Celebrating 60 years of great acting

When actress Elaine Stritch spoke about Stella Adler at the 60th-anniversary celebration of Tisch's Stella Adler Studio of Acting last night, her eyes lit up.

"Did you ever meet her?" Stritch said about Adler. "Oh my God, she makes me look like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. She was something, I tell you. She was my teacher."

This is how Adler is remembered by many of her students, including the actors Salma Hayek and Marlon Brando.

Tom Oppenheim, Adler's grandson and president of the Adler Studio, describes the studio as "a living, breathing extension of [Stella's] spirit" and said Stella had a sincere concern for humanity, which shaped her into a force for social activism through theater.

This message of social engagement, coupled with fond memories of Adler, brought many members of the entertainment industry to last night's celebration, called the Stella by Starlight Gala. The Gala was held in the Park Avenue home of Antonio "LA" Reid, the CEO of Island Def Jam Records.

The Gala honored several celebrities for excellence in the dramatic arts and social activism. Actress Ruby Dee presented Whoopi Goldberg with the Marlon Brando Award for her career in film art and her active participation in humanitarian works. When asked about the personal importance of this award, Goldberg said, "I'd rather have Marlon."

James Gandolfini presented actress Elaine Stritch with the Stella Adler Award for her prolific achievement in acting.

"What young actress in New York gets Stella Adler as their teacher and gets to sit next to Marlon Brando?" Stritch said. "That ain't bad, is it."

Rev. Al Sharpton also attended the gala and stressed the importance of social engagement among members of the acting world and otherwise.

"No one, artists or non-artists, should be on the planet and not do something for a cause bigger than themselves," Sharpton said.

Zoe Schlanger is a contributing writer.