Del Close

Del Close
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Name	Del Close
Birth date	June 9, 1934
Birth place	Champaign, Illinois
Death date	March 4, 1999
Death place	Palm Springs, California
Occupation	Actor, director, improvisational theatre teacher, writer
Years active	1950s–1999

Del Close Del Close was an American improvisational theatre director, teacher, actor, and writer whose methods and pedagogy shaped contemporary improv and sketch comedy. He trained and influenced generations of performers associated with institutions and ensembles such as The Second City, National Theatre of the United States of America, Chicago, Saturday Night Live, and Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Close's work intersected with figures from Second City Theatre alumni to mainstream television and film, leaving a legacy across improv communities and comedy festivals.

Early life and education

Del Close was born in Champaign, Illinois in 1934 and raised in a Midwestern environment connected to regional culture and arts. He spent formative years linked to local institutions and later moved to cities that were hubs for theatrical experimentation, including Chicago and New York City. Close studied drama and performance through practical apprenticeships rather than formal conservatory programs, associating with influential companies and practitioners tied to commedia dell'arte revivals, experimental theatre ensembles, and emerging improvisational groups.

Improv career and Second City

Close became a central figure at The Second City in Chicago, where he worked alongside and mentored performers who later joined troupes and productions such as Saturday Night Live, SCTV, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, and various regional comedy theatres. He collaborated with directors and educators connected to Keith Johnstone-influenced work and traditions stemming from Viola Spolin's exercises, contributing to the pedagogy used by companies like Gotham Comedy Club alumni and ensembles across Los Angeles and New York City. Close directed revues and classrooms featuring performers who would later appear in Saturday Night Live casts, Saturday Night Live Weekend Update, and television series produced by Lorne Michaels.

Directing, teaching, and the Del Close Marathon

As a director and teacher, Close co-founded and co-led training programs associated with longstanding institutions such as Second City Training Center, and he taught at venues that spawned collectives like Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and The Groundlings. He helped develop longform improv formats that informed festivals and events run by organizations like ImprovOlympic and inspired citywide marathons modeled on annual gatherings in Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles. The Del Close Marathon—run by groups connected to ensembles and venues including UCB Theatre, People's Improv Theater, and college improv programs—became a multi-day showcase attracting performers who had worked with companies such as The Second City, The Groundlings, The Second City, and alumni from Saturday Night Live.

Writing and published works

Close co-authored texts and manuals that influenced improvisation curricula used by instructors affiliated with institutions such as The Second City Training Center, Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, and training programs tied to universities and regional theatres. His collaborative writing included work with comedians and writers who later produced material for Saturday Night Live, Late Night with David Letterman, and various television sketch shows. Close's approaches were discussed in articles and anthologies alongside names associated with Viola Spolin, Keith Johnstone, Joan Littlewood, and theatrical movements that shaped postwar American comedy.

Acting and film appearances

Close appeared onstage and in supporting on-screen roles, working with directors and performers from projects connected to John Hughes, Martin Scorsese-adjacent casts, and independent filmmakers in the Chicago and Los Angeles scenes. He made appearances in films and television programs alongside actors who trained at or taught with The Second City and Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, contributing character work to projects distributed by studios and networks such as Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, NBC, and ABC. Close also participated in recorded improv albums and early audio work that circulated among comedy collectives.

Influence and legacy

Close's pedagogy and creative partnerships seeded generations of comedians, directors, and writers associated with ensembles and media outlets including Saturday Night Live, SNL alumni projects, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and film comedy industries. His students and collaborators formed companies and venues like Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, The Groundlings, ImprovOlympic, Second City, and college improv troupes that populate festivals such as the Del Close Marathon and national gatherings. Scholars and practitioners referenced Close when discussing improvisational lineages connected to Viola Spolin, Keith Johnstone, Joan Littlewood, and experimental theatre movements that informed contemporary comedic performance.

Personal life and death

Close lived and worked primarily in Chicago and later in Los Angeles and New York City, engaging with a wide network of collaborators from regional theatres, television studios, and comedy clubs. He died in 1999 in Palm Springs, California, survived by colleagues and students who continued to disseminate his methods through institutions such as The Second City Training Center, Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, The Groundlings, and university theatre programs. His name continues to be invoked by ensembles and festivals that trace pedagogical descent from mid-20th-century improvisational pioneers.

Category:American actors Category:American theatre directors Category:American comedy writers