RI native becomes A-list acting teacher

(FOX Providence) - Many starry-eyed dreamers hope of one day becoming a famous television or movie actor. But, behind the scenes, there's a lot of hard work that goes into reaching that goal.

Howard Fine is an A-list acting teacher straight out of Hollywood, with Rhode Island roots! He's a Cranston native.

At the age of 24, he became the Head of the Acting Department at The American Musical & Dramatic Academy in New York City – the youngest chair in the studio’s history. He relocated to Los Angeles in the 1980’s where he continues to live and work.

Watch the attached video to hear Howard's story and what advice he has for potential actors.

Fine has worked with hundreds of stars, including Brad Pitt, Will Smith, Bradley Cooper, Justin Timberlake, Lindsay Lohan, Salma Hayek, Simon Baker, Amanda Bynes, Gerard Butler, Jennifer Connelly, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Michelle Williams, Val Kilmer, Sela Ward, Sophia Bush, Jason Priestley, Kerry Washington, Amy Smart, Jared Leto, Wilmer Valderrama, Brooke Shields, Daryl Hannah, Rick Fox, Estella Warren, Christopher Meloni, Enrique Murciano, Garry Shandling, Alexa Vega, Heather Locklear, Geri Halliwell, James Belushi, Diana Ross, Jon Bon Jovi, and Josh Groban.

HOWARD FINE - BIOGRAPHY

Howard Fine is an American acting teacher, the founder of the Howard Fine Acting Studio in Hollywood, CA, and also a theatre director whose credits include directing on Broadway.

Howard Fine was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He is the youngest of five children. His parents Max, an American GI, and Nelly, a Holocaust survivor, married in Shanghai, China, before Max returned to the US with Nelly as a war bride.

Due to a fluke scheduling conflict between French and German classes, Fine ended up taking his first theatre class in high school. His drama teacher spotted Fine's directing talent and gave him his first play to direct, Edward Albee’s The Sandbox, at age 16.

Fine was first introduced to his mentor, Uta Hagen's, work while in the same high school drama class. His teacher taught from Hagen's first book, "Respect for Acting," and he would take the theatre classes to New York to watch classes at Uta's HB studios. Fine and Hagen remained close friends until her death.

After completing graduate school in Boston, Fine moved to New York where he landed his first teaching job at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. After one semester of teaching, he was promoted to head the Acting Department at the young age of 24 making him the youngest chair in the studio's history.

In 1985, Fine moved to Los Angeles with his best friend, voice coach David Coury. Fine began his career in Los Angeles by privately coaching students in his living room, but in 1988 had to expand to accommodate his growing classes. His studio relocated three times before occupying its present location (formerly the Hollywood Playhouse) on North Las Palmas Avenue in Hollywood.

For five consecutive years, Fine has been asked by the Los Angeles Times to analyze the acting of the Oscar Nominees. His Oscar commentary has been featured on Entertainment Tonight, Extra, Access Hollywood, E, Sky TV, BBC and CNN. In addition to The Los Angeles Times, Fine has been quoted in The Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and USA Today Weekend, and has spoken on numerous radio shows nationwide.

Fine has appeared as himself in numerous reality shows including, Confessions of a Teen Idol, Next Action Star, The Anna Nicole Show, MTV's The Big Picture, It Girls, Twenty Four-Seven, and on many E True Hollywood stories and A&E Biographies. Recently he appeared as himself in the film Spiritual Warriors.

His is the author of FINE ON ACTING (October 2009; Havenhurst Books) which he wrote with award-winning writer and editor Chris Freeman. The foreword was written by Fine's longtime student and friend Michael Chiklis.