It’s so easy to take for granted those individuals that have been around for so long since we get the impression that they’re fixtures in the world, voices that we’ll always hear and faces we’ll always be able to see. That’s still true since we’ll still be able to watch James Lipton thanks to archived video footage that will still exist, but sadly, the man behind the show Inside the Actors Studio has passed away at the age of 93 and the world is just a bit dimmer for his absence, as it’s been with the many that have passed on in the previous decades. It could be said that we’ve been losing the best and the brightest throughout recent years, but that might sound a bit disingenuous if only because many upon many people pass every year, and yet only those that are known to millions are seen as worth speaking of in a way that will reach a mass audience. In a way these people that we take note of, such as Lipton, are those that shine the brightest because of the careers they selected and the paths they chose to tread, but there is also the idea that they are a true loss to humanity thanks to what they contributed during their time in this world. As Jeremy Dick of MovieWeb writes Lipton was a man that loved his work and had great respect for those he worked with, and that alone is something to make him worth talking about and will help to preserve his memory with those that care to think of him from time to time.
As a writer and an actor Lipton was well known within the show business community as he had a long history and had seen a great many people come and go and had also managed to note the changes in the industry throughout the years. One could easily call him an old-timer as he’d seen enough to write one book after another if he’d decided to do so just on the experiences he’d had throughout the long course of his career. Trying to pin down one favored moment in his entire life in and around show business would be kind of difficult since at this point he’s known for so much that trying to hem him into one particular moment would be more than difficult, it would be in effect an attempt to minimize his effect on the industry. Instead it’s best to think of what he did in a broad scope and to admit that while he wasn’t the only person in the business and wasn’t the most famous of them all, he was a person of note that it was wise to never underestimate as he managed to pave his own way to success and enjoyed it thoroughly in a way that spoke volumes when his works were appreciated. In a very impressive way he became one of THE writers in show business that was more or less a voice that was wise to listen to. His show, Inside the Actors Studio, was a marvel that included a number of different personalities from actors to directors and such that would sit down and discuss just went on behind the scenes and what the tricks were to the business and how they perceived it. Brian Lowry of CNN has more to say on this.
In a way he was the man that wanted to know how it worked, or one of them at least, and he was definitely adept at discovering this in a way that was both entertaining and informative to those that know little to nothing about show business other than the fact that they enjoy the final product. Adam Bernstein of The Washington Post has more to say on the matter. Making his way through the business in his own way gained him a great deal of respect and regard from many people, even if there were many that still didn’t know his name. The measure of fame that many hope to attain in the business is often to be known throughout the world, and while this is a lofty and often worthy goal, it’s not the only reason to go after a life spent writing for Hollywood and acting from time to time. The real goal of course is to be remembered when you’re gone, to make an actual mark in the business that people will look at and recognize for a long time to come. It’s easy to state that Mr. Lipton managed to do this since whether the news wants to report it or not, there are a great many people that will remember him and very likely hold his name up as one of those that stands for greatness in the years to come. It’s very easy to say that writers are a dime a dozen in Hollywood, but there are always those like Lipton that are worth so much more. Rest in peace sir.
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