Actor and pop culture figure James Lipton died at the age of 93 on Monday, CNN reported. Lipton, who was known for interviewing high profile stars in Inside the Actors Studio for over 20 years, died at his home in Manhattan, New York. The cause of his death was bladder cancer, his wife, Kedakai Mercedes Lipton, said.
Lipton’s death was announced by Ovation TV, which currently airs the programme Inside the Actors Studio. Lipton founded the television program in 1994, conducting serious discussions with actors in front of audiences of students. He became dean of the Actors Studio Drama School, which offered degrees in acting.
Among his interviewees were actors Paul Newman, Barbra Streisand, Meryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams and Anthony Hopkins. However, Lipton left the show when it moved from Bravo to Ovation TV in 2019, The Washington Post reported. His shows ran into four or five hours and then had to be cut to one hour for television.
Comedians parodied Lipton, and his critics regarded him as pompous, sycophantic, unctuous, oleaginous and obsequious. A cartoon version of him was murdered on The Simpsons. However, Lipton had himself provided the voice for the cartoon version.
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