William Esper Studio is an internationally recognized acting school in New York City. Based on the work of Sanford Meisner, William Esper established his studio in 1965. Since then, a dedicated faculty of expert teachers continue to keep the Meisner Technique alive and thriving. The William Esper Studio has trained some of today’s most well-known actors. These talented and dedicated professionals were trained in the Meisner Technique at the William Esper Studio and continue to inspire other actors to embark on their own journeys of actor training. Some notable actors who trained at the William Esper Studio in New York City include:
Jeff Goldbum studied with William Esper in the early 1970s and has since gone on to star in some of the highest-grossing films of his era, such as Jurassic Park (1993) and Independence Day (1996), as well as their respective sequels, The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), and Independence Day: Resurgence (2016). Goldblum also starred in films including Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), The Big Chill (1983), and Into the Night (1985), before coming to wider attention as Seth Brundle in David Cronenberg’s The Fly (1986), which earned him a Saturn Award for Best Actor. Other films include The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), The Tall Guy (1989), Deep Cover (1992), Powder (1995), The Prince of Egypt (1998), Cats & Dogs (2001), Igby Goes Down (2002), The Life Aquatic (2004), Adam Resurrected (2008), Le Week-End (2013), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), and Thor: Ragnarok (2017). He has also starred in several TV series, including the eighth and ninth seasons of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. He directed the short film Little Surprises, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. Goldblum has appeared in numerous stage productions including, but not limited to: Broadway’s Seminar, The Pillowman and Two Gentlemen of Verona; London’s in The Prisoner of Second Avenue and Speed-the-Plow and in Pittsburg (Goldblum’s hometown) in The Music Man. His jazz band, Jeff Goldblum and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, released their first album, The Capitol Studios Sessions, in 2018.
Larry David studied with William Esper in New York City in the early 19070s. Though David often refers to himself as a “bad actor,” touting that reasoning as the driving force behind his decision to go into comedy, he transformed his actor training into a lifelong career as comedian, actor, writer, producer and director. David began doing stand-up comedy in New York night clubs in 1974. In 1979, he was hired to write and perform for the comedy variety show Fridays, where he stayed until 1982 when he was hired as a writer for Saturday Night Live, where he worked for a year. In 1989, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld developed Seinfeld. David wrote and produced Seinfeld until 1996, when he left the show to pursue feature screenwriting. David also acted in bit roles in Woody Allen’s Radio Days (1987) and New York Stories (1989). In 1998, David wrote and directed the feature film Sour Grapes, an irreverent look at the pitfalls of wealth and greed. Beginning in 1999, David created the semi-scripted series Curb Your Enthusiasm for HBO. Partially improvised, the show proved to be another groundbreaking television experiment winning a Golden Globe in 2003 for Best Comedy Series. The series ended in 2011, only to be picked up again after a five-year gap – a ninth season in June 2016. In 2012, he appeared in the remake of the series about the classic trio known as The Three Stooges. He also starred in and wrote the made-for-TV movie Clear History (2013), which featured performances by Bill Hader, Jon Hamm and Kate Hudson. In 2015 David wrote and starred in Broadway’s Fish in the Dark.
Michael Esper is the son of acting teachers William and Suzanne Esper. Working from an early age, Esper found opportunity and success in theater, film and television. He has appeared on Broadway in Sting’s The Last Ship, A Man for All Seasons, Green Day’s American Idiot, and The Lyons. He also starred in the Off-Broadway premieres of Leslye Headland’s Assistance, Nicky Silver’s The Lyons, and Tony Kushner’s The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures. In 2014 he appeared in David Grimm’s new play Tales from Red Vienna off-Broadway, opposite Nina Arianda. Esper also appeared in David Bowie and Enda Walsh’s new musical Lazarus at New York Theatre Workshop. He was nominated for a 2016 Outer Critics Circle Award for his performance in Lazarus. Esper has also appeared in Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2016, and again at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London, which ran until April 29, 2017. On stage, he so appeared in Crazy Mary, for which he won the Clarence Derwent Award, Big Bill, subUrbia, Manic Flight Reaction, As You Like It, and The Four Of Us. Esper starred as Dr. Kenneth Jordan on 2013 NBC series Do No Harm. He has had recurring roles on Nurse Jackie, Person of Interest, Shades of Blue, and The Family, as well as guest roles on several other shows. His notable film appearances include: The Drop, Frances Ha, All Good Things, A Beautiful Mind, and Runner Runner.
Aaron Eckhart studied at William Esper Studio in the early 1990s after graduating from Brigham Young University. He landed his first job in a commercial then moved to LA where he began his now more than 20-year acting career. His debut came with Neil LaBute’s black comedy film In the Company of Men (1997). Under LaBute’s guidance he worked in the director’s films Your Friends & Neighbors (1998), Nurse Betty (2000), and Possession (2002). He gained wide recognition as George in Steven Soderbergh’s critically acclaimed film Erin Brockovich (2000), and, in 2006, he received a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Nick Naylor in Thank You for Smoking. He starred in the blockbuster Batman film The Dark Knight as District Attorney Harvey Dent. Other key roles include The Pledge (2001), The Core (2003), Paycheck (2003), Rabbit Hole (2010), Battle: Los Angeles (2011), Olympus Has Fallen (2013) and its sequel London Has Fallen (2016), I, Frankenstein (2014), Sully (2016), Bleed for This (2016) and Wander (2019).
Teddy Sears’ career began with a two-year contract role on the daytime series One Life to Live. Then, after several appearances on the Law & Order franchise and Whoopi, he attended the William Esper Studio. This training led to comedy stints on the Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. He co-starred on the TNT original series Raising the Bar portraying public defender Richard Patrick Woolsley and appeared in Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse, the Lifetime original film The Client List, and as Thomas Cole in The Defenders. In 2013, Sears joined the cast of the Showtime drama Masters of Sex, and from 2015 to 2016, Sears appeared in the second season of The CW’s DC Comics television series The Flash. In 2017, he starred as Keith Mullins in 24: Legacy.
Karl Glusman trained at William Esper Studio in New York City after taking some classes in college and deciding to pursue a life as an actor. While in spending time in France, he met Gaspar Noe who cast Glusman in the controversial, critically-successful film Love (2015). He went on to star in Neon Demon (2016), Nocturnal Animals (2016), the television series Gypsy (2017), Greyhound (2020) and Devs (2020).
Kristin Davis studied under Bill Esper both at Rutgers University and at the William Esper Studio. in 1995 when she landed the role of villainess Brooke Armstrong Campbell on the nighttime drama Melrose Place. Davis also had roles in other television series including Friends, Will and Grace and Seinfeld. In 1998, Davis was cast as Charlotte York in Sex and the City and remained an integral cast member until the series ended in 2004. In 1999, along with the rest of the cast, she was awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award in recognition of her excellence and innovation in her creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television. She received an Emmy nomination for her role as Charlotte in the final season. In 2005, she starred in a television pilot entitled Soccer Moms. Davis’s films include The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl; the 2006 version of The Shaggy Dog, Deck the Halls, and ABC Family channel’s Christmas movie Three Days in 2001. Davis appeared in 2008’s Sex and the City feature film, and reprised her role of Charlotte York a second and final time in 2010’s Sex and the City 2. In 2009, Davis co-starred in Couples Retreat, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2010). In 2015, Davis was credited as producer on the documentary Gardeners of Eden, that comments on the illegal ivory trade. In 2019, Davis was credited as a producer and lead actress in Netflix’s Christmas-themed Holiday in the Wild – a film pitched to her after the producers had noticed her philanthropic work with elephants. Davis made her Broadway debut in July 2012 in the revival of Gore Vidal’s The Best Man and made her West End debut playing Beth Gallagher in Fatal Attraction in March 2014.
David Morse studied with Bill Esper in New York City in the late 1970s. Since then he’s gone on to have a prolific career in theater, film and television. He first came to national attention as Dr. Jack “Boomer” Morrison in the medical drama series St. Elsewhere (1982–88). He continued his film career with roles in The Negotiator, Contact, The Green Mile, Dancer in the Dark, Disturbia, The Long Kiss Goodnight, The Rock and 12 Monkeys. In 2006, Morse had a recurring role as Detective Michael Tritter on the series House, for which he received an Emmy Award nomination. He portrayed George Washington in the 2008 HBO miniseries John Adams, which garnered him a second Emmy nomination. He has also received acclaim for his portrayal of Uncle Peck on the Off-Broadway play How I Learned to Drive, earning a Drama Desk Award and Obie Award. He has also had success on Broadway, portraying James “Sharky” Harkin in The Seafarer. From 2010 to 2013, he portrayed Terry Colson on the HBO series Treme. He also appeared in the WGN America series Outsiders (2016–17).
Margarita Levieva is a Russian-American actress. Born in the Soviet Union, she was a competitive gymnast before studying acting at William Esper Studio. She starred in the films The Invisible, Adventureland, and Spread. On television, she is known for her role as Amanda Clarke on Revenge, Gina Zanetakos on The Blacklist and most recently as Abigail “Abby” Parker on the HBO series The Deuce.
Timothy Olyphant is a recognized actor and producer who trained at William Esper Studio in New York City. He made his acting debut in the Off-Broadway production of The Monogamist (1995), and won the Theatre World Award for his performance, and then originated David Sedaris’ The Santaland Diaries in 1996. Branching out to film, he was often cast in supporting villainous roles, most notably in Scream 2 (1997), Go (1999), A Man Apart (2003) and The Girl Next Door (2004). He came to the attention of a wider audience with his portrayal of Sheriff Seth Bullock in HBO’s western Deadwood (2004–2006) and its film continuation Deadwood: The Movie (2019). He had starring roles in such films as Catch and Release (2006), Hitman (2007), A Perfect Getaway (2009), and The Crazies (2010), and he played the main antagonist, Thomas Gabriel, in Live Free or Die Hard (2007). Olyphant was a recurring guest star in season two of Damages (2009). His best-known performance to date has been as Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens in FX’s modern-day Kentucky western Justified (2010–2015), for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2011. Olyphant had guest appearances in television sitcoms including The Office (2010), The Mindy Project (2013), and The Grinder (2015–2016), for which he won a Critics’ Choice Award. He also starred in the Netflix comedy series Santa Clarita Diet (2017–2019) and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as James Stacy (2019).
Jennifer Beals studied acting at William Esper Studio and is known as an American actress and former teen model. She made her film debut in My Bodyguard (1980), before receiving critical acclaim for her role in Flashdance (1983), for which she won NAACP Image Award for Actress and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. Beals appeared in several notable films including Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), The Last Days of Disco (1998), Roger Dodger (2002), The Book of Eli (2010), and Before I Fall (2017). On television, she starred as Bette Porter on the Showtime drama series The L Word (2004-2009) and later went on to star in the series The Chicago Code (2011), Proof (2015), and Taken (2017). She reprised her role as Bette Porter in The L Word: Generation Q in 2019.
Stephen Adly Guirgis American playwright, screenwriter, director, and actor. He is a member and a former co-artistic director of New York City’s LAByrinth Theater Company. His plays have been produced both Off-Broadway and on Broadway as well as in the UK. His play Between Riverside and Crazy won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. His other works include Race, Religion and Politics, Den of Thieves, Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train, The Little Flower of East Orange, Our Lady of 121st Street, In Arabia, We’d All Be Kings, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Dominica the Fat Ugly Ho and The Motherfucker with the Hat. As an actor, Guirgis appeared in Brett C. Leonard’s stage play Guinea Pig Solo, produced by LAByrinth at the Public Theater in 2004. He has had leading roles in films such as Palindromes (2004), Jailbait (2004), and Margaret (2011). Other credits include Meet Joe Black (1998), Blackbird (2007)] Trainwreck: My Life as an Idiot (2007), Noise (2007), Synecdoche, New York (2008), and Philip Seymour Hoffman’s directorial debut Jack Goes Boating (2010).
Ian Somerhalder is an American actor, model and director who trained at William Esper Studio in New York City. His career began at age 10 as a model and he is most well-known for playing Boone Carlyle in the TV drama Lost and Damon Salvatore in The CW’s supernatural drama The Vampire Diaries. Other credits include Netflix’s sci-fi horror series V Wars, The Rules of Attraction (2002), How to Make Love to a Woman (2010) and The Anomaly (2014).
The William Esper Studio 