If you’ve attended an acting class, you already know that there are enough variations of acting techniques for every actor to have his or her own. It’s important for actors to develop a unique understanding of the craft and discover which methods work best. To start, every actor should know these six most common acting techniques from 20th century scholars and actors.

1. Stanislavski’s System

This method designed by Constantin Stanislavski between 1911 to 1916 uses emotional memory, physical actions, and self-analysis to trigger a character’s emotions on stage. Stanislavski’s work changed acting in the early 20th century and paved the way for new techniques. Lord Laurence Olivier and Sir John Gielgud are two famous actors from the 1900’s who built their careers on the Stanislavski system. Santa Monica College has an excellent online resource to help familiarize yourself with this method.

2. The Strasburg Method

Lee Strasburg expanded on Stanislavski’s system by creating his character’s experiences in his own life. Strasburg believed that experiencing the emotions that would have to be portrayed in a character would intensify the performance and the actor’s connection to the role. Today, we call this Method acting. James Dean, Alec Baldwin, and Marilyn Monroe, among other famous stars, trained under Strasburg, and his technique is popular with Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson, and others. Join the list by getting started at the website for The Lee Strasburg Theatre & Film Institute here.

3. Stella Adler’s technique

Stella Adler was an American actress in the time of Strasburg and Stanislavski’s but was uncomfortable with the intensity of their methods. “Drawing on the emotions I experienced—for example, when my mother died—to create a role is sick and schizophrenic. If that is acting, I don’t want to do it,” she once said. To improve her acting without dwelling on past experiences, Adler tweaked the two previous techniques to include a strong focus on imagination. Marlon Brando, Robert DeNiro, Benecio Del Toro, Mark Ruffalo, and Melanie Griffith all trained under Adler. Learn how to use imagination effectively at the Stella Adler Studio Of Acting.

4. The Meisner Technique

Also a hybrid of the methods before it, the Meisner technique is one of the most talked about techniques in the industry today. Sanford “Sandy” Meisner developed the technique in the 1930’s while working with Lee Strasburg and Stella Adler. Meisner’s approach centers on truthful acting — behaving as a character the same way a real person would if the circumstances were real. This approach combines the behavioral realism of Adler’s technique with Strasburg’s psychological realism to train actors to behave as real people, not caricatures. Famous Meisner students include Robert Duvall, Grace Kelly, and Diane Keaton. Elizabeth Mestnik provides a great overview of Meisner at her website here.

5. The Chekhov Technique

Michael Chekhov was an actor and one of Stanislavski’s star pupils. Chekhov combined Stanislavski’s system with added emphasis on the actor’s physical presence and the body as an instrument. If actors could learn to develop both their emotional and physical responses, using both the brain and body to portray unique characters, they could better reach their highest potential and bring characters to life. Clint Eastwood, Jack Nicholson, and Anthony Hopkins are students of the Chekhov technique. To better understand Chekhov’s practices, visit the Michael Chekhov Acting Studio here.

6. Practical Aesthetics

Practical Aesthetics was developed by David Mamet and William H. Macy and, unlike previous techniques, relies more on individual scenes than on developing a character long-term. To apply practical aesthetics, actors must analyze a scene in four steps to understand the scenario, each character’s intentions, and what the actor will do to make those intentions clear to viewers. This technique incorporates the teachings of Meisner and Stanislovski by teaching actors to associate scenes with real life experiences and seem more convincing. William H Macy, Felicity Huffman, Jessica Alba, and Clark Gregg studied practical aesthetics.

Ready to dive in?

Understanding each of these techniques is essential to finding the method — or combination of methods — that works best for you. Pieces of each technique that work for you may not work for others and vice versa. But be careful not to take method acting too seriously. Playing a superhero does not mean you should jump in front of a gun or attempt to swing from a web. If you do that, the world will think you’re crazy.

Take your technique training to the next level by learning from the teachers who molded the art with books from Chekhov, Stanislavski, Meisner and more. Click here for the list.