She was in a class of her own. Stella Adler was theatre’s royalty. Born to Sara and Jacob Adler in New York City, her parents weren’t strangers to the stage and her brothers were huge names within the industry as well. Her brothers, Jay Adler and Luther Adler as well as her half-brother Charles were major players in the world of acting.

Stella Adler was a member of Group Theatre. She had trained under Constantin Stanislavski and because of her beliefs and understanding of the Stanislavski methods; she had strong differences of opinion with Lee Strasberg which initiated the breakup of the Group Theatre.

Stella Adler was Marlon Brando’s first real drama teacher. Adler and Brando met through Brando’s sister. Marlon Brando had been dismissed from military school but that didn’t bother Adler and apparently didn’t change what she believed and she believed in Brando’s abilities. She knew Brando would become the best American actor in theatre during their era.

Stella Adler wasn’t a stranger to Broadway and she was a regular in the shows there. She appeared in three films including the one that is most remembered which was Shadow of the Thin Man.

Stella Adler married three times. Her first husband (Horace Eliascheff) became the father of her only child. She later married Harold Clurman who was a famous director and critic. Later, she married Mitchell A. Wilson who was a physicist and novelist.

Stella Adler died in 1992 at the age of 91. Her acting methods have been used by some of the legendary greats including Robert De Niro and Martin Sheen. Stella Adler’s work will live on through her theatre (Stella Adler Studio of Acting) and she will always be remembered for her contributions to the theatre.