Herbert Berghof (13 September 1909 – 5 November 1990) was an Austrian-American actor, director and acting teacher.Kennedy, Dennis. ''The Oxford Companion to Theatre and Performance'', Oxford Univ. Press (2010) p. 61

Early life

Born and educated in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Austria, Berghof studied acting there with

Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born theatre and film director, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his innovative stage productions, he is regarded as one of the most pro ...

. In 1939, he moved to New York where he launched a career as an actor and director on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, and worked with

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American theatre director, actor and acting teacher. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931 ...

.Rosenfeld, Carol. ''Acting and Living in Discovery: A Workbook for the Actor'', Hackett Publishing (2014) p. 120 Berghof became a charter member of the Actors Studio in 1947, with classmates including Marlon Brando,

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 ...

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

, and Sidney Lumet.

Career

Herbert Berghof-Maria Riva in Suspense (Death Drum)

In 1945, he co-founded

HB Studio The HB Studio (Herbert Berghof Studio) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization offering professional training in the performing arts through classes, workshops, free lectures, theater productions, theater rentals, a theater artist residency progra ...

(the Herbert Berghof Studio) in New York City, as a place where aspiring actors could train and practice. In 1948,

Uta Hagen Uta Thyra Hagen (12 June 1919 – 14 January 2004) was a German-American actress and theatre practitioner. She originated the role of Martha in the 1962 Broadway premiere of ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' by Edward Albee, who called her "a ...

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 Fritz William Weaver (January 19, 1926 − November 26, 2016) was an American actor in television, stage, and motion pictures. He portrayed Dr. Josef Weiss in the 1978 epic television drama, ''Holocaust'' for which he was nominated for a Primetime ...

Anne Bancroft Anne Bancroft (born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano; September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an American actress. Respected for her acting prowess and versatility, Bancroft received an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two ...

Donna McKechnie Donna McKechnie (born November 16, 1942) is an American musical theater dancer, singer, actress, and choreographer. She is known for her professional and personal relationship with choreographer Michael Bennett, with whom she collaborated on ...

and

Matthew Broderick Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is an American actor. His roles include the Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of the title character in '' Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986), the voice of adult Simba in Disney's ''The Lion King'' (1994) ...

.Peter B. Flint
Herbert Berghof, Actor, Director And Eminent Acting Teacher, 81
''

The 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 d ...

''. Retrieved 27 October 2007.Al Pacino & Lawrence Grobel (2006), ''Al Pacino in conversation with Lawrence Grobel'',

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pu ...

, , p. xix. 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." Stage appearances by Berghof included roles in Ibsen's ''

The Lady from the Sea ''The Lady from the Sea'' ( no, Fruen fra havet, link=no) is a play written in 1888 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen inspired by the ballad '' Agnete og Havmanden''. The drama introduces the character of Hilde Wangel who is again portrayed ...

'' (1950), ''

The Andersonville Trial ''The Andersonville Trial'' is an American television adaptation of a 1959 hit Broadway play by Saul Levitt. It was presented as an episode of the PBS anthology series '' Hollywood Television Theatre'' on May 17, 1970. Description The movie wa ...

'' (1959). Among his film appearances were ''

5 Fingers ''5 Fingers'', known also as ''Five Fingers'', is a 1952 American spy film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and produced by Otto Lang. The screenplay written by Michael Wilson was based on the 1950 book ''Operation Cicero'' (original German: ' ...

'' (1952), ''

Red Planet Mars ''Red Planet Mars'' is a 1952 American science fiction film released by United Artists starring Peter Graves and Andrea King. It is based on a 1932 play ''Red Planet'' written by John L. Balderston and John Hoare and was directed by art director ...

'' (1952), '' Fräulein'' (1958), '' Cleopatra'' (1963), '' An Affair of the Skin'' (1963), ''

Harry and Tonto ''Harry and Tonto'' is a 1974 road movie written by Paul Mazursky and Josh Greenfeld and directed by Mazursky. It features Art Carney as Harry in an Oscar-winning performance. Tonto is his pet cat. Plot Harry Coombes (Art Carney) is an elderly ...

'' (1974), '' Voices'' (1979), '' Those Lips, Those Eyes'' (1980), ''

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

'' (1980) and '' Target'' (1985). He directed the first Broadway production of Beckett's '' Waiting for Godot'' (1956).

Death

Described by ''

'' as "one of the nation's most respected acting teachers and coaches", he died of a heart ailment on 5 November 1990 at his home in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

Partial filmography

*''

'' (1952) – Col. von Richter *''

'' (1952) – Franz Calder *'' Diplomatic Courier'' (1952) – Arnov *''

Assignment – Paris! ''Assignment – Paris!'' is a 1952 American Cold War film noir directed by Robert Parrish and starring Dana Andrews, Märta Torén, George Sanders and Audrey Totter. Premise Paris-based ''New York Herald Tribune'' reporter Jimmy Race (Andrews) ...

'' (1952) – Prime Minister Andreas Ordy *'' Fräulein'' (1958) – Karl Angermann *'' Cleopatra'' (1963) – Theodotos *'' An Affair of the Skin'' (1963) – Max *''

'' (1974) – Rivetowski *''Mastermind'' (1976) *'' Voices'' (1979) – Nathan Rothman *'' Those Lips, Those Eyes'' (1980) – Dr. Julius Fuldauer *''

'' (1980) – Dr. Huber *'' Target'' (1985) – Schroeder (final film role)

References

External links

*
Uta Hagen and Herbert Berghof papers, 1889–2004 and undated
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berghof, Herbert 1909 births 1990 deaths American acting coaches American male film actors 20th-century American male actors Austrian emigrants to the United States