David Shankbone · CC BY-SA 3.0

James Lipton spent nearly a quarter-century as the host, writer and executive producer of Inside the Actors Studio, interviewing actors and filmmakers about their craft in a format that became widely recognized, and widely parodied, for its earnest, detailed questioning. He was also dean emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University, where he helped train a generation of theater and film actors.