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 Bennes
Mardenn came from Philadelphia to New York in 1935.
He was fortunate to be personally trained by the Group Theatre:
Stella Adler, Bobby Lewis, Harold Clurman, Lee Strasberg, and his
mentor, Morris Carnovsky.
Knowing he wanted to teach and further his education as an actor, Bennes
came to study at the Dramatic Workshop with Erwin Piscator and Michael
Chekhov. At
The New School, he studied Child Psychology under Abraham Maslow,
focusing on the Psychology of Being, and under Lawrence J. Stone of Vassar
College to become a Creative Dramatics Specialist.
He has taught in New York, Hollywood, Rome, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem.
In New York, he taught at Carnegie Hall, the 92nd Street YMHA,
Educational Alliance and was the Speech and Drama Director at Henry Le
Tang’s Dance School.
From 1958 to 1963, he acted and directed the Living Theatre Company
and Repertory School.
In Hollywood, he opened a studio called the Drama Lab where he
trained Talia Shire, Herschel Bernardi, Sal Mineo, Gary Crosby, Charlie
Brill, Mitzi McCall, Richard Hatch, James Earl Jones, Diana Sands and Kim
Darby. Later,
in Hollywood, he went on to train and coach Joe Penny, Fisher Stevens,
Raphael Sparge, and G. Beaudin.
In Rome, his villa became an international school of acting called the Drama
Lab Europa where Joe Namath, Barbara Bouchet and Carol Andre came to work
and develop their acting. While in Rome, he was featured in Visit to Rome
by Marco Ferreri, starring David Warner; also in Brother Sun, Sister Moon
by Franco Zeffirelli, starring Valentini Cortese.
In Israel, he was Director of Dramatic Activities and Events for the
American Cultural Center. He directed Bird Bath by Leonard Melfi; Voices
of Sylvia Plath at Tzavta Theatre in Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem and
co-directed Shalosh (3) at the Kahan Theatre in Jerusalem. He was
featured by director, Giorgio Giulani in Moses, the Law Giver
starring Burt Lancaster and Sacco and Vanzetti. He also was featured
by Michael Caccoyannis in Jacob and Joseph starring Colleen Dewhurst.
As an actor
he has performed with and/or been directed by such luminaries as Montgomery
Clift, Morris Carnovsky, David Opatoshu, Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn,
Jason Robards, Colleen Dewhurst, Herschel Bernardi, Harold Gould, John
Randolf, Milo O’shea, Ruby Dee, Ozzie Davis, James Farentino, Canada Lee,
Didi Pheiffer, J.D. Cullum, Keanu Reeves, Sal Mineo, Burl Ives, James Earl
Jones, Martin Sheen, Judith
Malina, Julian Beck, Joe Chaikin, George Bartenieff, Ed Asner, Zsa Zsa Gabor.
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