Drawing on Ken Rea's 30 years' teaching experience and research, as well as interviews with top actors and directors, The Outstanding Actor identifies seven key qualities that the most successful actors manifest, along with practical exercises that help nurture those qualities. Featuring contributions and insights from Ewan McGregor, Jude Law, Judi Dench, Al Pacino and many more, The Outstanding Actor gives you techniques that you can immediately put into practice in rehearsals, classes or private preparation. It also shows you how to increase the chances of having a more successful career. 'Ken taught us to be dangerous, to abandon any sense of failure and to take risks - that's where to find creativity. A lesson we can never stop learning.' Orlando Bloom 'The classes with Ken at Guildhall, I consider to be the most important part of the acting training. They are exercises in patience, unpredictability and encouraging students to make utter fools of themselves - vital for any actor embarking on a life in the profession.' Michelle Dockery 'Ken's classes were some of the most interesting that I was lucky enough to attend at drama school. He opened the mind to what acting could be.' Ewan McGregor Includes a foreword by Damian Lewis.

Author Biography

Ken Rea is the senior acting teacher at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and artistic director of Koru Theatre. He has taught in national academies around the world and worked with many theatre companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company. He was also for 15 years a theatre critic for the Guardian. Foreword by Damian Lewis.