
James Lipton
Widely known as the Creator, Executive-Producer, Writer and Host of Inside the Actors Studio
James Lipton is widely known as the creator, executive-producer, writer and host of Inside the Actors Studio, which is seen in 94 million American homes on Bravo and in 125 countries, and has been recognized with a record seventeen Emmy nominations. For twenty years, Mr. Lipton has brought to the series his experience as actor,…
Categories :
Full Bio
James Lipton is widely known as the creator, executive-producer, writer and host of Inside the Actors Studio, which is seen in 94 million American homes on Bravo and in 125 countries, and has been recognized with a record seventeen Emmy nominations.
For twenty years, Mr. Lipton has brought to the series his experience as actor, director and producer in theater, film and television, choreographer, playwright, lyricist, screen-writer, author of both fiction and non-fiction, and academician.
He has been responsible as writer and executive-producer for some of television’s most celebrated specials, among them Jimmy Carter’s Inaugural Gala, the first Presidential concert ever televised; twelve Bob Hope Birthday Specials, reaching record-breaking audiences; and The Road to China, the first American entertainment program from the People’s Republic.
On NBC TV, he was the writer and producer of Mirrors, adapted by him from his novel; and he created the story and teleplay for Copacabana, which was chosen by TV Guide as one of the year’s ten best TV films.
On Broadway, Mr. Lipton wrote the book and lyrics of two musicals, Nowhere to Go but Up, and Sherry!, which was based on Kaufman and Hart’s The Man Who Came to Dinner. In 2005, he revisited Sherry!, producing a cast album for Angel Records, starring Nathan Lane, Bernadette Peters, Carol Burnett, Tommy Tune and Mike Myers.
In addition to his novel Mirrors, which reflected his experience in the world of dance and dancers, he is the author of the non-fiction classic An Exaltation of Larks, which has been in print since its publication in 1968, and prompted Newsweek’s book critic to write, “If there were an English Academy, Lipton would surely deserve election.”
In October, 2007, Mr. Lipton’s memoir ‘Inside Inside,’ was published by Dutton to critical acclaim. An account of his experiences as founding dean of the Actors Studio Drama School of Pace University and creator and host of Inside the Actors Studio, it put Mr. Lipton in the guest chair, to reveal with the same candor he demands of his guests the events and people who have shaped his life, prompting author Jay McInerney to write, “With all due respect to the actors and actresses he has famously interviewed, James Lipton is as interesting a character as any of them. Happily, he has the wit, erudition, and storytelling skills to do justice to his own amazing story.”
Mr. Lipton’s approach to his duties as host of Inside the Actors Studio — the more than four hundred blue cards, the focus on craft — has inspired imitation and parody, notably by Will Ferrell on Saturday Night Live and beyond. That led to Mr. Lipton’s role in the film Bewitched with Mr. Ferrell, as well as to 34 appearances on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, to a recurring role on Arrested Development, in its first run and its next one, acting appearances on According to Jim, Suburgatory, Joey, The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Glee, and in the animated features Igor and Bolt. In addition to his appearances with Conan, he has appeared on virtually every talk show — with Jay Leno, Craig Ferguson. Jimmy Kimmel, Larry King, Charlie Rose and the women of The View — and on Saturday Night Live; on The Celebrity Apprentice as Donald Trump’s Board Room Advisor; with Snoop Dogg on the 2013 Hip Hop Awards, and in the 2013 finale of America’s Got Talent, in a comedy sketch with one of the contestants.
During the 2012 presidential campaign, his Newsweek piece on the intersection of politics and performance, ‘How to Act Human,’ attracted so much attention that it propelled him back into the political arena with regular appearances on virtually every news network and program to appraise the candidates’ performances, from the primaries to the election, a role that has continued as each breaking show business story, a death, a triumph, a tragedy, summons him back to the television news desks for his comments and opinions.
His commercials for Geico, DirecTV, Toyota, the LG Give It a Ponder campaign against cyber-bullying, and the 2013 Intel Ultrabook campaign have made him an even more familiar face on every television screen in America.
Mr. Lipton is an avid horseman and pilot, has received three honorary Ph.D.s, is a recipient of the French Republic’s Chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres, has been inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame, and has been awarded the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Lifetime Achievement Emmy.
He has received three Producer Guild Award nominations as Producer of the Year for Non-Fiction Television
In September, 2013, Mr. Lipton received the Emmy for Inside the Actors Studio, which the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences members voted the Outstanding Informational Series.
In 2014, he received his seventeenth Emmy nomination, making Inside the Actors Studio the fifth most nominated prime-time television series in the history of television, behind only American Masters, The Simpsons, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and Saturday Night Live.
Testimonials
Ernie was perfect for our Elders Conference at Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, Michigan. We will definitely be using PDA again!

LITTLE RIVER BAND OF OTTAWA INDIANS
Our speaker was great and the crowd enjoyed her! She was very engaging. Thank you again PDA for the great list of suggestions!

MEDTRONIC
Everything went great! and our speaker was wonderful! Thank you so much for all your help PDA! Looking forward to the next one.

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI – KANSAS CITY
I hope that this message finds you well. We had a phenomenal time with Atsuko this past Thursday. We wanted to just let you know how amazing she was. All those that were in attendance thoroughly enjoyed her and had nothing but amazing things to say about her. Thank you for working with us to make sure this happened!

BAYLOR UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!

SALT LAKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Dear PDA Group, Thank you so much for your hard work in scheduling our speaker! From the moment we reached out to you the first time, you worked with us on all details and logistics and kept us up-to-date on the progress. Thank you for all your hard work on making our event such a success! We couldn't have done it without you and your team!

SAP COMPANY
Thank you again, Dr. Kimbrough, for a great presentation, our attendees are still talking about it!

CAMPUS LABS
Dr. Henry Lee's presentation was entertaining, insightful and wise. I, and everyone at Pfizer, especially appreciate the remarks you directed about following your passion and preparing yourself to excel. Thank you, everyone, at PDA for helping to make this happen!

PFIZER
The event was successful! I received many messages expressing how awesome, outstanding and inspiring Ms. Webb-Christburg's speech was."

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. MEMORIAL BREAKFAST, BOSTON, MLK SPEAKER
Everything went well. Atsuko was very easy to work with and the students enjoyed her performance! Thank you again for your recommendation and I hope to work with you again in the future!

CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Dr. Novello left this morning after a very successful event on our campus! Thank you PDA Group for your help from the first phone to the last you were with us every step of the way.

GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
Jordan Carlos was very very entertaining! A majority of students who answered the event survey indicated they really enjoyed Jordan and definitely will bring him back!

WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can't wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.

FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY
It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Thank you, Peter, for all your help, you'll be happy to know that the event went incredibly well! Aneesa Ferreira was by far one of the best speakers we've ever had!

FURMAN UNIVERSITY
Topics
A Conversation With James Lipton
James Lipton Shares His Favorite Inside the Actors Moments
Iconic interviewer James Lipton talks about the longest running Bravo TV show, Inside the Actors Studio, some of his favorite guests to date, including actor Bradley Cooper & even asks Steve Adubato those famous 10 questions he asks at the end of every interview
Videos
Big Think Interview With James Lipton
James Lipton Speaker - PDA Speakers
Books
News
Testimonials
GET IDEAS

1 HOUR OR LESS