Larry Moss is an American actor, director and acting coach. He wrote the
acting
Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode.
Acting involves a broad r ...
textbook
A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textbook ...
, ''The Intent to Live,'' and has directed numerous theatre productions, most notably '' The Syringa Tree'' and ''
Holding the Man
''Holding the Man'' is a 1995 memoir by Australian writer, actor, and activist Timothy Conigrave. It tells of his 15-year love affair with John Caleo, which started when they met in the mid-1970s at Xavier College, an all-boys Jesuit Cathol ...
''.
History
He first began his acting career in New York starring in ''Upstairs at the Downstairs'' and appearing on Broadway in ''
West Side Story
''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents.
Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...
'', ''
Drat! The Cat!
''Drat! The Cat!'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Ira Levin and music by Milton Schafer.
Originally called ''Cat and Mouse'', this spoof of late- Victorian melodrama has at its core Alice Van Guilder, who wants to be a career girl at a ti ...
'', ''
God's Favorite
''God's Favorite'' is a play by Neil Simon, loosely based on the Biblical Book of Job. It was produced on Broadway in 1974.
Production
Produced by Emanuel Azenberg, the play opened on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on December 11, 1974 a ...
'', '' So Long, 174th Street'', '' The Robber Bridegroom'', and '' I Love My Wife''. He switched to teaching after he started having stage fright before shows.Moss, Larry (2004). ''The Intent to Live: Achieving Your True Potential as an Actor''. Bantam, New York. .
He taught at
Juilliard
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...
and Circle in the Square in New York. He originally came to Los Angeles to train C. Thomas Howell for ''The Hitcher''. After
Helen Hunt
Helen Elizabeth Hunt (born June 15, 1963) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards.
Hunt rose to fame portraying Ja ...
thanked him in her acceptance speech after winning an Oscar in 1997 for ''
As Good as It Gets
''As Good as It Gets'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by James L. Brooks, who co-wrote it with Mark Andrus. The film stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, bigoted, and obsessive–compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt as ...
'', the A-List demand for Moss' coaching increased. He coached
Hilary Swank
Hilary Ann Swank (born July 30, 1974) is an American actress and film producer. She first became known in 1992 for her role on the television series '' Camp Wilder'' and made her film debut with a minor role in ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1992 ...
in her Academy Award-winning performances in '' Boys Don’t Cry'' and ''
Million Dollar Baby
''Million Dollar Baby'' is a 2004 American sports drama film directed, co-produced, scored by and starring Clint Eastwood from a screenplay written by Paul Haggis, based on stories from the 2000 collection ''Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner' ...
'',
Michael Clarke Duncan
Michael Clarke Duncan (December 10, 1957September 3, 2012) was an American actor. He was best known for his breakout role as John Coffey in '' The Green Mile'' (1999), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor a ...
Hank Azaria
Henry Albert Azaria ( ; born April 25, 1964) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is known for voicing many characters in the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), most notably Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, ...
's Emmy winning turn in ''
Tuesdays with Morrie
''Tuesdays with Morrie'' is a memoir by American author Mitch Albom about a series of visits Albom made to his former sociology professor Morrie Schwartz, as Schwartz gradually dies of ALS. The book topped the ''New York Times'' Non-Fiction B ...
'', and
Tobey Maguire
Tobias Vincent Maguire (born June 27, 1975) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for playing the title character from Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007), a role he later reprised in '' Spider-Man: No Way Hom ...
in ''
Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit (May 23, 1933 – May 17, 1947) was a champion thoroughbred racehorse in the United States who became the top money-winning racehorse up to the 1940s. He beat the 1937 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, by four lengths in a two-horse ...
The Departed
''The Departed'' is a 2006 American epic crime thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan. It is both a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film '' Infernal Affairs'' and also loosely based on the real-life Boston Win ...
''.
Moss founded The Larry Moss Studio (now The Acting Studio at Edgemar Center for the Arts) with Michelle Danner. Larry Moss no longer teaches at the Edgemar Center for the Arts. He works internationally as a private acting coach.
Method
He studied his craft under
Stella Adler
Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher. ''
Sanford Meisner and Warren Robertson.
Director
Larry Moss has also directed a number of film and theatre productions including '' The Syringa Tree'', ''Dos corazones'' both as a play and on film, ''Beast on the Moon'', and ''Runt of the Litter'', a 2002 play which was written and starred professional American football player
Bo Eason
Bo Eason (born March 10, 1961) is an American actor, playwright, author, motivational speaker, and retired football player who played safety for four seasons for the Houston Oilers.
Early life
Eason was born and raised in Walnut Grove, Calif ...
. In 2014 Moss directed a Los Angeles production of the Australian classic ''
Holding the Man
''Holding the Man'' is a 1995 memoir by Australian writer, actor, and activist Timothy Conigrave. It tells of his 15-year love affair with John Caleo, which started when they met in the mid-1970s at Xavier College, an all-boys Jesuit Cathol ...
'' for The Australian Theater Company. The production was met with strong critical praise citing Moss' direction and the performances of the cast. His next project will be a biographical film about
Montgomery Clift
Edward Montgomery Clift (; October 17, 1920 – July 23, 1966) was an American actor. A four-time Academy Award nominee, he was known for his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men", according to ''The New York Times''.
He is best remembered ...
entitled ''Monty Clift'' with
Matt Bomer
Matthew Staton Bomer (born October 11, 1977) is an American actor. He is the recipient of accolades such as a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
In 2000, he made his television debut o ...