Michael Howard (April 23, 1923 – November 29, 2019) was an American actor, theatre director, and master teacher. He founded Michael Howard Studios in New York City.

Early years Howard was born April 23, 1923, in New York City.Kay, Terry (April 20, 1969). "'Twelfth Night' and Birthdays". The Atlanta Journal. p. . Retrieved November 18, 2025. "Wednesday evening, April 23, William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" will open at the Atlanta Memorial Arts Center. Michael Howard is directing. The Alliance Resident Theater Company is performing. Wednesday, April 23, is William Shakespeare's birthday. It is also Michael Howard's birthday. [...] Truth is that Howard had forgotten the date of his birthday, until someone mentioned one day that 'Twelfth Night' would open on Shakespeare's birthday. [He asked,] 'Which day is that?' 'The 23rd.' 'Hey, that's my birthday, too.'

Career Howard began to study drama seriously at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, where his teachers included Martha Graham and Sanford Meisner. His professional acting debut came in Zero Hour. His acting career was interrupted by military service as a paratrooper during World War II, after which he helped to organize the American Forces Network in Berlin. Following his military service he "was instrumental in the off-Broadway movement" and was one of the founders of New Stages Incorporated. He worked as a director with the Theatre Guild and was a permanent member of the Director's Unit of the Actors Studio. In 1968 he became artistic director of the Atlanta Repertory Theater, and in 1969 he was named artistic director of the Alliance Resident Theater in Atlanta.

Howard's work on Broadway included performing in The Country Girl (1950) and staging Third Best Sport (1958).

Actors who have studied with Howard include Judy Kuhnhttps://www.judykuhn.net/about-1, Laura Benanti,Eckert, Laura (June 20, 1999). "19 going on stardom; Kinnelon actress lifts Broadway's 'Annie'". Daily Record. Retrieved November 17, 2025. p. 1E. "For the first half of her senior year at Kinnelon, Benanti would leave school at 10:30 a.m. and take a bus into Manhattan, where she studied at the Michael Howard Studio." Julie Budd,Guarino, Ann (March 26, 1981). " Julie Budd: The Face Is Familiar". New York Daily News. p. 69. Retrieved November 17, 2025. Jacqueline Brookes,Hubbard, Linda S., O'Donnell, Owen; ed. (1989). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Volume 7. Detroit, MI: Gale Research. p. 43. . Linda Cook,O'Donnell, Monica M., ed. (1986). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Volume 3. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Company. p. 111. . Joan Darling,Austen, Greg (May 11, 1990). "The darling of Santa Fe musical circles". The Santa Fe New Mexican Pasatiempo. p. 26. Retrieved November 17, 2025. "After college, she went to New York. 'That was when I started to get some really good acting training, really top-notch,' she said. It was under the tutelage of acting coaches, Michael Howard and George Morrison, that she perfected her own teaching methods." Keith David,Jamieson, Sarah (September 14, 2018). "Keith David: The Man With the Golden Voice". Danville Register and Bee. Retrieved November 17, 2025. Roger Davis,"Squeezing in an Interview", San Antonio Light. April 23, 1972. p. ST6. Retrieved November 17, 2025. "'When I went to Columbia University I majored in English Literature and began studying acting at the same time with Michael Howard. The bug hit me then, but I knew that the life of an actor can be a chancy one so I continued with my education." Cameron Douglas Jack Gilpin,O'Donnell, Monica M., ed. (1974). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Volume 1. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Company. p. 203. . James Hampton,Riggs, Thomas, ed. (2001). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Volume 34. Detroit, MI: Gale Group. p. 118. . Roxanne Hart,Wahl, Robert (July 15, 1979). "Footlight's: She's at Loose Ends". New York Daily News. p. 4 Leisure. Retrieved November 17, 2025. "'I was drafted to play Sophocles Electra who, of course, murders her children. I got very method that spring. [...] I suddenly decided to be an artist.' She has an acting coach, Michael Howard, who has guided her." Polly Holliday,"Actress Polly Holliday Joins Front St. Company". The Commercial Appeal. November 14, 1965. p. TV-4. Retrieved November 17, 2025. "Holliday did graduate work in music at Florida State University where she studied with composer Carlisle Floyd. She studied acting with Michael Howard in New York." Mark JacobyCutler, Jacqueline (August 27, 2023). "Musicals: N.J. actor commands Broadway stage each night as Neil Diamond (continues from E1)". The Star-Ledger. p. E3. Retrieved November 17, 2025. "'Mark and I have actually known each other for years,' Powell says. 'We studied together under a wonderful teacher named Michael Howard. So, it was a gift coming into the rehearsal process with that degree of comfort and a similar way of working. We’ve continued to find new moments even far into the run — as well as a few secrets that keep us amused during the eight-show weeks.'" Michael Kahn,Howard, Michael (2016). The Actor Uncovered : A Life in Acting. New York, NY : Allworth Press. p. 12. . "There is no one who has had a more lasting influence on my journey as a theater artist than the wise and generous Michael Howard, the author of this wise and generous book. I first met Michael — 'Mr. Howard' as he was then to me — at the beginning of my third year at the High School of Performing Arts when he became the principal acting teacher of our class." Nastassia Kinski,Siskel, Gene (April 4, 1982). "Nastassia Kinski: At 21, she's sultry, smart, and a smash at the box office". Chicago Tribune. April 4, 1982. sec. 6, pp. 24, 25. Retrieved November 17, 2025. Ralph Lee, Stuart Margolin,"Me and Max: Stuart Margolin and son pair up for double bill". Times Colonist. p. 1C. Retrieved November 17, 2025. Ernestine McClendon,Mapp, Edward (1978). Directory of Blacks in the Performing Arts. Metuchen, N.J. : Scarecrow Press. p. 231. . Alexandra NeilSheridan, Scott; Willman, Chris (2012). Now You Tell Me! : 12 Actors Give the Best Advice They Never Got. Warwick, NY : Arundel Publishing. pp. 139, 149. . "My teacher Michael Howard says, 'They pay to see us in danger. They don’t pay to see us be safe.' And I think there’s something about an actor putting himself or herself in danger that translates to the audience. It’s very exciting." Claudette Nevins, Carol Potter,"Potter Is a Regular: Carol Potter stars as Maggie Clinton". Florence Morning News. January 16, 1982. p. 43. Retrieved November 17, 2025. Linda Powell, James Read,"Didn't Want to Be an Actor". Rock Island Argus. April 3, 1983. p. TV2. Retrieved November 17, 2025. "After college, he went to New York, where he enrolled in acting classes while supporting himself as a waiter. 'I fell in with a great teacher, Michael Howard. There were 20 of us studying with him in a dingy room on Eighth Avenue. It was a cold, miserable day in November, but the energy in that room knocked me out,' he said. That's when he decided acting was for him." Diana Sands,Jackson, Kenneth T.; ed. (1973). Dictionary of American Biography. Supplement Nine (1971–1975). New York : Scribner. p. 698. . Terry Schreiber Sandra Seacat, Valda Setterfield,Benbow-Pfalzgraf, Taryn; Benbow-Niemier, Glynis; ed. (1998). International Dictionary of Modern Dance. Detroit, MI : St. James Press. p. 708. . "Since this family affair with the theater, Setterfield began studying acting with Michael Howard in New York. She has acted at the Guthrie in Minneapolis, at Playwrights Horizons in New York, and at American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, mostly in Gordon productions. In 1991 she played Marcel Duchamp in David’s The Mysteries. Setterfield says that acting is not a great leap for her since she has background in pantomime and that Gordon often includes speaking parts in his compositions, as did Waring." Cornelia Sharpe,Guarino, Ann (April 13, 1975). "Off Camera: Nudity With a Purpose Not a Vengeance – Cornelia Sharpe—Al's Her Type". New York Daily News. p. 9 Leisure. Retrieved November 17, 2025. "Once she began living here, she was attracted to the theater, and she had her first Broadway role in 'The Penny Wars.' She studied acting with Michael Howard and eventually became an observer at Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio." Jessica Tuck,Rout, Nancy E.; Buckley, Ellen; Rout, Barney M.; ed. (1992). The Soap Opera Book : Who's Who in Daytime Drama. West Nyack, NY : Todd Publications. p. 269. . "It was at Yale that Jessica first began to seriously consider a career as an actress when she starred in a student written play called 'Parkington and Me.' After graduation Jessica traveled extensively before returning to New York to begin her acting and voice training at H.B. Studio, Julliard and the Michael Howard Studio." and Kerry Washington."All About Kerry Washington; Did You Know". Johnson City Press. October 6, 2017. p. 2B. Retrieved November 17, 2025. "Washington was accepted into Yale University and Dartmouth College, but declined both. She studied acting at Michael Howard Studios in New York City. Jennifer Lopez was her high school dancing teacher."

Personal life and death Howard was married to Betty Bartelt, who predeceased him in 2016, aged 97. He died in Brooklyn, New York in November 2019 at the age of 96.

References

Further reading Howard, Michael (2016). The Actor Uncovered : A Life in Acting. New York: Allworth Press. . Mekler, Eve (1987). The New Generation of Acting Teachers. New York: Penguin. pp. 3–15. .

External links Michael Howard Studio Website An Actor's Guide Michael Howard Lecture (July 2008) on YouTube WOR News Talk Radio - Community Concerns 11.17.08