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My journey ends here...

STRASBERG Paula

Born Pauline or Paulina Miller.

Date of birth: March 8, 1909, New York City.

Date of death : April 26, 1966, New York City ().

Portrait

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Practise: former actress, coach and drama advisor of Marilyn.

She owned a huge collection of exotic fans from all over the world.

Story

She married Harry Stein on March 16, 1929; they divorced in 1935.

She joined the Group Theater and started her career as a stage actress.

Her first participation in a Broadway theatre was in "The Cradle Song" at the beginning of 1927.

From 1931 she played in the Group Theatre productions (

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), staged by her

future husband Lee Strasberg (

Her last appearance as a stage actress was in 1948 in "Me and Molly" ().

On March 11, 1935 she married Lee Strasberg ().

They had two children, Susan (born in 1938) and John (born in 1941).

She was introduced, with her daughter Susan, to Marilyn through their mutual friend Sidney Skolsky, on the set of "There's No Business Like Show Business", during Summer 1954.

Marilyn already knew the reputation of Paula's husband, Lee Strasberg. She confessed to Paula that she had always wanted to work with him, in particular after having heard Marlon Brando's impressive testimonies.

After her moving in New York City in 1955, Marilyn became the most famous movie star associated to the Actors Studio and a new member of the Strasberg family which was, according to Susan, the place of unceasing tensions.

Lee used to order, but Paula had a strong character and had to relegate her own career and aspirations back to the second level; younger, she had been one of the main actresses of the Group Theater.

Susan wrote that Lee behaved as a father for Marilyn, and Paula mothered her and gave her the drugs she needed to sleep.

On December 12, 1955, she attended the premiere of "The Rose Tattoo" :

Beginning of 1956 Paula took on the role held until then by Natasha Lytess, of coach and advisor of Marilyn on sets, from "Bus Stop" (1956) until her last movie.

Shooting of "Bus Stop"

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Usually, for her parts, Marilyn prepared by breaking down the screenplay scene by scene, then by working each gesture and pronunciation of each line. More than her previous teachers, Paula made her work the spontaneity, at least during the rehearsals. For "Bus Stop", they particularly worked hard on her generous South accent.

On the set, Paula was ever-present, with her big horn-rimmed glasses and her hair pulled back in chignon. Suffering from her feet, too delicate for her stoutness, she always wore velvet slippers. She always carried a huge bag with things to nibble, tablets and smelling salts, in case she would faint.

On Sunday July 1st, 1956, with Lee, they attended Marilyn and Arthur Miller's jewish wedding :

Paula went to London in order to assist Marilyn on the set of "The Prince and the Showgirl" (1957), but was soon dismissed to New York, the director Laurence Olivier had got enough that she undermined his authority.
After Lee had spoken in favor of Paula, Marilyn made an act of authority and made sure of a new visa was granted to Paula and that she was allowed to come back.

On Tuesday, November 20, 1956, she went back to the USA, taking the plane with the Millers, at the end of

the production of "The Prince and the Showgirl" ().

In 1957, along with her daughter Susan, they received the Spirit of Achievement Award from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

Shooting of "Some Like it Hot" (1958):

Black negligee

Bathrobe

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Spangled dress

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Marilyn pregnant

Black dress

Dotted Swiss dress

Others

Unpopular beside almost every people on the set, and particularly next to the directors, she inherited of many nicknames. Because of her insistence on always wearing black clothes, including under the heat on the set of "The Misfits" (1961), she was known as the "black baronet".

However, Billy Wilder and John Huston admitted that she helped them by taking care of the unstable Marilyn.

Several biographers accused the Strasbergs to have exploited Marilyn. It was a real bargain for them that the biggest movie star of the country had become student at the Actors Studio, but more, Paula's services were generously remunerated, not to say excessively. Lee Strasberg would have negotiate for Paula's behalf : when she advised Marilyn on the set of "Let's Make Love" (1960), she earned 3 000$ a week, so much so that the movie brought her in more than to Marilyn.

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Her payment continued to grow to reach 5 000$ a week on the set of "Something's Got to Give", which half-part was payed by Marilyn.

When Marilyn left the hotel room she shared with Arthur Miller on the set of "The Misfits" (1961), she moved in Paula's one.

black dress and hat veil

white blouse

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cherry dress

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Mapes Hotel

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They became less close after Marilyn's return to Los Angeles in 1961. The tensions accumulated left undoubtedly their traces on Paula who, it's said, suffered from a nervous breakdown this year.

On March 13, 1961, she attended a party given for the benefit of the Actors Studio, at the Roseland Dance City, New York :