Arthur Storch

Arthur Storch (June 29, 1925 – March 5, 2013) was an American actor, theatre director, and educator born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Thomas Jefferson High School before enlisting in the United States Army following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Storch served in World War II, participating in the Invasion of Normandy and advancing into Germany before the war's end. After his military service, he studied drama at The New School under Erwin Piscator in the 1940s, and in 1952 he joined The Actors Studio, where he trained alongside Marlon Brando and Julie Harris in method acting. He remained a life member of The Actors Studio throughout his career.

Storch's Broadway acting career spanned from 1953 to 1973 and included productions such as End as a Man, Time Limit!, The Enemy Is Dead, The Best Man, and The Long Dream. Among his most notable stage roles were appearances in Michael V. Gazzo's A Hatful of Rain in 1955 and the original Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' The Night of the Iguana in 1961. Additional Broadway credits included The Egghead in 1957, in which he played Howard Wagner, and The Disenchanted in 1958, for which he served as understudy. His work across these productions established him as a character actor in dramatic roles.

In 1974, Storch founded Syracuse Stage as a professional theatre integrated with Syracuse University's drama program, an innovative institutional model that was later adopted by programs at Yale and Juilliard. He served as the company's artistic director for 18 years, until 1992, directing more than 50 productions during that period. Among the works he directed was the world premiere of Tribute in 1978, which subsequently transferred to Broadway. He also directed the world premiere of Patrick Meyer's K2 in 1984 and developed a production of Cyrano featuring Frank Langella in 1986. As a Broadway director, his credits included Tribute and Norman, Is That You?

Simultaneously with his leadership of Syracuse Stage, Storch chaired the Syracuse University Drama Department and taught acting from 1974 to 1992. He developed what became known as the Syracuse Model, a pedagogical approach combining Stanislavskian principles with rigorous text analysis and integrating professional regional theatre with academic training. Actor Taye Diggs was among those who studied under him.

Storch also appeared in film, most notably as the psychiatrist in William Friedkin's The Exorcist in 1973. He continued to work in film and television sporadically through the 2000s and taught at The New School in New York later in his career.

Storch was married five times, to Brook Hanna, Vergel Cook, Virginia Kiser, Cynthia Martin, and Peggy McEvoy. He had three children — Max, Alexander, and Bess. His son Max pursued a career in theatre as a production manager. Storch died of natural causes on March 5, 2013, in Manhattan. In 2014, Syracuse Stage established the Arthur Storch Award for Outstanding New Play, named its mainstage in his honor, and premiered a WCNY-TV documentary about his career. The Drama League also honored him posthumously for his contributions to regional theatre.