Born on February 6, 1931 in the city of Temple, Texas (USA).

Full name Elmore Rual Torn.

Rip is a nickname that young Elmore liked and that his father called him. Before beginning to study architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, Rip Torn studied animal husbandry for a time.

In 1955, at the age of 24, Rip Torn went to New York, where he was discovered by director Elia Kazan. Kazan brought him to the Actors Studio and gave him work as Ben Gazzara's understudy in the Broadway production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." By the end of that play's long run, Torn was already performing one of the leading roles.