Peter Kass

Peter Meyer Kass (April 28, 1923 – August 4, 2008) was an American theater actor, director, and teacher born in Brooklyn, New York, to Russian immigrant parents. A lifelong Brooklyn resident, Kass served in the United States Army in Europe during World War II before embarking on a career in the theater.

Kass appeared on Broadway between 1943 and 1950 in a range of productions spanning drama and comedy. His credits included the musical A Country Girl, in which he played the part of Larry, as well as Skipper Next to God, No Exit, Jacobowsky and the Colonel, and The Innocent Voyage. His work on A Country Girl carried particular significance: his mentor, playwright Clifford Odets, selected Kass to direct and develop the production before it opened on Broadway.

Beyond his performing career, Kass went on to direct four Broadway plays, among them a revival of Odets' Night Music and Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window. His directing work extended into television, where he directed Assignment Manhunt and worked on the Red Buttons show. In 1961 he directed the feature film Time of the Heathen.

Kass built an equally substantial career as an educator. He taught at Boston University during the 1950s and subsequently joined the faculty at New York University, where he remained through the 1960s and 1970s before transitioning to private instruction. His students included Olympia Dukakis, Faye Dunaway, John Cazale, Maureen Stapleton, and Val Kilmer.

Kass was married to the former Nance Robbins for fifty years, and the couple had two sons. He died of heart failure in Manhattan on August 4, 2008.