shipka, John Slattery, Jared Harris, and Matthew Weiner *Cast of '' Arrested Development'': Mitchell Hurwitz, Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, Alia Shawkat, Jeffrey Tambor, and Jessica Walter *Cast of '' How I Met Your Mother'': Josh Radnor, Jason Segel,
Cobie Smulders Jacoba Francisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders (born April 3, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her starring role as Robin Scherbatsky in the CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'' (2005–2014) and as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in the Ma ...
, Neil Patrick Harris, and Alyson Hannigan. *Cast of '' The Walking Dead'': Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Norman Reedus, and Steven Yeun. *Cast of '' Girls'': Lena Dunham, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, and Allison Williams.


Declined invitations

* In January 2013, Jennifer Lawrence declined the chance to appear on the show, citing her youth and lack of experience. * From the show's beginnings, Lipton had tried to persuade Marlon Brando to come on the show. Although a charter member of the Actors Studio, Brando flatly refused; speaking in a 2012 interview, it was the only such categorical rejection Lipton could recall:
the time I started the show -- although he was a member of the Actor's Studio and had been trained by Stella Adler as I was; we knew each other, and we used to talk on the phone for hours at a time -- but by that time he was already reclusive. I couldn't get him out of the house and neither could anyone else.


Home media

Selected episodes of the show have been released by Shout! Factory. Three DVDs containing a single episode each feature Robin Williams, Johnny Depp, Dave Chappelle and Barbra Streisand. Two compilation sets were also released. ''Leading Men'' features Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Sean Penn, and Russell Crowe. ''Icons'' features Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and Barbra Streisand.


Awards

The show has been nominated for 18 Emmy awards, winning once.


References


Further reading

*
Inside Inside
', by James Lipton. Pub. Dutton, 2007. . *'' Inside the Actors Studio''. Pub. Shout Factory, 2008. .


External links

* *
''Actor Guests List''
{{EmmyAward Informational Series or Special 1994 American television series debuts 1990s American television talk shows 2000s American television talk shows 2010s American television talk shows English-language television shows Television shows filmed in New York City Bravo (American TV network) original programming Actors Studio