Bob Krakower
Encyclopedia
Bob Krakower is an American acting teacher/coach who is founder and owner of his own acting studio in New York City. He also works in film and television in Los Angeles and around the country.
When Allen Fletcher left A.C.T., he asked Krakower to go with him. Together they started the National Theatre Conservatory, a graduate program created by Act of Congress and Presidential designation in association with the American National Theatre and Academy. Fletcher died at the end of the first year, and Krakower returned to the East Coast, mourning his mentor. But it was not long before he was involved with yet another landmark institution: a few months later, Jon Jory, Producing Director of the Tony Award
winning Actors Theatre of Louisville
, asked him to come to the theatre and revive its Student Company. For six years, Bob was the Director of Actor Training and Master Acting Teacher, shepherding the school into the national spotlight. In a 1988 exchange program, he taught with the Moscow Art Theatre's
famed Studio Chelovek . Along with Jory and Michael Bigelow Dixon, he was also a creative force behind the bi-yearly Shorts Festivals of New American Plays, producing and/or directing over 100 plays at the theatre by writers such as Howard Korder
, Lanford Wilson
, Jane Anderson
, and Jane Martin
, among many others. As a Resident Director, he helmed several productions, including the first regional productions of David Mamet's
"Speed-The-Plow" and Craig Lucas
' "Prelude To A Kiss."
While at Louisville, he remained involved with his own San Francisco-based theatre company, "Encore" (winner of several Bay Area Theatre Awards for Acting, including Best Ensemble), serving as a founding member, actor, and Artistic Director. Mr. Krakower directed two of the company's most critically acclaimed productions: the sold-out runs of Howard Korder's
"Boys Life," and Chekhov's
"The Three Sisters." During this time, he also served as Guest Director/Teacher for the Atlantic Theatre Company (founded by David Mamet
& William H. Macy
). He directed original productions, including Steven Dietz's
"Trust," starring Kristen Johnston
. In 1996-97, he took over as Director of the Atlantic Theatre Company Acting School, running both the Professional and NYU Undergraduate Divisions. He has been on staff and guest-taught for (among many others), NYU, the Stella Adler Conservatory, The Howard Fine
Studio, and The Actor's Center
in New York, where he joined Earl Gister (Yale), Lloyd Richards
(Broadway), and J. Michael Miller (NYU) as a Founding Faculty Member.
, who had noted his eye for young talent, and eager to get back home to New York on a permanent basis, he accepted. Over the next three years—at ABC
, MTV
, Paramount
, and Tollin-Robbins Productions—he worked as a casting director on over 50 projects, including "NYPD Blue,"
"My So-Called Life,"
"Arli$$,"
"All That,"
and "Varsity Blues."
Noting Bob's teaching background, director Brian Robbins
also employed him as an acting coach on many projects, culminating in their work together on "The Perfect Score
" (starring Scarlett Johansson
, Erika Christensen
, Chris Evans
, Bryan Greenberg
, and Darius Miles
), and "Hardball"
(starring Keanu Reeves
). In the director’s commentary of the DVD for "Hardball,"
Robbins
says, “Bob helped find a lot of the kids and more importantly --I knew I had my hands full with ten actors who never acted before -- he really gave them skills, and he really turned them into actors. Because when I got them on the set, they were ready. They knew the essence of a scene, they weren’t just saying words…they really had some chops built up and he just did a fantastic job with them.”
Krakower has gone on to coach actors on dozens of television shows and movies, frequently hired by the studios, networks, and production companies themselves. Whether he is working with kids ("Hardball," "All That"), stand-up comics (Louis C.K.
, Lewis Black
, John Pinette
, Jimmy Fallon
, Greg Geraldo, Jim Norton
, and others) or actors (Reba McEntire
, Josh Duhamel
, Eden Espinosa
, Antonique Smith
, Milena Govich
, and many more), he does so with what Emmy Award
Winning director Michael Lembeck
has called "the most passionate, kindest, and brightest approach I've seen." He has had his own very successful acting studio in NYC since 1996, teaching on a regular basis there while maintaining a busy schedule coaching on set in Los Angeles.
” (starring Amanda Bynes
and Jennie Garth
), “Reba.
” (starring Reba McEntire
) and “I Say Nay, Nay” a concert starring comedian John Pinette
. Over the years , he has written several plays that have been published and performed around the country. These include “Mixed Emotions,” “No-Win Situation,” and the very popular “4a.m. (Open All Night), which was made into a film starring Tate Donovan
and Wendy Makkena
, directed by J. Miller Tobin. His script “Bobby Z” (written with partner Allen Lawrence) was directed by John Herzfeld, and starred Paul Walker
, Laurence Fishburne
, and Olivia Wilde
. Currently in development (also with Mr. Lawrence) are “Ramblin’ Man: Woody Guthrie” and “Any Rough Times.”
Early life
Bob Krakower was born in Paterson, New Jersey. His parents Alvin (a doctor) and Diane (an office manager) were married for twenty nine years until his father’s death in 1987. He grew up in Oradell, New Jersey, graduating from River Dell High School. Many of his summers were spent with his grandparents in Brooklyn, New York, where his grandfather ran a knish & beer stand on the Brighton Beach boardwalk. Bob went to Tufts University, double majored in English and Psychology, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. In order to fulfill a course requirement, he ended up in an acting class, which proved to be a lucky fluke. After taking several classes, the theatre faculty spotted his ability to help actors, and enlisted him to help his fellow students with their performance. By the time Bob graduated, he knew he wanted to teach acting.Theatre
For his first professional experience, Krakower applied for a position as a stage management intern at the famed American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, California. In another lucky break, he was hired as an employee after the theatre had an internal misunderstanding and took on more interns than they needed. The company's founder and Artistic Director (William Ball) and the Conservatory Director (famed acting teacher Allen Fletcher), took their new employee under their wing. By the age of 24, Krakower was teaching first year graduate acting, directing projects, and most impressively, held the title of Associate Director of the Conservatory, making him the youngest person to hold that post at a major Theatre Conservatory in the United States.When Allen Fletcher left A.C.T., he asked Krakower to go with him. Together they started the National Theatre Conservatory, a graduate program created by Act of Congress and Presidential designation in association with the American National Theatre and Academy. Fletcher died at the end of the first year, and Krakower returned to the East Coast, mourning his mentor. But it was not long before he was involved with yet another landmark institution: a few months later, Jon Jory, Producing Director of the Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
winning Actors Theatre of Louisville
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Actors Theatre of Louisville is a performing arts theater located in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. It was founded in 1964 by Louisville native Ewel Cornett, local producer Richard Block and actor Ken Jenkins of Scrubs fame, and was designated the "State Theater of Kentucky" in 1974. It is run as a...
, asked him to come to the theatre and revive its Student Company. For six years, Bob was the Director of Actor Training and Master Acting Teacher, shepherding the school into the national spotlight. In a 1988 exchange program, he taught with the Moscow Art Theatre's
Moscow Art Theatre
The Moscow Art Theatre is a theatre company in Moscow that the seminal Russian theatre practitioner Constantin Stanislavski, together with the playwright and director Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, founded in 1898. It was conceived as a venue for naturalistic theatre, in contrast to the melodramas...
famed Studio Chelovek . Along with Jory and Michael Bigelow Dixon, he was also a creative force behind the bi-yearly Shorts Festivals of New American Plays, producing and/or directing over 100 plays at the theatre by writers such as Howard Korder
Howard Korder
Howard Korder is an American screenwriter and playwright. He is the author of the 1988 coming-of-age play Boy's Life, which earned him a Pulitzer Prize for Drama nomination. His play Search and Destroy was adapted into a film in 1995. Among the screenplays he has written are The Passion of Ayn...
, Lanford Wilson
Lanford Wilson
Lanford Wilson was an American playwright who helped to advance the Off-Off-Broadway theater movement. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1980, was elected in 2001 to the Theater Hall of Fame, and in 2004 was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters...
, Jane Anderson
Jane Anderson
Jane Anderson is an American actress-turned-award-winning playwright, screenwriter and director. She has written and directed one feature film, The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio and wrote the script for the Nicolas Cage film It Could Happen to You.- Career :Prior to film directing, Anderson...
, and Jane Martin
Jane Martin
Jane Martin is the RUMORED pen-name of a playwright speculated to be retired Actors Theatre of Louisville artistic director Jon Jory. Jon Jory, Martin's spokesperson, denies being Jane Martin but has directed the premieres of Martin's shows....
, among many others. As a Resident Director, he helmed several productions, including the first regional productions of David Mamet's
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter and film director.Best known as a playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross . He also received a Tony nomination for Speed-the-Plow . As a screenwriter, he received Oscar...
"Speed-The-Plow" and Craig Lucas
Craig Lucas
Craig Lucas is an American playwright, screenwriter, theatre director, musical actor, and film director.-Biography:...
' "Prelude To A Kiss."
While at Louisville, he remained involved with his own San Francisco-based theatre company, "Encore" (winner of several Bay Area Theatre Awards for Acting, including Best Ensemble), serving as a founding member, actor, and Artistic Director. Mr. Krakower directed two of the company's most critically acclaimed productions: the sold-out runs of Howard Korder's
Howard Korder
Howard Korder is an American screenwriter and playwright. He is the author of the 1988 coming-of-age play Boy's Life, which earned him a Pulitzer Prize for Drama nomination. His play Search and Destroy was adapted into a film in 1995. Among the screenplays he has written are The Passion of Ayn...
"Boys Life," and Chekhov's
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
"The Three Sisters." During this time, he also served as Guest Director/Teacher for the Atlantic Theatre Company (founded by David Mamet
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter and film director.Best known as a playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross . He also received a Tony nomination for Speed-the-Plow . As a screenwriter, he received Oscar...
& William H. Macy
William H. Macy
William Hall Macy, Jr. is an American actor and writer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo. He is also a teacher and director in theater, film and television. His film career has been built mostly on his appearances in small, independent films, though...
). He directed original productions, including Steven Dietz's
Steven Dietz
Steven Dietz is an American playwright whose work is largely performed regionally, i.e. outside of New York City...
"Trust," starring Kristen Johnston
Kristen Johnston
Kristen Johnston is an American stage, film, and television actress. She may be most famous for her role as Sally Solomon in the television series 3rd Rock from the Sun...
. In 1996-97, he took over as Director of the Atlantic Theatre Company Acting School, running both the Professional and NYU Undergraduate Divisions. He has been on staff and guest-taught for (among many others), NYU, the Stella Adler Conservatory, The Howard Fine
Howard Fine
Howard Fine is an American acting teacher, the founder of the Howard Fine Acting Studio in Hollywood, CA, and a theatre director.-Early life:...
Studio, and The Actor's Center
The Actors Center
The Actors Center, New York City, was founded in 1996 by J. Michael Miller. It was established on the concept that established actors need to continue to develop their craft in relation to their growth as human beings...
in New York, where he joined Earl Gister (Yale), Lloyd Richards
Lloyd Richards
Lloyd George Richards was a Canadian-American theatre director, actor, and dean of the Yale School of Drama from 1979 to 1991, and Yale University professor emeritus.- Biography :...
(Broadway), and J. Michael Miller (NYU) as a Founding Faculty Member.
Film and television
After 6 years in Louisville, Krakower was offered a job in casting by ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, who had noted his eye for young talent, and eager to get back home to New York on a permanent basis, he accepted. Over the next three years—at ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, and Tollin-Robbins Productions—he worked as a casting director on over 50 projects, including "NYPD Blue,"
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
"My So-Called Life,"
My So-Called Life
My So-Called Life is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995 and was distributed by The Bedford Falls Company with ABC Productions. Set at the...
"Arli$$,"
Arliss
-Criticism:This show, which ran for seven seasons, is a prime example of how HBO differs from traditional networks due to its nature as a network its viewers specifically pay to be able to watch. Arliss was cited by so many viewers as the sole reason that they paid for the network that its...
"All That,"
All That
All That is an American live-action, sketch comedy-variety show that aired on the Nickelodeon cable television network featuring short comedic sketches and weekly musical guests. The theme song for All That was performed by TLC...
and "Varsity Blues."
Varsity Blues
The Varsity Blues is the name for the intercollegiate sports program at the University of Toronto. Its 26 athletic teams regularly participate in competitions held by Ontario University Athletics and Canadian Interuniversity Sport. The Varsity Blues traces its founding to 1877, with the formation...
Noting Bob's teaching background, director Brian Robbins
Brian Robbins
Brian Robbins is an American actor and producer, director and screenwriter. He often collaborates with Mike Tollin.-Biography:...
also employed him as an acting coach on many projects, culminating in their work together on "The Perfect Score
The Perfect Score
The Perfect Score is a teen heist film released in 2004 and directed by Brian Robbins. It stars Erika Christensen, Chris Evans, Bryan Greenberg, Scarlett Johansson, Darius Miles, and Leonardo Nam....
" (starring Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson is an American actress, model and singer.Johansson made her film debut in North and was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in Manny & Lo . She rose to further prominence with her roles in The Horse Whisperer and Ghost World...
, Erika Christensen
Erika Christensen
Erika Jane Christensen is an American actress whose film appearances include Traffic , Swimfan , How to Rob a Bank , and The Perfect Score , among others. She also co-starred in the short-lived drama Six Degrees on ABC...
, Chris Evans
Chris Evans (actor)
Christopher Robert "Chris" Evans is an American actor. He played Cary Baston on the television series Opposite Sex, and transitioned to a film career, starring in several hits, including Not Another Teen Movie , Fierce People , Fantastic Four, sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer , and...
, Bryan Greenberg
Bryan Greenberg
Bryan E. Greenberg is an American actor and musician, known for his starring role as Ben Epstein in the HBO original series How to Make It in America as well as a recurring role as Jake Jagielski in the The WB TV series One Tree Hill and as Nick Garrett on the short-lived ABC drama October Road...
, and Darius Miles
Darius Miles
Darius LaVar Miles is an American professional basketball player.The , small forward was selected directly out of high school by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 3rd overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft...
), and "Hardball"
Hardball (film)
Hardball is a 2001 American dramedy film directed by Brian Robbins. It stars Keanu Reeves, Diane Lane and D. B. Sweeney. The screenplay by John Gatlins is based on the book Hardball: A Season in the Projects by Daniel Coyle. The original music score is composed by Mark Isham. The film is known in...
(starring Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix...
). In the director’s commentary of the DVD for "Hardball,"
Hardball (film)
Hardball is a 2001 American dramedy film directed by Brian Robbins. It stars Keanu Reeves, Diane Lane and D. B. Sweeney. The screenplay by John Gatlins is based on the book Hardball: A Season in the Projects by Daniel Coyle. The original music score is composed by Mark Isham. The film is known in...
Robbins
Brian Robbins
Brian Robbins is an American actor and producer, director and screenwriter. He often collaborates with Mike Tollin.-Biography:...
says, “Bob helped find a lot of the kids and more importantly --I knew I had my hands full with ten actors who never acted before -- he really gave them skills, and he really turned them into actors. Because when I got them on the set, they were ready. They knew the essence of a scene, they weren’t just saying words…they really had some chops built up and he just did a fantastic job with them.”
Krakower has gone on to coach actors on dozens of television shows and movies, frequently hired by the studios, networks, and production companies themselves. Whether he is working with kids ("Hardball," "All That"), stand-up comics (Louis C.K.
Louis C.K.
Louis Szekely , known professionally as Louis C.K., is a stand-up comedian, television and film writer, actor, producer, and director...
, Lewis Black
Lewis Black
Lewis Niles Black is an American stand-up comedian, author, playwright, social critic and actor. He is known for his comedy style, which often includes simulating a mental breakdown, or an increasingly angry rant, ridiculing history, politics, religion, trends and cultural phenomena...
, John Pinette
John Pinette
John Pinette is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He has toured the comedy club circuit since the 1980s and has appeared in cinema and television...
, Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon
James Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...
, Greg Geraldo, Jim Norton
Jim Norton (comedian)
James Joseph "Jim" Norton, Jr. is an American stand-up comedian, radio personality, author, and actor. He is an on-air personality, often dubbed the 'third mic' on The Opie and Anthony Show, which airs on Sirius XM Radio...
, and others) or actors (Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
, Josh Duhamel
Josh Duhamel
Joshua David "Josh" Duhamel is an American actor and former fashion model. He first achieved acting success in 1999 as Leo du Pres on ABC's All My Children and later as the chief of security, Danny McCoy, on NBC's Las Vegas...
, Eden Espinosa
Eden Espinosa
Eden Erica Espinosa is an American singer and stage actress, who is best known for her performances as Elphaba for the Broadway, Los Angeles and San Francisco productions of the musical Wicked....
, Antonique Smith
Antonique Smith
Antonique Smith is an American Broadway, film actress and singer.-Life and career:Smith was born in East Orange, New Jersey. Smith is best known for her starring roles as Maureen and Mimi in Jonathan Larson's Broadway production of Rent. She was also the poster girl for Rent, displayed on taxi...
, Milena Govich
Milena Govich
-Biography:She was born in Norman, Cleveland County, Oklahoma. Both of her parents, Dr. Bruce Michael Govich and Dr. Marilyn Green Govich, are professors of music: Bruce worked at University of Oklahoma and Marilyn currently works at the University of Central Oklahoma...
, and many more), he does so with what Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
Winning director Michael Lembeck
Michael Lembeck
Michael Lembeck is an actor, television and film director.Lembeck was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Caroline and Harvey Lembeck, an actor and comedian. He began acting in the late-1960s and directing in the 1970s. His most notable acting role was as Julie Cooper's husband, Max Horvath, on...
has called "the most passionate, kindest, and brightest approach I've seen." He has had his own very successful acting studio in NYC since 1996, teaching on a regular basis there while maintaining a busy schedule coaching on set in Los Angeles.
Writing and directing
For many years, Krakower was a theatre director, producing and/or directing over 100 plays around the country, a majority of them new works by American authors. As he moved into film & television, his coaching work evolved into directing assignments, including stints on ““What I Like About You,”What I Like About You (TV series)
What I Like About You is an American television sitcom set mainly in New York City, following the lives of two sisters, Valerie Tyler and Holly Tyler . The series ran on The WB Television Network from September 20, 2002, to March 24, 2006, with a total of 86 episodes produced...
” (starring Amanda Bynes
Amanda Bynes
Amanda Laura Bynes is an American actress, comedian, singer, and fashion designer. Bynes appeared in several successful television series, such as All That and The Amanda Show, on Nickelodeon in the mid to late 1990s and early 2000s, and in 2002, she starred in the TV series, What I Like About You...
and Jennie Garth
Jennie Garth
Jennifer Eve "Jennie" Garth is an American actress and director, best known for starring in the prominent role of Kelly Taylor throughout the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
), “Reba.
Reba (TV series)
Reba is an American sitcom starring Reba McEntire, which ran from 2001 to 2007. For the show's first five seasons, it ran on The WB, with the show transitioning to The CW in its last year.-Synopsis:...
” (starring Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
) and “I Say Nay, Nay” a concert starring comedian John Pinette
John Pinette
John Pinette is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He has toured the comedy club circuit since the 1980s and has appeared in cinema and television...
. Over the years , he has written several plays that have been published and performed around the country. These include “Mixed Emotions,” “No-Win Situation,” and the very popular “4a.m. (Open All Night), which was made into a film starring Tate Donovan
Tate Donovan
Tate Buckley Donovan is an American actor. He is known for his role in the FX drama Damages, as Tom Shayes, and for his role as Jimmy Cooper in the American teen drama television series The O.C....
and Wendy Makkena
Wendy Makkena
-Career:Born in New York City, Makkena started her acting career in 1986 and appeared in the TV show Santa Barbara. She later landed her first movie role in Eight Men Out...
, directed by J. Miller Tobin. His script “Bobby Z” (written with partner Allen Lawrence) was directed by John Herzfeld, and starred Paul Walker
Paul Walker
Paul William Walker IV is an American actor. He became well known in 1999 after his role in the hit film Varsity Blues. He is also known for starring in the surprise summer hit The Fast and the Furious. His other films include Joy Ride, Running Scared, Into the Blue and Eight Below...
, Laurence Fishburne
Laurence Fishburne
Laurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner...
, and Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde is an American actress and fashion model. She began acting in the early 2000s, and has since appeared in a number of film and television parts, including roles in the serial-drama The O.C. and The Black Donnellys. She portrayed Dr...
. Currently in development (also with Mr. Lawrence) are “Ramblin’ Man: Woody Guthrie” and “Any Rough Times.”