Abbie Cornish
Actor, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Candy, Bright Star, Limitless, Seven Psychopaths, Solace
“Training the passionate actor to excellence.”
Testimonials
What do people have to say about the Terry Knickerbocker Studio?
Hear From Our Students
The Terry Knickerbocker studio is honored to receive feedback from students and alumni.
Yul Vazquez
Actor, Motherf**ker with the Hat, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Primary Stages, The Floating Island Plays
“Terry Knickerbocker has been my coach on numerous films. His ideas have inspired and challenged me, and working with him whenever I’ve prepared for a new project has been invaluable.”
Jordana Spiro
Actor, My Boys, Ozark, The Good Wife, Blindspot, Dexter, The Mob Doctor
“Every time I work with Terry I am reminded of how fun and creative the whole thing can be, no matter how difficult the project. He is an inspiring, gifted and kind teacher and I feel fortunate to know him.”
Leslie Bibb
Actor, Talladega Nights, Crossing Jordan, About My Father, Palm Royale, Hellbaby
“I love working with Terry Knickerbocker. I always walk out of a session with him more confident as an actor and more invigorated about the part. He is able to unlock something in my imagination when we are breaking down a script or inventing a character together. It’s like cooking with gas with him. I think your job as an actor, well at least one of your jobs, is to come to set or walk into rehearsal with ideas, with a toolbox that is filled, with an arsenal that is locked and loaded! Terry does that…and then some! I can’t imagine working on any job without him. He is my secret weapon!”
Michael Godere
Actor, Daylight, The Sopranos, Blind Spot, Blue Bloods, The Affair, Clover
“Terry has been my acting coach for the past six years. In a word, my work with Terry has gotten me more ACTIVE! Terry knows how to make a scene active, you active, the role active – which leads to him bringing your work to its richest, deepest, most inventive self. He opens you up to a new world of choices, that comes out of the intention of the character and your creativity. Scenes or moments I thought I could coast through, Terry always forces me to find more. If a moment is not obviously burning with intention – it better be simmering towards one. He has a unique way he guides you through every moment of the script – a poetic, free-associative, instinctual ride he takes you on – through his lyrics, improvs, humor and insight, you discover the subtext together. Resulting in an alive inner life which becomes the foundation for your actions. Giving you the freedom to spontaneously erupt in any given moment, introducing the possibilities for humor, danger, desire, etc… where you maybe didn’t expect. He brings the choices out of you, from your emotional life, while simultaneously giving you tons of ideas – they pour out of him like quarters from a slot machine that just hit the jackpot!!”
Justin Gabriel
Actor, Too Close to Home, Anon
“My experience with Terry has been profound and not just in terms of acting. Studying with him is a complete holistic approach, a lifestyle. He is one of the most honest, generous and present human beings I’ve ever met. His colossal wisdom, knowledge of human behavior, and endless curiosity has continued with me every day, even after studying with him. He leads by example. He has modeled for me what it means to be an artist, and our responsibility to hold a mirror up to human nature. He has helped lay a foundation that forges the confidence to be able to work with anyone, anywhere, and deliver every time. I am deeply and eternally grateful to have met Terry Knickerbocker.”
Gretchen Mol
Actor, Donnie Brasco, Rounders, Cradle Will Rock, The Notorious Bettie Page, 3:10 to Yuma, Manchester by the Sea, Boardwalk Empire, Mozart in the Jungle
“I had the great fortune to be introduced to the Meisner technique by a wonderful teacher, Terry Knickerbocker. Through his guidance, he activated a confidence and curiosity around the craft of acting that I had never truly felt. Those early days of study are in some ways the most memorable because of the discoveries that are made. Terry tugged us, challenged us, and never doubted the capacity of each student to grab hold of the technique. He induced in me a love for the craft that was clearly his own.”
Natasha Lyonne
Actor, American Pie, Party Monster, Kate & Leopold, Detroit Rock City
“Working with Terry was an excellent experience. Much of our focus was on staying loose, not being tense; because it’s hard to lock into a character’s emotional life when the actor playing them is all tensed up. The environment Terry creates feels immediately rich with ideas and specific choices. Going off and making a movie after our work together, I felt well-armed to bring a very real, original, and emotionally fleshed-out person to the screen. I felt confident in my choices and spent less time second-guessing myself. All our work freed me up to be in the moment, and improvise with specificity, and to feel very alive in the role I was playing.”
John Leguizamo
Actor, Super Mario Bros, Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge, Ice Age
“Terry is like my Phil Jackson he gets my skills and my acting choices primed to the max!”
Josh Charles
Actor, Hairspray, Dead Poets Society, Bird People, Normal, The Drowning, Freeheld, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, I Smile Back, Four Brothers, S.W.A.T., Threesome, Pie in the Sky, Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, Amateur, Crossing the Bridge
“I always look forward to working with Terry. You feel his dedication and intelligence immediately and his ideas, whether it’s script analysis or scene work, consistently challenge and inspire me. He has an uncanny ability to uncover the truth in any moment, and, even more importantly, he’s able to articulate that to you in a clear and precise way. His energy is warm and encouraging and I know my work is more connected and grounded due to him.”
Sam Rockwell
Actor, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, American Buffalo, Lawn Dogs, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Matchstick Men, Moon, Seven Psychopaths, The Green Mile, Galaxy Quest, Iron Man 2, Frost/Nixon, Cowboys and Aliens
“I first took an acting class from Terry Knickerbocker more than 25 years ago. Since then I have worked with him on every film and stage role I’ve done. Nobody’s better at what he does. Terry is incredibly intuitive and full of ideas that are usually outside the box. His sense of what is truthful is like a laser. I depend on him. He’s invaluable to me and I don’t know what I’d do without him.”
Emmy Rossum
Actor, Shameless, The Phantom of the Opera, Mystic River, The Day After Tomorrow
“Terry has been an invaluable part of my process for many years. He helps me shape my characters, prepares me for auditions, and challenges me to push myself as an actress. When I send him a new script, he has ideas on everything, from subverting obvious character choices to what physicality or props might help me express something non-verbally in a scene. He also shakes me of any quirks or bad habits I might develop. One of my favorite things about working with Terry is his vast knowledge of theater and film. Often when developing a character together, Terry will suggest studying a play with a similar character or watching an old film with a character whose quirks we might be inspired to pepper into what we are creating. Terry continues to impress me with his commitment to character and story. I wouldn’t be as fearless or as confident without his guidance.”