Lee's great gifts are teaching and inspirational guidance, not administration and management.

Born in Akron Ohio Crawford majored in drama at Smith College. Finishing their training in 1927 Cheryl Crawford was hired by Theresa Helburn the Guild's Executive Director as a casting secretary. While working at the Guild Cheryl Crawford met Harold Clurman and Lee Strasberg who had also been working there as play reader and actor respectively.

In 1947 together with former Group Theatre members Elia Kazan and Robert Lewis Cheryl Crawford founded The Actor's Studio which trained Marlon Brando James Dean Jerome Robbins Shelley Winters Jane Fonda Bea Arthur and many more. By then Cheryl Crawford knew that Cheryl Crawford didn't want to pursue an acting career but saw no other way to gain access to the organization producing the highest quality theatre of its time. After he followed her suggestion and the talks attracted more people than could fit in Clurman's apartment Crawford arranged for the use of a showroom at the Steinway Piano Company.