Actor Born in
Philadelphia, Kessler began his career as an actor. His first professional appearance was in the Philadelphia premiere of the play
Waiting for Godot, appearing opposite
Bruce Dern. He has subsequently appeared in several films, including
James Dean (portraying
Lee Strasberg, under whom he had studied at the
Actors Studio).
Writer and director Kessler studied acting with
Lee Strasberg and was accepted into the Director's Unit of the
Actors Studio, where he wrote and directed his first one act play,
The Viewing, which he subsequently directed at the
Lucille Lortel Theater in New York.
Playwright Kessler's most well known plays include his first full-length work,
The Watering Place, and
Orphans. located at the
UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute. This workshop brings together actors, writers and directors who create scenes and original plays to be performed by psychiatric patients, veterans and "at risk" students in the L.A Public Schools. In 1998 they won the
Ovation Award "for their excellence in using theatre to impact and involve a community." Kessler and
Mark Rydell co-moderate the Writer/Directors Unit of the
Actors Studio West at Greenway Court Theatre. Kessler served as the director of the
Sundance Screenwriter's Lab. He also participated in the Sundance Screenwriters Conference in Hungary, working with writers from all over Eastern Europe. ==Professional seminar==