Legendary and controversial acting guru Lee Strasberg would have been 100 years old on Nov. 17, 2001. To celebrate the milestone, Al Pacino, Sophia Loren and the Actors' Fund will throw a cocktail party on Feb. 11, 2002.
At the event, which will take place at the Minskoff Theatre, at 200 West 45th Street, the creation of the Lee Strasberg Artistic Award will be announced. The prize will be given annually "to an outstanding colleague in the entertainment community." The first winner of the new prize will be named April 29.
The festivities will continue Feb. 12 with the renaming of 15th Street. The Actors' Studio was founded by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford and Robert Lewis in 1947. Strasberg joine in 1949 and become artistic director in 1951. The street will be named Lee Strasberg Way. Pacino will again be on hand for the unveiling, as well as Brian Stokes Mitchell.
Pacino is one of the Actors' Studio's best known acolytes. He starred with Strasberg in the films "The Godfather II" and "And Justice for All."
—By Robert Simonson