James Lipton

LOS ANGELES — James Lipton, an actor-turned-drama-school-dean who got hundreds of Hollywood luminaries to open up about their life and art and became an unlikely celebrity himself as the longtime host of “Inside the Actors Studio,” died Monday.

Lipton died of bladder cancer at his New York home, his wife, Kedakai Lipton, told The Associated Press. He was 93.

The Detroit-born Lipton began the Bravo show in 1994 that also served as a class for his students at the Actors Studio Drama School, where he was then dean.

He often said his only requirement for a guest was whether they had something to teach his students. His first guest, Paul Newman, set a standard of stardom for those that would follow, including Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Glenn Close, Steven Spielberg and Barbra Streisand.

“Rest in peace, James Lipton. He was interested in the actor’s process, which was so refreshing,” Streisand said in a Twitter post.

Lipton was known, and often parodied, for his highbrow and sometimes worshipful tone with his subjects, and for his intensive preparation, represented by a stack of blue note cards that held his meticulously researched questions. When Will Ferrell played Lipton on “Saturday Night Live,” the stack of cards was nearly a foot thick.

Many otherwise media-shy actors were willing to appear on “Inside the Actors Studio” because Lipton focused on their craft and not the usual celebrity chatter or project promotion.

“People do not come on to sell a movie and you never hear the words, ‘I’m opening in Vegas in two weeks,’ “ Lipton told the AP in a 1996 interview. “That’s what most talk shows depend upon, and that’s fine, but with us we’re getting together to dig as deep as we can.”

He was not afraid to get personal, however, and his stunned interviewees often asked “How did you know that?” when he asked about something from their childhood or private life.