Elizabeth Kemp, Actress and Famed Acting Coach, Dies at 65
Elizabeth Kemp, actress and famed teacher at the Actors Studio, died this past weekend at age 65. Her death was first announced by one of her students, Lady Gaga, who paid tribute to her during a performance on Saturday at Fenway Park in Boston.
Kemp made her acting debut in the original production of “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” before getting her first movie role in 1980 with the film “He Knows You’re Not Alone,” which was also the film debut of Tom Hanks. She later appeared on episodes of “L.A. Law” and “Law & Order,” among many others.
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Along with Lady Gaga, Kemp also served as a mentor to other Hollywood stars like Hugh Jackman and Bradley Cooper during her time at the Actors Studio, which she joined as a teacher in 1995. In 2011, Kemp appeared as a special guest during Cooper’s interview on “Inside the Actors Studio,” a moment that brought Cooper to tears as he reflected on his time working with her.
“The thing I wanted to say was that I was never able to relax in my life before her,” Cooper said.
During her tribute to Kemp, Gaga said she was informed of her death by Cooper just before going on stage. She dedicated her performance of her hit single, “The Edge of Glory,” to her late mentor.
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“What was incredible was that Bradley told me Elizabeth died with such dignity. She knew she was going to go but he told me it was very graceful,” Gaga said to the crowd. “She would have wanted each and every one of you to feel so grateful. … She was such a strong woman. She used to ask me all the time to go back to the hardest thing in my heart for the stage.”
After the performance, Jackman posted the video of Gaga’s performance to his Twitter account and paid his respects to Kemp.
“Elizabeth Kemp I celebrate your life and am profoundly grateful to have spent precious time with you,” he wrote.
The cause of Kemp’s death has yet to be released, only that it was “sudden” and “a shock,” according to Rosa Asor Morelli, the co-adminstrator of Kemp’s Facebook page.
Watch Gaga’s tribute to Elizabeth Kemp in the clip above.
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