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Milton George Katselas (December 22, 1933 – October 24, 2008) was an American-Greek director and producer of theatre director and film director, as well as a Hollywood acting instructor and coach who trained under Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg at the acclaimed Actors Studio in New York City. In 1978, he acquired the Beverly Hills Playhouse, where he taught a master class for many years.
Katselas was a Scientology and some former students have alleged that his acting classes were used as recruitment for the Church of Scientology, while others have stated Katselas never mentioned or spoke about Scientology during classes.
After high school, he set off for Pittsburgh's Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon) to study theater. On a visit to New York, he sneaked in to watch Lee Strasberg's acting class where he also saw renowned director Elia Kazan on the street and chased him down. "I talked to him in Greek, and he talked with me"... He told me, `When you finish college, come see me.'", Katselas recalled."The Star of His Own Show", Buzz Magazine, March 1998 Following graduation in 1954, he began studying with Lee Strasberg and serving as an apprentice to Kazan.
In 1973 he reunited with Gershe and Albert for the film version of Forty Carats. His other credits include the Broadway shows Camino Real and The Rose Tattoo, local productions of The Seagull, Romeo and Juliet, and Streamers - all of which won him L.A. Drama Critics Circle awards for best direction.
In 1983, Katselas directed a revival of Noël Coward's Private Lives, the only Broadway stage production in which Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton co-starred together. However, after the show was panned in its Boston tryout, Taylor, who was a producer, fired Katselas, yet he retained his directing credit for the Broadway run. The Liz and Dick Show, May 9, 1983, Marie Brennan, New York Magazine. Retrieved November 3, 2008. He also directed the screen adaptation of Mark Medoff's When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?
He had a wide range of students, including Gene Hackman, Jenna Elfman, George Clooney, Alec Baldwin, Giovanni Ribisi, Tom Selleck, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ted Danson, Tony Danza, Jeffrey Tambor, Tyne Daly, Lakshmi Manchu, Doris Roberts, Anne Archer, Kate Hudson, Kim Cattrall, Thaao Penghlis, Robert Urich, and Patrick Swayze.
Some students reportedly felt alienated by the unspoken pressure to join the Church of Scientology, however. While Katselas was highly regarded as a teacher, his classes remained controversial.
In his later years, Katselas became disaffected with post-Hubbard Scientology. He eventually had a break with the organisation, when a Scientologist named Grant Cardone sent an e-mail accusing Katselas of improper sexual conduct with his students. Following the incident, a number of Scientologist actors left the school.
Katselas died of heart failure on October 24, 2008, aged 74, at the Los Angeles hospital Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Katselas was portrayed by actor James Franco in the Sal Mineo biopic Sal, which Franco also directed.
Books
Katselas was the author of two books.
Personal life
Katselas was a long-time Scientology, having been introduced to the cult in 1965, and had attained the Scientology state of Operating Thetan. While his relationship with Church of Scientology management broke down in his later years, he remained dedicated to Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard to his death.
External links
Categories: 1933 Births, 2008 Deaths, American Acting Coaches, American Theatre Directors, American Scientologists, American People Of Greek Descent, Mass Media People From Greater Los Angeles, Artists From Pittsburgh, Film Directors From California, American Drama Teachers, American Acting Theorists
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