Born to a journalist and teacher parents in Detroit Michigan, James Lipton has become a popular composer, writer and actors. He also serves as the host, writer and executive producer of the hit TV series Inside the Actor Studio.

After finishing high school, James Lipton studied to become a lawyer but eventually, he turned to acting finance his education. Apart from being an actor, he has also written a number of great materials for soap operas which include Guiding Light, The Edge of Night, Capitol, Return to Payton Place and Another World. He is also the author of the famous chronicle The Holy Barbarians and he was a columnist and a graphic designer for the Jewish Daily Forward.

Inspired by The Man Who Came To Dinner, James Lipton is also the writer and lyricist of Sheryll, a short-lived Broadway musical in 1967. He also wrote the book titled An Exaltation of Larks. In 1983, his novel titled Mirrors was published, and later on, it was made into a TV movie.