Howard Fine
| Howard Fine | |
|---|---|
| Born |
November 28, 1958 Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Occupation | Acting teacher, theater director, author |
Howard Fine (born November 28, 1958) is an American acting teacher, theater director, and author. He is the founder of the Howard Fine Acting Studio in Hollywood, California.
Early life
Fine was born in Providence, Rhode Island, the youngest of five children. His parents, Max, an American GI, and Nelly, a Holocaust survivor, were married in Shanghai before returning to the U.S. Due to a fluke scheduling conflict between French and German classes, Fine ended up taking his first theater class in high school. His drama teacher spotted his directing talent and gave him his first play to direct, Edward Albee's The Sandbox, at age 16. He was first introduced to the work of his mentor, Uta Hagen, while in high school. His teacher taught from Hagen's first book, Respect for Acting, and would take the class to New York to watch classes at Hagen's studio. Fine and Hagen remained close friends until her death.
Career
Early career
After completing graduate school in Boston, Fine moved to New York City, where he landed his first teaching job at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. After one semester of teaching, he was promoted to head of the Acting Department at the age of 24, making him the youngest head in the studio’s history.
Acting teacher
In 1985, Fine moved to Los Angeles with his best friend, voice coach David Coury. Fine began his career in Los Angeles by privately coaching students in his living room, but in 1988, he had to expand to accommodate his growing classes. His studio relocated four times before occupying its present location, 317 N. LaBrea Ave at Beverly Blvd. Fine received recognition for his teaching in 2006 when named "Best Acting Teacher in Los Angeles" in Back Stage West 's "Best of Los Angeles" issue.[1]
Theater director
In addition to being an acting coach, Fine is also an accomplished theatre director. He directed Michael Chiklis in his Broadway debut in Rob Becker's Defending the Caveman.[2] He recently directed Elizabeth Berkley, Ally Sheedy, and Rachel Dratch in David Lindsay-Abaire's That Other Person as part of the best of the 24-hour plays on Broadway.[3] He won a Drama-logue award and received an Ovation Award nomination for his direction of Billy Campbelll in Fortinbras.[4]
Author
Fine is the author of Fine on Acting: A Vision of the Craft, from Havenhurst Books. In the book, Fine offers specifics on the acting technique he has taught for over twenty-five years.[5] The book also features a forward by actor Michael Chiklis.
For five consecutive years, Fine has been asked by the Los Angeles Times to analyze the acting of the Oscar nominees.[6] His Oscar commentary has been featured on Entertainment Tonight, Extra, Access Hollywood, E, Sky TV, BBC, and CNN. In addition to the Los Angeles Times, Fine has been quoted in The Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and USA Today Weekend, and has spoken on numerous radio shows nationwide.[7]
Reality television
Fine has appeared as himself in numerous reality shows, including Dance Moms, Confessions of a Teen Idol, Next Action Star, The Anna Nicole Show, MTV's The Big Picture, It Girls, Twenty Four-Seven, and on many E! True Hollywood Story and Biography episodes. He also appeared as himself in the film Spiritual Warriors.
Charitable works
Fine's favorite charity is Project Angel Food. He directed 10 consecutive years of the critically acclaimed benefit Divas Simply Singing, which featured such artists as Roberta Flack, Tina Arena, Melissa Manchester, The Pussycat Dolls, Whoopi Goldberg and Sharon Stone. He, along with Producer Paul Papile, created In Concert, which benefits Project Angel Food and has featured such artists as Deborah Gibson, Michael Chiklis, James Belushi, Sam Harris, and Tisha Campbell-Martin.
Past and present students
References
- ↑ "Best of Los Angeles | Backstage". backstage.com. Retrieved 2015-04-13.
- ↑
- ↑ Lindsay-Abaire, D. (2006). Three One-acts: Crazy Eights, Baby Food, and That Other Person. Dramatists Play Service. p. 36. ISBN 9780822221661. Retrieved 2015-04-13.
- ↑ "'Ragtime' Sets a Record for Ovation Nominations - latimes". articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 2015-04-13.
- ↑ "havenhurstbooks.com - havenhurstbooks Resources and Information. This website is for sale!". havenhurstbooks.com. Retrieved 2015-04-13.
- ↑ "Calendar's Big Oscars Issue : Who'd Know Better About the Cream of 1993's Acting Crop? - latimes". articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 2015-04-13.
- ↑ Information provided by Howard Fine
- ↑ http://howardfine.com/faculty/howardfine.html
- ↑ "Havenhurstbooks.com". havenhurstbooks.com. Retrieved 2015-04-13.