Iris Klein is an acting teacher, coach and award winning director based in Los Angeles. She leads workshops in Honolulu, Hawaii and teaches seasonal workshops at Princeton University. Raised just outside New York City, Iris discovered her love of theatre through remarkable early experiences—from seeing her cousin Jerome Robbins’ West Side Story to hearing Manitas de Plata at Carnegie Hall and watching Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton perform Shakespeare in an intimate setting. These moments shaped her lifelong belief that exposure to the arts deepens our understanding of the human experience.

After studying at New College of California, Iris spent a decade in New York performing on stage and in film while observing the work of legendary filmmakers including Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Sidney Lumet, and Robert Benton. She also traveled extensively, filming documentaries throughout the Amazon and around the world.

Since moving to Los Angeles, Iris has worked with visionary artists including John Cassavetes and Paul Verdier. She later co-wrote and co-directed the award-winning independent feature Three Janes, honored with the Diamond Halo Award for Best Direction and selected by the RiverRun International Film Festival.

Drawing on decades of experience, Iris is dedicated to helping actors develop truthful, fearless, and deeply authentic performances.