sposilf
RISTORANTE
championship in 1983, the year he
graduated, for duo interpretations.
At New York University, where he
majored in drama, he studied at the
famed Circle in the Square and
Playwrights Horizons. "I worked with
David Mamet, and [actor] William
H. Macy was one of my teachers,"
says Rabinowitz. "It was a great train-
ing ground."
While still in school, Rabinowitz
began to work professionally. "The
first time I was paid for acting was in
a play called Salome," he recalls, but
his first professional role was in direc-
tor Robert Wilson's production of
Hamlet Machine. At the time, Wilson
was commissioned to direct an opera
at La Scala in Milan, Italy, where he
took the cast of Hamlet Machine and
used them in the performance.
"It was amazing — Gianni Versace
designed the costumes and Andy
Warhol came to see it," says
Rabinowitz. "To be on stage of the
greatest opera house in the world at
only 20 years old was an incredible
opportunity."
After graduating from NYU in .
1989, Rabinowitz continued to hone
his thespian skills in various regional
theaters and cities, including Seattle
Rep in Seattle, Center Stage in
Baltimore and Power Center in Ann
Arbor. But one of his most valuable
experiences came when he traveled to
Japan.
"When I worked with Robert
Wilson I was exposed to high level
avant-garde theater, so I read a book
about a theater school in Japan and
decided to go," says Rabinowitz. "I
studied at Tadashi Suzuki's
International Actor Training pro-
gram."
Eventually,- Rabinowitz made his
way to Los Angeles, where he hooked
up with friends from NYU and start-
ed a theater company called Sacred
Fools, now entering its third year.
One of the ongoing shows performed
in the group's playhouse is Crime
Scene, a collection of plays, stories
and parodies that ironically includes a
spoof on soap operas.
This exposure helped open many
doors for Rabinowitz. Within the
past couple of years, he has appeared
on the HBO series Sex and the City,
and in the HBO film Lansky, starring
Richard Dreyfuss as the infamous
gangster.
He also has directed various pro-
ductions, including William
Gibson's Burnt Chrome, for which he
won an LA Weekly Award as Best
Director, and King Lear, for the
Pasadena Shakespeare Company.
However, landing the role of Ross,
an ad agent/falsely accused stalker, is
what has made Rabinowitz a house-
hold name to soap fans nationwide.
"For me, getting the part of Ross on
The Young and the Restless was a real
mitzvah," laughs Rabinowitz.. "I audi-
tioned and two days later I was on
the show.
"The cast at Y&R is great— it's a
family atmosphere. Some of the cast
members are married to each other
and many have been around for a
very long time. They are extremely
talented actors at the top of their
craft and it's a privilege to be around
such high-level professionals."
Rabinowitz says that although fans
don't stop him much on the streets of
L.A., he was recognized recently in
West Bloomfield when he flew home
for a family affair.
"I was just at a baby-naming cere-
mony in Detroit for my sister Beth's
daughter and a 95-year-old woman
came up to me because she recog-
nized me from the soap," chuckles
Rabinowitz. The actor also has a
brother, Howard, who lives in L.A.
Throughout his journey,
Rabinowitz says, his parents have
been very supportive. "They have
flown all around the country to see
me on stage, including Europe," he
says. "And being on a soap is great
because they get to watch me all the
time."
His parents, who live in
Bloomfield Hills and are longtime
members of Congregation Shaarey
Zedek, say they couldn't be more
proud of their son. "It's thrilling to
see him on television," says his moth-
er, Helene, a social worker in
Bloomfield Hills.
"Whenever I watch him, though,
it's difficult to separate him, my son,
from the role — I still look at his
hair, his face, how he is moving —
but it's getting easier.
`We have great respect and admira-
tion for him as an artist," she adds.
"He keeps pushing the boundaries for
himself, moving in different direc-
tions."
What's next? "I would love to do
theater in Detroit," Rabinowitz says
enthusiastically. "Especially at JET
(Jewish Ensemble Theater). Working
back in Detroit would be a real
thrill." II
The Young and the Restless airs
12:30 1:30 p.m. weekdays on CBS.
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