Brian Cutler

A working actor since the age of five, Brian Cutler continues the actor’s journey as both a performer and teacher. Born and raised in Los Angeles, his appearances in film, television and theater span several decades and his emphasis on simplicity and basic instinct is both inspiring and effective.

While still in high school, Brian appeared in Bye, Bye Birdie, a major motion picture. This early success paved the way for his actor’s journey, one that would evolve into a lifelong joy and passion. He has appeared in dozens of theatrical productions, collaborating with some of the best directors on the west coast including Viola Spolin, the originator of the theater games used at Second City; Paul Levit and Ted Thorpe of the Players Ring Theater Group; and Jules Getlin, Ellen Miller and Ed Reese of the Peter Pan Players. Brian has appeared in countless film and television dramas, with leading roles in the hit television series The Shazam Isis Hour, the T.V. series Emergency, The Long Hot Summer and The Young Lawyers. He also landed roles in feature films including Airport ’79, The Concorde and Wilderness Family, Part II. He also appeared in numerous guest-starring roles on top-rated T.V. shows, such as Charlie’s Angels, Rockford Files, Knight Rider, Fall Guy, Quincy, Mork & Mindy and The Lucy Show.

In 1993, while starring in productions of The Unsinkable Molly Brown and Come Blow Your Horn, Brian founded Brian Cutler Actors Studio in Kansas City. His focus, then and now, on film technique and commercial acting was an immediate success. From the start, Brian could see the value in teaching students the specialized skills needed to become working actors. Using a technique developed by longtime teacher and mentor Charles E. Conrad, with roots going all the way back to Sanford Miesner at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of The Theatre in New York City, students are taught to focus attention away from themselves, enabling actors to become fully present for their partner. Proving that simplicity is the key to a spontaneous and natural interaction, Conrad had used the technique as a foundation to train many acting luminaries, such as Robert Duvall, Susan Sarandon and Jack Nicholson. Brian, impressed by the process and the powerful effect it had on his performances, further refined and began teaching Conrad’s methods, eventually relocating Brian Cutler Actors Studio to the west coast. 

Now studied by hundreds of actors, including Dennis Quaid, Carl weathers, Dee Wallace Mark Harmon, Rita Wilson and Veronica Hamel, this technique is considered to be the most effective acting method utilized in film today. It’s not by accident that Brian Cutler Actors Studio is one of the premier acting schools in the United States.

Acting is a lifelong pursuit and an ongoing exchange of knowledge. Brian injects his technique, enthusiasm and expertise into a thrilling learning experience. The buzz that flows through every class starts with Brian and is sustained by the talent, commitment and boldness of every student in Brian Cutler Actors Studio.