John Steiner (7 January 1941 – 31 July 2022) was an English actor. Tall, thin and gaunt, he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed on-stage for the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

, but was best known to audiences for his roles in

Italian films Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, several of which became cult classics.

Early life and acting career

Steiner was born in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

on 7 January 1941. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and joined the

. He acted in the role of Monsieur Dupere in Peter Brook's production of '' Marat/Sade''. He reprised the role when the play was transferred to Broadway, and again for the 1967 film adaptation. He found work primarily in films including and the original '' Bedazzled'' (1967) with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. In 1969, Steiner was hired to play a part in the

Spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

'' Tepepa'', and also appeared opposite Franco Nero in '' White Fang'', directed by Lucio Fulci. In 1971 he starred in the television series ''

Hine ''Hine'' is a surname deriving from Middle English. Etymology According to the ''Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland'', the modern name ''Hine'' and its variants derive from the Middle English word ''hine'' (with the additi ...

''. In 1979 he featured in the leading role of Leo in a television production of '' Design for Living'' by

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

. He found himself in demand in Italy and moved there, appearing in a great number of Italian exploitation and B-films including police actioners ('' Violent Rome''), westerns ('' Mannaja''), war films ('' The Last Hunter''), nazisploitation ('' Deported Women of the SS Special Section''), sci-fi adventure films ('' Yor, the Hunter from the Future''), and horror films, such as Mario Bava's '' Shock'',

Dario Argento Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and film critic, critic. His influential work in the horror film, horror genre during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the subgenre known as ...

's '' Tenebrae'', and Ruggero Deodato's '' Body Count''. He also became a favourite of famed Italian filmmaker Tinto Brass, featuring in '' Salon Kitty'', the infamous ''

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

'', '' Action'', and ''

Paprika Paprika ( US , ; UK , ) is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers. It is traditionally made from ''Capsicum annuum'' varietals in the Longum group, which also includes chili peppers, but the peppers used for paprika tend to be milder an ...

''. He remained in steady demand until the late 1980s.

Retirement and later life

As the Italian film industry dwindled, Steiner retired from acting in 1991 and moved to California, where he became a successful real estate agent. Steiner later contributed to DVD extras on some of his films and gave interviews about his Italian work.

Personal life

Steiner was

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

. During the 1960s he was in a long-term relationship with director John Schlesinger and became the basis for the character Bob Elkin (played by Murray Head) in Schlesinger's semi-autobiographical film ''Sunday Bloody Sunday''. He later married, and is survived by his wife of over 30 years In addition to English, Steiner spoke French, Italian, and German.

Death

Steiner died in a car crash in La Quinta, California, on 31 July 2022, at the age of 81.

Selected filmography

* '' Marat/Sade'' (1967) – Monsieur Dupere * '' Bedazzled'' (1967) – TV Announcer (uncredited) * '' Work Is a Four-Letter Word'' (1968) – Anthony * '' Tepepa'' (1969) – Doctor Henry Price * '' The Thirteen Chairs'' (1969) – Stanley Duncan * ''

El bosque del lobo ''The Ancines Woods'' ( es, El Bosque del Lobo, lit=The Forest of the Wolf also known as ''The Wolf's Forest'') is a 1970 Spanish drama/ horror film co-written, produced, and directed by Pedro Olea. It is based on the novel by Carlos Martínez-B ...

'' (1970) – Robert * ''

A Girl Called Jules ''A Girl Called Jules'' ( it, La ragazza di nome Giulio) is a 1970 Italian drama film directed by Tonino Valerii. Cast * Silvia Dionisio as Jules * Gianni Macchia as Franco * Esmeralda Ruspoli as Laura, mother of Jules * Anna Moffo as Lia * Ma ...

'' (1970) – Luciano * '' May Morning'' (1970) – Roderick Stanton * ''L'asino d'oro: processo per fatti strani contro Lucius Apuleius cittadino romano'' (1970) – Aristomene * ''

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

'' (1970) – Arthur Glenn * ''

The Case Is Closed, Forget It ''L'istruttoria è chiusa: dimentichi '' (internationally released as ''The Case Is Closed, Forget It'') is a List of Italian films of 1971, 1971 Cinema of Italy, Italian crime drama film directed by Damiano Damiani. It is based on the novel ''Tan ...

'' (1971) – Biro * ''

Slap the Monster on Page One ''Slap the Monster on Page One'' (Italian: ''Sbatti il mostro in prima pagina'') is a 1972 Italian drama film directed by Marco Bellocchio. It depicts the daily life of a fictitious Italian daily newspaper, ''Il Giornale'' (The Journal). The new ...

'' (1972) – Ingegner Montelli * '' The Police Serve the Citizens?'' (1973) – Lambro * '' Massacre in Rome'' (1973) – Col. Dollmann * '' Black Holiday'' (1973) – Scagnetti * '' White Fang'' (1973) – Charles 'Beauty' Smith * '' Morel's Invention'' (1974) – Morel * '' Challenge to White Fang'' (1974) – Beauty Smith / Charles Forth * ''

The Last Day of School Before Christmas ''The Last Day of School Before Christmas'' ( it, L'ultimo giorno di scuola prima delle vacanze di Natale) is a 1975 drama film written and directed by Gian Vittorio Baldi. It was screened at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival in the Directors' Fortni ...

'' (1975) – Il Tenente * '' I Don't Want to Be Born'' (1975) – Tommy Morris * '' Waves of Lust'' (1975) – Giorgio / Husband * '' Violent Rome'' (1975) – Franco Spadoni 'Chiodo' * '' Dracula in the Provinces'' (1975) – Count Dragulescu * '' Salon Kitty'' (1976) – Biondo * '' Le guêpier'' (1976) – Fisher * '' Mark Strikes Again'' (1976) – Paul Henkel * '' Deported Women of the SS Special Section'' (1976) – Herr Erner * '' Bloody Payroll'' (1976) – Fausto * '' Plot of Fear'' (1976) – Hoffmann * ''

Von Buttiglione Sturmtruppenführer The term ''von'' () is used in German language surnames either as a nobiliary particle indicating a noble patrilineality, or as a simple preposition used by commoners that means ''of'' or ''from''. Nobility directories like the '' Almanach de ...

'' (1977) – Schwein * '' Shock'' (1977) – Bruno Baldini * '' Mannaja'' (1977) – Valler * '' The Criminals Attack, The Police Respond'' (1977) – Rufy * '' Gangbuster'' (1977) – Killer * '' Antonio Gramsci: The Days of Prison'' (1977) – Laurin * ''

Goodbye & Amen ''Goodbye & Amen'' is a 1978 Italian film. It stars Claudia Cardinale, Tony Musante and John Forsythe in the leading roles. Cast *Tony Musante: John Dhannay *Claudia Cardinale: Aliki *John Forsythe: USA ambassador *John Steiner: Donald Grayson ...

'' (1978) – Donald Grayson * ''L'Amour en question'' (1978) – Tom Hastings * ''

'' (1979) – Longinus * '' Action'' (1980) – The Manager * '' The Last Hunter'' (1980) – Major William Cash * '' Car Crash'' (1981) – Kirby * '' The Salamander'' (1981) – Captain Roditi * '' Hunters of the Golden Cobra'' (1982) – Captain David Franks * '' Tenebrae'' (1982) – Christiano Berti * '' Yor, the Hunter from the Future'' (1983) – Overlord * ''

Dagger Eyes ''Dagger Eyes'' ( it, Mystère) is a 1983 Italian thriller film directed by Carlo Vanzina, starring Carole Bouquet as Mystère. Plot Mystère is a high-class French prostitute who works in Rome. Her friend and colleague Pamela steals a gold lig ...

'' (1983) – Ivanov * '' The Ark of the Sun God'' (1984) – Lord Dean * ''

I due carabinieri ''I due carabinieri'' (''The Two Carabinieri'') is a 1984 Italian crime comedy film directed by Carlo Verdone. Plot Marino (Carlo Verdone) and Glauco (Enrico Montesano) enlist with the Carabinieri in order to change their lives and find stabilit ...

'' (1984) – Crazy Man on Train * '' A.D.'' (1985, TV Mini-Series) – Simon the Magus * ''

Cut and Run Cut and run or cut-and-run is an idiomatic verb phrase meaning to "make off promptly" or to "hurry off". The phrase was in use by the 1700s to describe an act allowing a ship to make sail quickly in an urgent situation, by cutting free an anchor. ...

'' (1985) – Vlado * ''

Commando Leopard ''Commando Leopard'' (german: Kommando Leopard) is a 1985 Euro War film directed by Antonio Margheriti and starring Lewis Collins, Klaus Kinski, and Manfred Lehmann. Plot In an unnamed Latin American dictatorship, a group of rebel freedom fight ...

'' (1985) – Smithy * '' The Berlin Affair'' (1985) – Oskar Engelhart * '' Troppo forte'' (1985) – Mr. Adams * '' Operation Nam'' (1986) – James Walcott * '' Body Count'' (1986) – Dr. Olsen * ''

Summer Night ''Summer Night'' ( it, Notte d'estate con profilo greco, occhi a mandorla e odore di basilico, also known as ''Summer Night with Greek Profile, Almond Eyes and Scent of Basil'') is a 1986 Italian comedy film directed by Lina Wertmüller. The film ...

'' (1986) – Frederick, Fulvia's lover * '' Lone Runner'' (1986) – Skorm * '' Julia and Julia'' (1987) – Alex * '' Night of the Sharks'' (1988) – Rosentski * ' (1988) – Duclaud * ''

Striker Striker or The Strikers may refer to: People *A participant in a strike action *A participant in a hunger strike *Blacksmith's striker, a type of blacksmith's assistant *Striker's Independent Society, the oldest mystic krewe in America People wi ...

'' (1988) – Kariasin * '' Appointment in Liverpool'' (1988) * ''

Sinbad of the Seven Seas ''Sinbad of the Seven Seas'' is a 1989 Italian fantasy film produced and directed by Enzo G. Castellari from a story by Luigi Cozzi, revolving around the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor. Sinbad must recover five magical stones to free the city ...

'' (1989) – Jaffar * '' Massacre Play'' (1989) – Danilo * ''

'' (1991) – Principe Ascanio (final film role)

References

External links

* *
Biography for John Steiner (in French)

His own website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steiner, John 1941 births 2022 deaths Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art British estate agents (people) British expatriates in Italy English bisexual male actors English expatriate male actors in the United States English expatriates English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors Male actors from Chester Male Spaghetti Western actors Road incident deaths in California Royal Shakespeare Company members