Harold Saul Guskin was born in Brooklyn, New York on May 25, 1941. He received a bachelor's degree in drama from Rutgers University and a master's degree in drama from Indiana University. Before becoming an acting coach, he taught acting at Illinois Wesleyan University and at the New York University School of the Arts. In 1989, he directed Twelfth Night for the Public at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. He also directed the film Down the Shore. His book, How to Stop Acting, was published in 2003. He died of pulmonary embolism on May 10, 2018 at the age of 76.