Geoffrey Horne

Geoffrey Horne, born on August 22, 1933, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to American parents, is an actor, director, and acting coach. His father worked as a businessman in the oil trade. At the age of five, Horne relocated to Havana, Cuba, to live with his mother. He later attended a small boarding school in New England before graduating from Millbrook School. He subsequently enrolled at the University of California, where he made the decision to pursue acting as a career.

After moving to New York, Horne appeared in an off-Broadway production that did not succeed commercially, then built a foundation in television work, including an adaptation of Billy Budd. He became a member of the Actors Studio, eventually attaining life membership. In July 1956, he auditioned for a role in The Strange One, a film whose cast consisted entirely of Actors Studio alumni and which marked the screen debuts of Ben Gazzara and George Peppard. Producer Sam Spiegel, who had produced The Strange One, cast Horne in The Bridge on the River Kwai in January 1957 and subsequently signed him to a contract for one film per year over five years. Director Otto Preminger borrowed Horne from Spiegel to appear in Bonjour Tristesse, though Horne made no additional films under the Spiegel arrangement. He then appeared in Tempest, filmed in Yugoslavia, which performed strongly in Italy but not in North America. The film has been described as a turning point in his career, as it led to a series of European productions that reduced his visibility in Hollywood. His additional film and television credits include Two People, an episode of The Twilight Zone titled "The Gift" in 1962, and an appearance as Wade Norton in The Outer Limits episode "The Guests" in 1963. Horne was also considered for the role of Bud Stamper in Splendor in the Grass, directed by Elia Kazan, but the part was ultimately given to Warren Beatty.

Horne's Broadway career spanned from 1956 to 1983. His stage work began with Too Late the Phalarope in 1956, and he later starred in Strange Interlude in 1963. In 1981, he joined the cast of Merrily We Roll Along, becoming its oldest cast member. Two years later, he appeared as Dr. Bird in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, produced by the Stamford Center for the Arts. Outside of Broadway, he appeared in a New York production of Richard III in 1980.

Horne has worked as an acting coach at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, where his students have included Alec Baldwin and Adam Sandler.