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After completing his degree in English Literature and graduating with honors from C.W. Post College, Gary Swanson put aside a career as a professional high diver on The Atlantic City Steel Pier and began working immediately as Greg Mercer on NBC Daytime Soap Opera, "Somerset" in New York City. While starring in the popular daytime drama, he met with the famed acting teacher and father of The Method, Lee Strasberg. Swanson studied with Strasberg both privately and at The Actors Studio after auditioning and becoming one of the very few lifetime members accepted into this elite acting company. Under Strasberg's tutelage, Swanson became one of the highest rated actors on television.
Swanson continued his work with Strasberg for eight years while building his career as a working actor in New York and Los Angeles. His movie career kicked off in 1974, and since then he has starred in fifteen feature films. He has guest starred in numerous television series and films, theatrical productions and hundreds of national network commercials.
He has starred and worked with some of the greatest directors in the world - Arthur Hiller, Willaim Friedkin, Peter Masterson, Nicolas Roeg, and Philip Noyce. Swanson's teaching credits are numerous, he began with Carlin Glynn at Tajas Productions in 1983. Credits include a summer at Circle In The Square. He taught basic technique at The Actors Studio where he continues to collaborate.
In 1994, James Lipton and the executive committee of The Actors Studio, Paul Newman, Norman Mailer, Ellen Burstyn, Estell Parsons, Arthur Penn, asked Gary to be one of four teachers tasked with launching the Masters Program at the New School of Social Research, which came to be known as "Inside the Actors Studio," for three years.
Swanson has also focused on his own courses, as a part of this he has, and still is been personally coaching many well-known actors, and is conducting weekly workshops with small groups of developing artists. In 2006, he initiated The Montauk Group, a deeply impacting and intensive summer workshop and theater group.
He also writes monthly column for the Hamptons publication, The Montauk Sun. "From An Actors Point Of View" . He also has wrote the script for "Lost In The Hamptons" which is in pre-production.
Swanson lives between Manhattan and Montauk, New York.
