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Aaron Speiser (born 1953 or 1954) is an American acting coach and film director based in Los Angeles, California. He is the founder of the Speiser/Sturges Acting Studio, formerly known as Aaron Speiser Acting Studio, an acting school based in Los Angeles, California. Speiser has coached some of the most notable individuals in film and television industry, including Academy Award winner Will Smith, Academy Award nominee Virginia Madsen, and Jennifer Lopez.

He is currently the co-owner and partner with Kay Aston at The Screen Acting Studio in Los Angeles, California.

Early life and education

Aaron Speiser was born in 1953 or 1954 in Manhattan, New York, to Pola and Julius Speiser and was raised in the Bronx. His parents were the holocaust survivors who were of Polish descent.

Speiser attended Brandeis University where he received an MFA degree in acting.

Later, he attended HB Studio in New York City, where he studied with Uta Hagen, Bill Hickey and his mentor Kenneth McMillan.

Career

He worked professionally in theatre, film and television for 15 years before fully committing to teaching.

Coaching

Speiser's coaching technique is recognized for its frank honesty, practical approach and personal connection to the character and the story. He is known for focusing specifically on the nuances of performing for the camera in the 21st century.

He is the longtime preferred coach for Will Smith, Virginia Madsen, and Jennifer Lopez. He has also taught or coached several other prominent film and television artists including Martin Lawrence, Heather Graham, Karyn Parsons, Kevin Ryan, Lauris Reiniks, Jeff Dunham, Gerard Butler, Elijah Kelley, Hrithik Roshan and many more. Speiser has also worked on the sets with several acclaimed directors and producers such as Michael Mann, Oliver Stone, F. Gary Gray, Peter Berg, Ang Lee, Reinaldo Green, Antoine Fuqua, Tim White, Trevor White and Barry Sonnenfeld. He has been credited with on-set coaching in the making of various films such as Hustlers, King Richard, Out of Sight, I Am Legend, Hancock, Olympus Has Fallen and The Pursuit of Happyness.

In 1994, Speiser directed the feature film, Talking About Sex, starring Kim Wayans, which he also co-wrote and produced. The film received accolades at Palm Springs International Film Festival, and won the Best Film Award at Breckenridge Film Festival. Aaron also directed two episodes of The Wayans Brothers, “The Son of Marlon” (season 4, ep.13), and “Pops Gets Evicted” (season 5, ep. 16).

Credits

References

1. ^ "Readers' Choice Los Angeles". www.backstage.com. August 15, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2022. at age 58,
2. Tibaldi, Madeleine (April 14, 2021). "The Guide To Becoming an Actor in L.A." www.backstage.com. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
3. CBS Los Angeles (October 28, 2013). "Best Acting Classes In Los Angeles". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
4. Local Stories (July 22, 2019). "Meet Shannon Sturges of Speiser/Sturges". voyagela.com. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
5. Bedoya, Aaron A. (April 28, 2022). "'It was an act of love': Actor Danny Trejo walks green carpet for film premiere in El Paso". www.elpasotimes.com. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
6. ^ Iannucci, Lisa (November 12, 2009). Will Smith A Biography. ABC-Clio. pp. 84, 116. ISBN 9780313376115. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
7. "Spotlight on Los Angeles Acting Schools and Coaches". www.backstage.com. November 5, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
8. ^ "The Man behind the technique". www.thescreenacting.studio. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
9. "Aaron Speiser, a mentor". People. Time Inc. March 2005. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
10. "Approaches to Acting Technique". www.backstage.com. Backstage. January 14, 2009. Retrieved August 7, 2022 – via www.youtube.com.
11. Peikert, Mark (November 4, 2019). "Speiser has coached Academy Award nominee". www.backstage.com. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
12. InStyle (April 5, 2021). "Jennifer Lopez in Her Own Words (and Everyone Else's)". www.instyle.com. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
13. Ganguly, Prithwish (November 21, 2013). "Hrithik Roshan's a smooth talker". www.dnaindia.com. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
14. Miller, Mike (August 7, 2015). "Why Ice Cube's Look-Alike Son Still Had to Audition to Play His Dad in 'Straight Outta Compton'". people.com. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
15. "Approaches to Technique". www.backstage.com. August 15, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
16. Kaplan, Stephanie (April 6, 2021). "'I Love What I Do': Triple Threat Jennifer Lopez Declares She's 'Living A Dream' As Her Multifaceted Career Continues To Soar". www.morninghoney.com. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
17. Flowers, John; Frizler, Paul (April 8, 2004). Psychotherapists on Film, 1899-1999 A Worldwide Guide to Over 5000 Films. McFarland & Company. pp. 209, 573. ISBN 9780786412976. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
18. Kanellos, Michael (January 10, 2006). "Mark Cuban's acting career". www.cnet.com. Retrieved August 7, 2022.

External links

• Official Website
• Aaron Speiser at IMDB

• American acting coaches
• People from the Bronx
• Brandeis University alumni
• Film directors from New York City
• Living people