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Sam Christensen Biography  After
graduating from the Theater Department of the University of Colorado, Sam
Christensen began his 30-year professional career as a concert promoter
in the Rocky Mountain States. Relocating to New York City, he worked as
the company manager of the longest running musical of all time, THE FANTASTICKS.
Subsequently, he managed the off-Broadway hit musical GODSPELL, both
in New York and on the road. Later Sam served as a personal assistant to
renowned playwright/screenwriter/director Arthur Laurents. CBS and MTM Productions brought Sam to Hollywood and he settled into a long run as an independent casting director. Among his many television and feature film casting credits was the most popular small screen series of all time, M*A*S*H. Sam was the first person to ever be accorded front title billing on a major Hollywood release for his casting work on the MGM film, COMA. Several major motion pictures like THE CHAMP and the cult classic THE CLASH OF THE TITANS followed. Sam continued to cast Broadway tours, television series and pilots and acclaimed Mini-series, like JONESTOWN, THE GUYANA TRAGEDY of which the New York Times said, "...masterful and inspired casting is the single most outstanding artistic contribution to this historically significant and important docu-drama." Sam retired from active casting in 1982 to become a personal manager and guided the careers of many important actors, including Rita Wilson, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Patricia Elliott and Jean-Claude Van Damme. As a means of assisting his clients in the successful marketing of their careers, he began creating the personal definition system that has since become his life's work. Sam served as an officer of The Conference of Personal Managers, the professional association that sets talent representation standards in Hollywood. Consulting with other top management firms, assisting them in career development for dozens of established talents rounded out his schedule until 1988 when Sam embarked on his most ambitious undertaking to date. The Actors' Center of Los Angeles was a multi-million dollar, 18,000 square foot facility catering to the West Coast acting community and realized one of Sam's greatest dreams. Creating a successful career as an actor is no small feat, and for years Sam believed that a resource should be established to support actors as they made the challenging journey. The Center offered training, video studios, a bookstore, a café and community and networking opportunities for the actor. It also provided a forum for Sam to refine The Image Design Process. When twelve months of Industry-wide labor actions forced the closing of ACLA in 1991 Sam began concentrating solely on his writing and lecturing. He has since taught the Image Design Process extensively in the U.S., Canada and Europe. As a personal consultant, Sam has coached working actors and movie stars, community leaders and political candidates, entrepreneurs and CEOs. His original process has been expanded to the corporate market and will soon be available through the Internet. Read the Interview with BackStage West |
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