Why don't acting coaches...?

Question

How come "reclaimed" or "praised" acting coaches never made it big? I mean, they must be ridiculously good actors for still coaching big name stars like Dustin Hoffman and such. Did they choose to turn down cinema to vow to theatre or what??

Answer 1

Good question....... I don't know, Very weird, Right?

Answer 2

It's not necessarily because they're not good actors -- I think Uta Hagen was supposed to be terrific.  But I think some people just love teaching, watching young talent grow and develop.  And if you've got a bunch of students all the time, you don't have to worry about the constant rejection of auditions.

Answer 3

I think you mean "acclaimed"...

Anyway, I've often wondered this, too.  And the fact is, many of them were great actors in their day (Hagen, Strasberg, etc).  I think the case for a lot of them is though that just because they can draw awesome performances from people doesn't necessarily make them good actors.  Just because you are a good football coach doesn't mean you're a great football player, you know?  It just means you understand the game and you're good at getting others to play well.  Is that a good metaphor?  :)