Derrel Maury is a seasoned acting coach and director with over 25 years of experience. He has taught at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, as well as for notable industry professionals such as Estelle Harman, Tracy Roberts, and top theatrical agencies in Los Angeles.
Derrel has directed theatre programs at various institutions, including the Sanai Akiba Academy, VBS Day School, and Heschel Middle School. He also runs his own Young Actor's Workshop, which was featured in a CNN special report on acting classes for kids.
With a career spanning over five decades, Derrel Maury has been a part of numerous productions. He joined SAG/AFTRA in 1967 and quickly landed roles, including "crawl-on's" and a series regular on Norman Lear's Apple Pie. He also appeared in other notable shows, such as One Day at a Time, Joanie Loves Chachi, and Archie, as well as the cult classic film Massacre at Central High.
In addition to his television and film work, Derrel has appeared in several TV films and pilots, including I Met a Producer and Moved to L.A. and Cook Her Pants Off. He has also won awards for his performances in films such as Wasteland and Wither, which earned him Best Actor honors at the New York Short Film Festival in 2007.
Derrel grew up in a theatrical family, with his father being a professor of theatre arts at UCLA and his mother a stage actress. He began his acting career at a young age, starring in stage productions such as "Oliver" and "A Thousand Clowns". As an adult, he has taken on a range of roles, including R.P. McMurphy in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", The Devil in "Damn Yankees", and Cole Porter in "Red Hot & Cole", for which he won the West Valley Theatre Award for Best Actor in a Musical.
However, Derrel has said that his most rewarding stage experience was sharing the stage with his parents in a production of "The Subject Was Roses", directed by George Schaefer.
