<p>What are the best schools for those wishing to be actors or actresses?</p>
<p>Boston U
Cal State Fullerton
Catholic U
DePaul
Indiana U
Julliard
NYU
Northwestern
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
San Francisco State
Southern Methodist
SUNY Purchase
UCLA
U of Evansville
USC
U of Utah</p>
<p>check Carnegie Mellon</p>
<p>Have you checked out the musical theater section? You might get some guidance there (if you haven't, it's under college majors in the forum)</p>
<p>I second NYU, Juilliard and Carnegie Mellon. Middlebury, I heard, is good too.</p>
<p>all listed below. plus ithica</p>
<p>There are so many! What kind of school are you looking for besides good in acting? Small or large? Uni or LAC? Urban, rural?</p>
<p>This is an old thread I just randomly found. The list Collegehelp gave is from the Performing Arts Major's College Guide which is outdated and very suspect in its recommendations for a lot of reasons. Someone on another thread gave this list which is more in line with the real reputations of the programs in the industry roughly divided into classifications by school and degree type.</p>
<p>Conservatories
The Juilliard School
Carnegie Mellon University
North Carolina School of the Arts
Purchase College
California Institute of the Arts
Webster University
University of Cincinnati Conservatory</p>
<p>Large Universities with Elite BFAs
New York University/Tisch School of the Arts
Boston University
University of Southern California
University of Minnesota Twin Cities Guthrie Theatre Program
DePaul University
Rutgers University
Florida State University</p>
<p>Small/Medium Sized Colleges and Universities with Elite BFAs
University of Evansville
Southern Methodist University
Otterbein College
Emerson College
Ithaca College
Syracuse University</p>
<p>Elite College and University BA programs
Brown University
Vassar College
Swarthmore College
Middlebury College
Northwestern University
UCLA (Practically a BFA with single digit acceptance rate)
Cornell University
Emory University
Sarah Lawrence College
Bard College</p>
<p>Large State University BA programs
Indiana University
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Cal State Fullerton
University of Alabama
Arizona State University
University of Nebraska
University of California, Irvine</p>
<p>Less Classifiable, but good BAs
Fordham University
College of Charleston
Kenyon College
Catholic University
Brandeis University</p>
<p>Here are the differences between a BFA</a> and a BA Degree. See also the Theatre</a> Drama Colleges thread and the Musical</a> Theater Major forum for lots of discussion on this topic. Sorry this response is so late in the game.</p>
<p>How many famous actors today have bachelors degrees in Fine Arts? I know there's more to life than fame, but if that's your goal- good luck!</p>
<p>Those r good i go to a performing arts sleepaway camp and a lot of those schools r mentioned when kids mention trying to get into college...I would say: NYU, I know some people applying to PSU UCla is big for my cali friends into acting...Cal institute and more....Good schools look at the above</p>
<p>Mr-gentleman,
If by famous actors, you mean movie stars, there really arent that many and a BFA isnt necessary at all to be one. Thats more about who you know and how you look than training and actual talent. However, here are a few I can think of right off the top of my head
</p>
<p>Julianne Moore - Boston University
Geena Davis - Boston University
Rachel McAdams - York University (Canada)
Val Kilmer - Juilliard
Elizabeth McGovern -Juilliard
Kevin Spacey - Juilliard
William Hurt - Juilliard
Blair Underwood - Carnegie Mellon
Ted Dansen - Carnegie Mellon
Holly Hunter - Carnegie Mellon
Calista Flockhart - Rutgers
Alec Baldwin - NYU/Tisch
Adam Sadler -NYU/Tisch
Bridget Fonda - NYU/Tisch
Parker Posey - Purchase
Wesley Snipes - Purchase
Edie Falco - Purchase
Ed Harris - Cal Arts
Kathy Bates - SMU
Jennifer Garner - Denison University</p>
<p>I was going to list one of my favorites, Mary-Louise Parker, until I remembered that she got an Acting Certificate instead of a BFA from North Carolina School of the Arts. I guess she didnt like the Gen Eds. LOL Also, do remember that there are a lot of kids who want to get BFAs who arent necessarily interested in being a famous actor at all. My own long-range plan is to get a BFA, perform in regional theatre until Im in my mid-30s, get an MFA in Directing, and then teach at the college level later in life. If something more than that happens well it would be both good and bad but I'm definitely not banking on it. </p>
<p>There are a lot more lesser known names with BFAs who are obviously working a lot in film. You can peruse them by searching for BFA under bios on the IMDb</a> website</p>
<p>How did Kevin Spacey get into Julliard? That dudes a fricking moron retard!!!</p>
<p>Fordham only offers the BA but you should know it is has much more impact in terms of producing high-caliber talent and famous faces than most of the programs listed on this page. Training is one part, a quality liberal arts program is another, and for anyone interested in the industry, location matters bigtime. </p>
<p>Famous Fordham theatre/lib arts grads/students:
Denzel Washington
Alan Alda
Dylan McDermott
Patricia Clarkson
Robert Sean Leonard</p>
<p>And then....<a href="http://www.fordham.edu/theatre/alum_achi_2a.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.fordham.edu/theatre/alum_achi_2a.htm</a> for many, many more!</p>
<p>Fabulous discussion -- all of you.</p>
<p>(And not that I'm recommending this to anyone, but I do note, for those of us who are regular "Inside the Actors' Studio" viewers, that a great # of big-time actors are high school and/or college dropouts.)</p>
<p>These lists above are extremely helpful. Thank you to the OP for initiating. I'm printing them out!</p>
<p>I would also mention Yale for graduate school. Some schools seem to be more inclined to get older students. I have heard that about Juliard.</p>
<p>Mr_Gentleman,
Scratch Spacey from the BFA list. Somebody told me he quit Juilliard after two years ... LOL I personally thought he was excellent in "American Beauty" and "LA Confidential," though.</p>
<p>Mr.B,
Yeah. I haven't researched them as thoroughly as I have the undergrad programs, but my understanding is that Yale is generally considered the top MFA. Some others in the same ballpark are apparently UC San Diego, NYU/Tisch, Brandeis, American Conservatory Theatre, and UC Irvine. Juilliard does take a lot of older students. Some even already have degrees and go there for additional training. However, kids straight out of h/s do get in though the odds are very long for everybody ... like around a 2% admit rate. Meh ... I'm gonna try ... My New Year's resolution is to get in. LOL</p>
<p>Good luck, fishbowlfreshman. And yay, it's already New Year's here.</p>
<p>Jason Alexander - Boston University</p>
<p>Go for it, fishbowl.
(And I agree with you about Spacey in those 2 particular films. In some others, he does look bored/disconnected, & as if he's humoring cast, crew & audience, but he was well-cast & well-directed in those 2.)</p>
<p>what do you know about the unc-chapel hill program?</p>