William Claassen, former New York actor and member of Actors’ Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists, performed in Manhattan in the 1970s and early 1980s. He studied with Austin Pendleton at the Herbert Bergoff Studios, Kim Stanley at the Shelter West Theater and Rae Allen, Judith Greentree, Mark Zeller and Dana Zeller at the 78th Street Theater Lab.
Some of Claassen’s roles included Ben in Margaret’s Bed by William Inge, Trofimov in Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, the Sheriff in Stephen Black’s The Pokey, Ted in Peter Schaffer’s The Private Ear and the Commentator in Brian Friel’s Lovers. He was also cast as Joe in William Saroyan’s The Time of Your Life, Eric in George Blumberg’s Knitters in the Sun and Mark in Michael Cristofer’s The Shadow Box.