Gloria taught at the American Film Institute for six years in the Masters' Program. She taught Directors, Writers and Producers and among her successful AFI students: Patty Jenkins (Monster (2003), Brian Dannelly (Saved! (2004), Weeds (2005). In 2007, Gloria opened the prestigious Actors Academy Milano in Milan, Italy, where she taught Italian ...
She was the first black actress to star in "Frankie and Johnnie in the Clair de Lune" for the Philadelphia Theatre Company, directed by stage and television director Sheldon Epps.
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Her first starring role was "The Bride" in Federico García Lorca's "Blood Wedding", which she performed her first quarter in college, when she had just turned 17 years old.
She directed Stephen Adly Guirgis play "Our Lady of 121st Street" in its Los Angeles theatrical production debut, which won L.A. Times and L.A. Weekly Critic's Choice and was nominated for theatre awards. It was double cast - she directed 32 actors - it was standing room only at the Matrix Theatre.
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Gloria gave George Clooney his first job in Hollywood. She was producing and starring in the play "The Biz", written by Frank Conn (who was Gloria's boyfriend at the time and the ex-husband of Didi Conn) and directed by George's cousin, Miguel Ferrer. Gloria's son, Adam Gifford (aka Adam Gifford) (who was 12 years younger than George) shared the same role. Denise Crosby (Bing Crosby's granddaughter and Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) star) was also in the cast.
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Gloria was the girlfriend of Troy Donahue for a long time a few years before his death, and was instrumental in getting him representation with her agent, Josh Schiowitz.
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Gloria was romantically involved with playwright Sir Arnold Wesker ("Roots", "The Kitchen", "Chips With Everything", "The Merchant", "Lady Othello"), who wrote a play and a screenplay about their relationship. Sir Arnold Wesker also wrote about their friendship, extensively, in his published diary of the Broadway play, he wrote that starred Zero Mostel.
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Was Armand Assante's girlfriend off and on for four years. She was seriously involved with Armand while she was filming her first feature, Neil Simon's California Suite (1978).
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Has directed many Theater productions.
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Acclaimed acting teacher.
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Executive Director of The Gloria Gifford Conservatory.
$900,000
