Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901February 17, 1982) was an American actor, director and acting teacher born in a part of Galicia, Austrian Poland in what is now Ukraine. He co-founded, with directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective". In 1951, he became director of the non-profit Actors Studio, in New York City, considered "the nation's most prestigious acting school", and in 1966, was involved in the creation of Actors Studio West in Los Angeles.