Michael Strong

Michael Strong (born Cecil Natapoff; February 8, 1918 – September 17, 1980) Michael Strong served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

He attended Brooklyn College and was a member of the Brooklyn College Varsity Dramatic Society, appearing in productions at local theaters and in radio performances. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1938.

Career

While at Brooklyn College, he made his Broadway debut in 1937 in the short-lived production of Wall Street Scene. He also performed in Yiddish radio, and in 1941 changed his name to Michael Strong. Strong did not appear in the film.

He was a charter member of The Actors Studio.

Strong appeared in the 1949 stage and William Wyler's 1951 film version of Detective Story, playing a cat burglar, and was cast by Elia Kazan in supporting and ensemble roles, twice appeared in the opening night casts of plays by Arthur Miller. He played the bartender Chuck in Sidney Lumet’s televised adaptation of The Iceman Cometh in 1960. He appeared with Zero Mostel and Eli Wallach in an adaptation of Eugène Ionesco's Rhinoceros. he was the understudy for Jack Klugman in the 1959 Broadway production of the musical Gypsy. then a Yiddish theater, on the Lower East Side. was only given a short release at theaters in New York and Los Angeles. At its release, a brief New York Times review called it a “top-flight, one-man tour de force by Michael Strong.” It has been described as a "lost masterpiece."

Personal life and death His first wife was Theda Kropf, a fellow acting student at Brooklyn College who became a kindergarten teacher. She and Strong taught theater at Camp Unity, an interracial summer camp for adults in Wingdale, New York. His second wife was actress Diane Shalet, who was an actress and intern with the Lincoln Center troupe. He had two children with Kropf: Paul and Ellen Strong.

Filmography A partial filmography follows.

Film

Television