Tanya Berezin, artistic director of the Circle Repertory Theater, died Nov. 29 in San Francisco, at 82.

She began her theater career as a stage actress, gaining glowing reviews  for her Off Broadway performances over the years, and she won an Obie Award for her role in Lanford Wilson’s play, “The Mound Builders” in 1975. In 1986, she turned her attention to behind-the-scenes activity, and joined the repertory theater she had helped to found in 1969.

Her goal was to bring more imaginative work to the theater company, and during her tenure as artistic director, she offered plays about AIDS, capitalism and complex family relationships.

She also acted in television dramas, like “St. Elsewhere” and “The Equalizer,” and also in films, including “Awakenings,” with Robert De Niro and Robin Williams.