Strasberg, Lee, 1901-82, American theatrical director, teacher, and actor, b. Budzanów, Galicia, Austria-Hungary (now Budaniv, Ukraine) as Israel Strassberg. Strasberg immigrated to New York City in 1909. He was a cofounder in 1931 of the Group Theatre. There until 1937, he initiated training in "the Method," a process of acting based on Stanislavsky's teachings. Among the world's foremost teachers of acting, Strasberg was closely associated with The Actors Studio in New York and became its director in 1950. He acted in movies in his later life, notably The Godfather Part II (1974).