James DiStefano

James DiStefano is a respected professional actor and acting teacher with over 30 years of experience in the business. As a lifetime member and teacher in the prestigious Actor's Studio, James has studied with co-artistic director Mark Rydell (Oscar nominee for best director), Martin Landau (Oscar winner for Best Actor), Shelley Winters (Oscar winner for Best Actress), and Barbara Bain (three time Emmy winner). James is currently studying with artistic director Lou Antonio (four time Emmy nominee). James has been directed by Katherine Bigelow (first female director to win an Oscar), Mark Rydell, Albert Brooks (Oscar nominee), Thomas Shlamme (Emmy winner), Danny Cannon (Emmy nominee), and the brilliant Oscar winners Robert Altman and Francis Ford Coppola. He has taught classes and worked as a private coach for the past thirty years. He has taught both adult and teen classes at the Lee Strasberg Institute, The New York Film Academy, and East L.A. Classic Theatre. James created and taught for eight years, the first Cold Reading class at the Actor's Studio. James also actively participates in the Playwrights Unit and Directors Unit. In his private classes, James uses a variety of techniques to suit the actor, so that they can explore their needs, be vulnerable, and take chances to tap into their most creative self. James works James lives in Los Angeles .