Roy London, 50, acting coach and director, died Aug. 8 in Los Angeles of lymphoma.
An accomplished actor and playwright, London was an original member of the Circle Repertory Theater in New York, where he was a resident playwright in the late 1970s.
In the last decade, London was known for his work as an acting coach. Among his students were Garry Shandling, Sharon Stone, Sherilyn Fenn, Jeff Goldblum, Brad Pitt, Geena Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Patrick Swayze, Dana Carvey, Faye Dunaway, Julie Warner, Lois Chiles and Elisabeth Shue.
In 1992, London made his feature film directorial debut with “Diary of a Hit Man,” starring Forest Whitaker, Fenn and Stone. He also directed episodes of Showtime’s “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” and Shandling’s HBO series “The Larry Sanders Show.”
Early in his career, London performed more than 150 roles on Broadway, Off Broadway, with the Royal Shakespeare Company, in films and on television. He was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and the New York State Grant, both in creative writing. His screenplays include the NBC movie-of-the-week, “California Gold Rush,” and the feature film “Tiger Warsaw,” starring Swayze and Piper Laurie.
Survived by his partner, Tim Healey; his mother, Frances; and brother, Chuck.
A memorial service will be held on Sept. 12 in Santa Barbara. For information , call (213) 882-6921.
