James Lipton, veteran TV personality and writer, best known as the host of the talk show Inside the Actors Studio on Bravo, passed away early on Monday at his home in New York City. He was 93.
His wife, Kedakai Turner, confirmed his death and said he died after battling bladder cancer.
According to a statement by Kedakai:
“He lived each day as if it were his last. His work was his passion, loved what he did and all the people he worked with. He empowered people to do their best, and hopefully his spirit, curiosity and passion will live on.”
Ovation TV, which currently airs Inside the Actors Studio, also confirmed his death.
James Lipton bio
Lipton was born in September 1926 in Detroit, Michigan. His parents were Lawrence and Betty. Betty was a teacher while Lawrence was a journalist and poet.
Lipton grew up in Detroit but later moved to New York City to start a career in acting. His parents divorced when he was only six years old and he started working to support himself as a teenager.
He attended Central High School in Detroit and later Wayne State University. He also served in the U.S. Air Force.
Lipton had a long and successful career in the TV and movie industry.
He appeared on soap operas, such as Guiding Light, and in Broadway productions, such as Lillian Hellman’s The Autumn Garden. Lipton wrote for many soap operas, including Guiding Light, Another World, Capitol, The Edge of the Night, and The Best of Everything.
He also played Dan Reid on the WXYZ Radio version of The Lone Ranger in the 1940s.
Lipton played Warden Stefan Gentles on Arrested Development. He also appeared on Bewitched, The Goldbergs, and You Are There.
Lipton is best known as the host of Inside the Actors Studio. It premiered on Bravo in 1994 and ran for 22 seasons until 2018. He also served as the show’s executive producer and writer.
The show featured Lipton having one-on-one interviews with high profile actors. The actors shared their experiences in the industry in front of a live audience consisting of student actors who got a chance to ask the veterans questions.
Over the years, he interviewed stars Morgan Freeman, Eddie Murphy, Jim Carrey, Al Pacino, Gwyneth Paltrow, Brad Pitt, Naomi Watts, Chris Rock, Whoopi Goldberg, Halle Berry, Sean Penn, Bradley Cooper, and Ben Affleck.
Other stars who appeared on the show with Lipton included Paul Newman, Barbra Streisand, Meryl Streep, and Robin Williams.
Season 23 of Inside the Actors Studio started airing on Ovation in October 2019 with a different host.
Inside the Actors Studio was nominated for multiple Emmys during its run on Bravo.
He served as Dean Emeritus at Pace University’s Actors Studio Drama School and married Nina Foch in 1954, but they divorced in 1959. He then married Kedakai Turner in 1970.