- Date Of Death: January 23, 2007
- State: Connecticut
Earle R. Gister, 77, an influential figure in the acting world and a member of faculty at the Yale School of Drama for two decades, died at his home in New Haven on Jan. 23, 2012. Born in Racine, Wisconsin on March 30, 1934, he was the son of the late Benjamin and Violet Gister. He attended CarletonCollege in Northfield, Minn. where he met Robert Corrigan, the drama professor who would serve as his mentor. After graduating from Carleton with a bachelor’s degree in history, he traveled with Corrigan to TulaneUniversity in New Orleans where he earned his MFA in drama. Over a more than 40 year career in the world of theater, Mr. Gister mentored some of today’s most celebrated actors. He directed the entire canon of Anton Chekho at the Yale Repertory Theater and earned a reputation as one of the nation’s most respected theater professors. He came to the YaleDramaSchool in 1979 when Lloyd Richards was dean and stayed for 20 years. He was named the first Lloyd Richards Adjunct Professor of Drama in 1994. For 19 years, he served as associate dean of academic affairs and chair of the M.F.A. Acting Program. He retired in 1999. Before coming to Yale, he played a key role in actor training programs at North Carolina School of Arts, The Juilliard School, City College of New York, and taught at CarnegieMellonUniversity in Pittsburgh, where he served as chairman of the drama department. His teachings were captured in the book “Acting: The Gister Method”, written in collaboration with Joe Alberti. It will be released this year by Pearson Academic. A Facebook group called “Friends of Earle Gister” has been created. Mr. Gister is survived by three sons, Carey (Cynthia Gutierrez) Gister of San Francisco, Brian Gister of New York City and Andrew Gister of New Haven; a brother, Kerry Gister in Arizona; a sister, Phyllis Sviboda of Madison, Wisc.; and two grandchildrem, Reed & Zoe Gister. He was predeceased by his wife of 51 years, Glynda Oglesby Gister, who died in 2010.
