Patrick Bonavitacola received his training as an actor at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute from Lee Strasberg. Lee invited him to become part of The Actors Studio community in 1979, and he has been associated with The Studio for more than 35 years now—first as an actor, and for the last 15 years as a member of the Playwright/Directors Unit. A brief career overview: As an actor, he starred in the soap opera Santa Barbara and on stage in The Basic Training of Pavlov Hummel, View from the Bridge, and Glass Menagerie; as a writer, He wrote jokes for Tim Allen, sketches for In Living Color, and scripts for As the World Turns and Seinfeld; as a director, he directed critically acclaimed productions of Oleanna, The Unexpected Man, and The Faith Healer. The Advocate Newspaper put him on its list of “Best Directors” for Oleanna. Lastly, for the past 20 years he has trained and coached actors and is presently on the faculties of The Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute and The American Academy of Dramatic Arts.