Steven Berkoff (born Leslie Steven Berks; 3 August 1937) is an English actor, author,

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

theatre practitioner A theatre practitioner is someone who creates theatrical performances and/or produces a theoretical discourse that informs his or her practical work. A theatre practitioner may be a director, dramatist, actor, designer or a combination of these tr ...

and

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

. As a theatre maker he is recognised for staging work with a heightened performance style eponymously known as "Berkovian theatre", which combines elements of

physical theatre Physical theatre is a genre of theatrical performance that encompasses storytelling primarily through physical movement. Although several performance theatre disciplines are often described as "physical theatre," the genre's characteristic aspe ...

, total theatre and

expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

. His work has sometimes been viewed as an example of

in-yer-face theatre In-yer-face theatre is a term used to describe a confrontational style and sensibility of drama that emerged in Great Britain in the 1990s. This term was borrowed by British theatre critic Aleks Sierz as the title of his book, ''In-Yer-Face Theat ...

, due to the intense presentation and taboo-breaking material in a number of his plays. As a film actor, he is known for his performances in villainous roles, including the portrayals of General Orlov in the ''

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

'' film ''

Octopussy ''Octopussy'' is a 1983 spy film and the thirteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. It is the sixth to star Roger Moore as the MI6 agent James Bond. It was directed by John Glen and the screenplay was written by G ...

'' (1983), Victor Maitland in ''

Beverly Hills Cop ''Beverly Hills Cop'' is a 1984 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Martin Brest, screenplay by Daniel Petrie Jr., story by Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie Jr., and starring Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Detroit cop ...

'' (1984), Lt. Col. Podovsky in '' Rambo: First Blood Part II'' (1985) and

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

in the TV mini-series ''

War and Remembrance ''War and Remembrance'' is a novel by Herman Wouk, published in October 1978 as the sequel to Wouk's ''The Winds of War'' (1971). ''The Winds of War'' covers the period 1939 to 1941, and ''War and Remembrance'' continues the story of the extended ...

'' (1988–89).

Early life

Berkoff was born Leslie Steven Berks on 3 August 1937, in

Stepney Stepney is a district in the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The district is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name appl ...

in the

East End of London The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

, the son of Pauline "Polly" (née Hyman), a housewife, and Alfred "Al" Berks, a tailor. He had an older sister, Beryl (1930-before 2010). He comes from a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family; his grandparents emigrated to England in the 1890s, his paternal grandparents from Romania, and his maternal grandparents from Russia. The family name was originally Berkowitz, but Steven's father anglicised it to Berks in order to aid the family's assimilation into British society. Steven (who had been known as Leslie growing up) later legally changed his surname to Berkoff and went by his middle name. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Berkoff, his sister and their mother were evacuated to

Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

in 1942. In 1947 he and his family emigrated to the United States, sailing from

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

aboard the '' Queen Elizabeth'' to live with relatives of Berkoff's mother in

Nyack, New York Nyack () is a Village (New York), village located primarily in the Town (New York), town of Orangetown, New York, Orangetown in Rockland County, New York, Rockland County, New York (state), New York, United States. Incorporated in 1872, it retai ...

. However, Berkoff's father struggled to find work, and after a few months the family returned to England. Berkoff attended Raine's Foundation Grammar School (1948–50) and

Hackney Downs School Hackney Downs School was an 11–16 boys, community comprehensive secondary school in Lower Clapton, Greater London, England. It was established in 1876 and closed in 1995. It has been replaced by the Mossbourne Community Academy. History ...

(1950-1955). In 1952, he was arrested for stealing a bicycle and was sentenced to three months in

borstal A Borstal was a type of youth detention centre in the United Kingdom, several member states of the Commonwealth and the Republic of Ireland. In India, such a detention centre is known as a Borstal school. Borstals were run by HM Prison Service ...

. He took drama courses at

City Literary Institute City Lit is an adult education college in Holborn, central London, founded by the London County Council in 1919, which has charitable status. It offers part-time courses across four schools and five "centres of expertise", covering humanities an ...

(1957–58), trained as an actor at the

Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art Webber may refer to: *Webber, Kansas, a US city *Webber Township, Jefferson County, Illinois, USA *Webber Township, Lake County, Michigan, USA *Webber International University, in Babson Park, Florida, USA *Webber (surname) Webber (/ˈwɛbər/) i ...

(1958–59), and later trained in physical theatre and mime at

L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq École internationale de théâtre Jacques Lecoq is a school of physical theatre located on Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. Founded in 1956 by Jacques Lecoq, the school offers a professional and intensive two-ye ...

, graduating in 1965.

Career

Theatre

Berkoff started his theatre training in the Repertory Company at

Her Majesty's Theatre Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, ...

Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town in Cumbria, England. Historically in Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1867 and merged with Dalton-in-Furness Urban District in 1974 to form the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness. In 2023 the ...

, for approximately two months, in June and July 1962. As well as an actor, Berkoff is a noted

and

. His earliest plays are adaptations of works by

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...

: ''

The Metamorphosis ''Metamorphosis'' (german: Die Verwandlung) is a novella written by Franz Kafka which was first published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, ''Metamorphosis'' tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himsel ...

'' (1969); ''

In the Penal Colony "In the Penal Colony" ("") (also translated as "In the Penal Settlement") is a short story by Franz Kafka written in German in October 1914, revised in November 1918, and first published in October 1919. As in some of Kafka's other writings, the ...

'' (1969), and ''

The Trial ''The Trial'' (german: Der Process, link=no, previously , and ) is a novel written by Franz Kafka in 1914 and 1915 and published posthumously on 26 April 1925. One of his best known works, it tells the story of Josef K., a man arrested and pr ...

'' (1971). In the 1970s and 1980s, he wrote a series of verse plays including ''

East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

'' (1975), ''

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

'' (1980), and ''Decadence'' (1981), followed by ''West'' (1983) (later adapted and recorded at

Limehouse Studios Limehouse Studios was an independently owned television studio complex built in No. 10 Warehouse (30 Shed) of the South Quay Import Dock. This was located at the eastern end of Canary Wharf in Limehouse near the Isle of Dogs in London, which op ...

for transmission on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

in 1983), ''Harry's Christmas (Lunch)'' (also recorded at Limehouse Studios in 1983 but was never transmitted by C4 as it was considered "too dark"), '' Sink the Belgrano!'' (1986), ''Massage'' (1997), and ''The Secret Love Life of Ophelia'' (2001). Berkoff described ''Sink the Belgrano!'' as "even by my modest standards... one of the best things I have done". Drama critic

Aleks Sierz Aleks Sierz is a British theatre critic. He is known for coining the term " In-yer-face theatre", which was the title of a book he published in 2001. Sierz was educated at Manchester University and holds a PhD from Westminster University. He wo ...

describes Berkoff's dramatic style as "

In-yer-face theatre In-yer-face theatre is a term used to describe a confrontational style and sensibility of drama that emerged in Great Britain in the 1990s. This term was borrowed by British theatre critic Aleks Sierz as the title of his book, ''In-Yer-Face Theat ...

": In 1988, Berkoff directed an interpretation of '' Salome'' by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

, performed in slow motion, at the

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a Theater (structure), theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Ge ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. For his first directorial job at the UK's

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

, Berkoff revived the play with a new cast at the Lyttelton Auditorium; it opened in November 1989. In 1998, his solo play '' Shakespeare's Villains'' premièred at London's

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote ...

and was nominated for a

Society of London Theatre The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) is an umbrella organisation for West End theatre in London. Founded in 1908, as Society of West End Theatre Managers, then Society of West End Theatre in 1975, changing to its current name in 1994, the (SOLT) ...

Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Family Show is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards in 197 ...

.Society Of London Theatre In a 2010 interview with guest presenter

Emily Maitlis Emily Maitlis (born 6 September 1970) is a British journalist, documentary filmmaker, and former newsreader for the BBC. She was the lead anchor until the end of 2021 of ''Newsnight'', the BBC Two news and current affairs programme. Early lif ...

on ''

The Andrew Marr Show ''The Andrew Marr Show'' is a Sunday morning talk show presented by Andrew Marr. It was broadcast on BBC One from 2005 to 2021. The programme replaced the long-running '' Breakfast with Frost'' as the network's flagship Sunday talk show when D ...

'', Berkoff stated that he found it "flattering" to play evil characters, saying that the best actors assumed villainous roles. In 2011, Berkoff revived a previously performed one-man show at the

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

Riverside Studios Riverside Studios is an arts centre on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. The venue plays host to contemporary performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production. Having closed for redevelopment in ...

, titled ''One Man''. It consisted of two monologues; the first was an adaptation of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

's short story ''

The Tell-Tale Heart "The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1843. It is related by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of the narrator's sanity while simultaneously describing a murder the n ...

'', the second a piece called ''Dog'', written by Berkoff, which was a comedy about a loud-mouthed football fan and his dog. In 2013, Berkoff performed his play ''An Actor's Lament'' at the Sinden Theatre in

Tenterden Tenterden is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. It stands on the edge of the remnant forest the Weald, overlooking the valley of the River Rother. It was a member of the Cinque Ports Confederation. Its riverside today is not ...

, Kent; it is his first verse play since ''Decadence'' in 1981. His 2018 one-act play ''Harvey'' deals with the story of

Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (; born March 19, 1952) is an American former film producer and convicted sex offender. He and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent films inclu ...

.Steven Berkoff: who will dare to stage my one-man Harvey Weinstein play?
''Guardian'', 20 November 2018.

Film

In film, Berkoff has played villains such as Soviet General Orlov in the ''

'' film ''

'' (1983), the corrupt art dealer Victor Maitland in ''

'' (1984), the Soviet officer Colonel Podovsky in '' Rambo: First Blood Part II'' (1985), and gangster

George Cornell George Cornell (13 November 1927 – 10 March 1966) was an English criminal and member of The Richardsons, who were scrap metal dealers and criminals from South London. Cornell was shot and killed by Ronnie Kray at The Blind Beggar public hou ...

in '' The Krays'' (1990). Berkoff has stated that he accepts roles in Hollywood only to subsidise his theatre work, and that he regards many of the films in which he has appeared as lacking artistic merit. In the

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...

films ''

A Clockwork Orange ''A Clockwork Orange'' may refer to: * ''A Clockwork Orange'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess ** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (film), a 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel *** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (soundtrack), the film ...

'' (1971) and ''

Barry Lyndon ''Barry Lyndon'' is a 1975 period drama film written, directed, and produced by Stanley Kubrick, based on the 1844 novel ''The Luck of Barry Lyndon'' by William Makepeace Thackeray. Starring Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Leonard ...

'' (1975), Berkoff played, respectively, a police officer and a gambler aristocrat. His other films include the

Hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as w ...

film '' Prehistoric Women'' (1967), ''

Nicholas and Alexandra ''Nicholas and Alexandra'' is a 1971 British epic film, epic historical drama film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, from a screenplay written by James Goldman and Edward Bond, based on Robert K. Massie's 1967 Nicholas and Alexandra (book), boo ...

'' (1971), '' The Passenger'' (1975), ''

Joseph Andrews ''The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and of his Friend Mr. Abraham Adams'', was the first full-length novel by the English author Henry Fielding to be published and among the early novels in the English language. Appearing in 1742 ...

'' (1977), '' McVicar'' (1980), '' Outland'' (1981), ''

Coming Out of the Ice ''Coming Out of the Ice'' is a 1982 American made-for-television biographical film of Victor Herman.THE LIFE OF AN AMERICAN IN SIBERIA Boston Globe 23 May 1982: 1. It is based upon Herman's 1979 autobiography of the same name. Cast *John Savage ...

'' (1982), ''

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

'' (1985), ''

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

'' (1985), '' Absolute Beginners'' (1986),

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

's film ''

Under the Cherry Moon ''Under the Cherry Moon'' is a 1986 romantic musical comedy-drama film starring Prince and marking his directorial debut. The film also stars former The Time member Jerome Benton, Steven Berkoff, Kristin Scott Thomas (in her feature film debut) ...

'' (1986), ''

Prisoner of Rio ''Prisoner of Rio'' is a 1988 drama film directed by Lech Majewski and starring Steven Berkoff, Paul Freeman and Peter Firth. It shows the flight of the Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs to Brazil and the attempts of Scotland Yard detectives t ...

'' (1988), the Australian film ''

Flynn Flynn is an Irish surname or first name, an anglicised form of the Irish ''Ó Floinn'', meaning "descendant of Flann" (a byname meaning "reddish (complexion)" or "ruddy"). The name is more commonly used as a surname rather than a first name. A ...

'' (1993), '' Fair Game'' (1995), and ''

Legionnaire The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...

'' (1998). Berkoff was the main character voice in ''Expelling the Demon'' (1999), a short animation with music by

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, songwriter, poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Ca ...

. It received the award for Best Debut at the

KROK International Animated Films Festival The KROK International Animated Films Festival is an annual international animated film festival, and one of the main animation festivals in the territory of the former Soviet Union. It is held in Russia on even years and in Ukraine on odd years. ...

. He has a cameo in the 2008 film '' The Cottage''. Berkoff appeared in the 2010 British gangster film ''

The Big I Am ''The Big I Am'' is a British gangster film starring Michael Madsen and Leo Gregory which was released straight to DVD on 12 April 2010. Plot "A cruel twist of fate catapults small time crook Mickey Skinner into the big league, as head of a ...

'' as "The MC", and in the same year, portrayed the antagonist in '' The Tourist''. Berkoff portrayed Dirch Frode, attorney to Henrik Vanger (

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...

), in

David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. His films, mostly psychological thrillers and biographical dramas, have received 40 nominations at the Academy Awards, including three for him as Best Director. Fin ...

's 2011 adaptation of ''

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' (original title in sv, Män som hatar kvinnor , lit=''Men Who Hate Women'') is a psychological thriller novel by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson (1954–2004). It was published posthumously in 2 ...

''. Another 2011 credit is the independent film '' Moving Target''. He also stars in '' Decline of an Empire'' (2014) playing the role of Liberius. In 1994, he both appeared in and directed the film version of his verse play ''

Decadence The word decadence, which at first meant simply "decline" in an abstract sense, is now most often used to refer to a perceived decay in standards, morals, dignity, religious faith, honor, discipline, or skill at governing among the members of ...

''. Filmed in

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

, it co-stars

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime ...

Television

In television, Berkoff had early roles in episodes of '' The Avengers'' and ''

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...

'' episodes " The Cat with Ten Lives" and “

Destruction Destruction may refer to: Concepts * Destruktion, a term from the philosophy of Martin Heidegger * Destructive narcissism, a pathological form of narcissism * Self-destructive behaviour, a widely used phrase that ''conceptualises'' certain kind ...

’ in 1970. Other TV credits include: Hagath, in the episode " Business as Usual" of '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'';

Stilgar The following is a list of secondary fictional characters from the science fiction media franchise ''Dune'' created by Frank Herbert. The characters listed originate in Herbert's novel series (1965–1985), but some also appear in the ''Prelude to ...

, in the mini-series ''

Children of Dune ''Children of Dune'' is a 1976 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, the third in his ''Dune'' series of six novels. It was originally serialized in ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' in 1976, and was the last ''Dune'' novel to be serialize ...

''; gangster Mr. Wiltshire in one episode of '' Hotel Babylon''; Dr. Paul Jorry in the episode "Deadline" of ''

Space Precinct ''Space Precinct'' is a British television series that was first broadcast from 1994 to 1995 on Sky One and later on BBC Two from 1995 to 1996 in the UK, and in first-run syndication in the United States. Many US stations scheduled the show in ...

''; lawyer Freddie Eccles in "By the Pricking of My Thumbs", an episode of ''

Agatha Christie's Marple ''Agatha Christie's Marple'' (or simply ''Marple'') is a British ITV (TV network), ITV television programme loosely based on the books and short stories by British crime novelist Agatha Christie. The title character was played by Geraldine McEw ...

''; and

in the mini-series ''

''. In 1998, he made a guest appearance in the Canadian TV series '' La Femme Nikita'' (in the episode "In Between"). In 2006, he played celebrity/criminal Ray Cook in the ''

New Tricks ''New Tricks'' is a British television police procedural The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the ...

'' episode "Bank Robbery". In 2010, Berkoff played former

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...

chairman Sidney Bernstein for the

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

drama, ''

The Road to Coronation Street ''The Road to Coronation Street'' is a 2010 British drama first broadcast on BBC Four. It is a dramatisation of the creation of '' Coronation Street'', the UK's longest-running television soap opera, from conception to its first transmission in ...

''. He has played the historical Florentine preacher

Girolamo Savonarola Girolamo Savonarola, OP (, , ; 21 September 1452 – 23 May 1498) or Jerome Savonarola was an Italian Dominican friar from Ferrara and preacher active in Renaissance Florence. He was known for his prophecies of civic glory, the destruction of ...

in two separate TV productions: the 1990 TV film '' A Season of Giants'' and the 2011 series '' The Borgias''. Berkoff appears as himself in the "Science" episode of the British current affairs

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

Brass Eye ''Brass Eye'' is a British satirical television series parodying current affairs news programming. A series of six episodes aired on Channel 4 in 1997, and a further episode in 2001. The series was created and presented by Chris Morris, written ...

'' (1997), warning against the dangers of the fictional environmental disaster "Heavy Electricity". In September 2012, Berkoff appeared in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' episode "

The Power of Three In mathematics, a power of three is a number of the form where is an integer – that is, the result of exponentiation with number 3, three as the Base (exponentiation), base and integer as the exponent. Applications The powers of three ...

". In 2014, Berkoff played a supporting role in the second season of the Lifetime TV show ''Witches of East End'' as King Nikolaus, the patriarch of the Beauchamp family. In 2016, he appeared in series 3, episode 1 of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Man Down'' as Mr. Klackov, a "terrifying" caretaker with an Eastern European accent "who makes covering

eries protagonist The Erie people (also Eriechronon, Riquéronon, Erielhonan, Eriez, Nation du Chat) were Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous people historically living on the south shore of Lake Erie. An Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian group, they lived in ...

Dan's mistakes even more complicated" when his job as a schoolteacher is threatened.

Other work

In 1996, Berkoff appeared as the Master of Ceremonies in a

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

concert version of

Kander and Ebb Kander and Ebb were a highly successful American songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander (born March 18, 1927) and lyricist Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004). Known primarily for their stage musicals, which include ''C ...

's ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

''. He provided the voice-over for the

N-Trance N-Trance () are a British electronic music group who were formed by Kevin O'Toole and Dale Longworth in 1991. The group is known for their European hit songs " Set You Free" and "Electronic Pleasure", and their covers of the 1970s disco songs " ...

single "The Mind of the Machine", which rose to No. 15 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in August 1997. He appeared in the opening sequence to

Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...

' coverage of the 2007 Heineken Cup Final, modelled on a speech by

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy ...

in the film ''

Any Given Sunday ''Any Given Sunday'' is a 1999 American sports drama film directed by Oliver Stone depicting a fictional professional American football team. The film features an ensemble cast, including Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, Jamie Foxx, Jam ...

'' (1999). Berkoff voices the character General Lente, commander of the Helghan Third Army, in ''

Killzone ''Killzone'' is a series of first-person shooter video games for Sony Interactive Entertainment's (SIE) video game consoles. The main series and the PlayStation Portable (PSP) installment were developed by Guerrilla Games, a subsidiary of SI ...

''. He provides motion capture and voice performance for the

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

game ''

Heavenly Sword ''Heavenly Sword'' is a 2007 action-adventure hack and slash video game developed by Ninja Theory and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. Gameplay The game is an action-adventure title with heavy hack and slash game ...

'', as General Flying Fox. Berkoff's 2015 novel ''Sod the Bitches'' has been described as "a kind of

Philip Roth Philip Milton Roth (March 19, 1933 – May 22, 2018) was an American novelist and short story writer. Roth's fiction—often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey—is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophicall ...

-like romp through the sex life of a libidinous actor". His 2014 memoir ''Bad Guy! Journal of a Hollywood Turkey'' records his time working on a Hollywood blockbuster. Berkoff appeared in the

British Heart Foundation The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is a cardiovascular research charity in the United Kingdom. It funds medical research related to heart and circulatory diseases and their risk factors, and runs influencing work aimed at shaping public policy ...

's two-minute public service advertisement, ''

Watch Your Own Heart Attack ''Watch Your Own Heart Attack'' is a two-minute public information film advertisement produced by the British Heart Foundation, starring Steven Berkoff, which illustrates how it feels to have a heart attack. It was first shown on ITV1 on 10 August ...

'', broadcast on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

in August 2008. He also presented two episodes of the

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

Horizon The horizon is the apparent line that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This line divides all viewing directions based on whether i ...

'' episodes: "To Infinity and Beyond..." (2010) and "The Power of the Placebo" (2014). He is a patron of

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

's Nightingale Theatre, a

fringe theatre Fringe theatre is theatre that is produced outside of the main theatre institutions, and that is often small-scale and non-traditional in style or subject matter. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.Kemp, Robert, ''More that is Fre ...

venue.

Critical assessment

According to Annette Pankratz in her 2005 ''Modern Drama'' review of ''Steven Berkoff and the Theatre of Self-Performance'' by Robert Cross: "Steven Berkoff is one of the major minor contemporary dramatists in Britain anddue to his self-fashioning as a bad boy of British theatre and the ensuing attention of the media – a phenomenon in his own right." Pankratz further asserts that Cross "focuses on Berkoff's theatre of self-performance: that is, the intersections between Berkoff, the public phenomenon and Berkoff, the artist."

Personal life

Berkoff married Alison Minto in 1970, and Shelley Lee in 1976; both marriages ended in divorce. He lived with his partner Clara Fischer, a German pianist, in

Limehouse Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains throug ...

, east London until her death, having previously lived in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

. Fischer appeared onscreen with Berkoff in his film ''

''. He has two daughters, Mylea and Sarah, from previous relationships.

Defamation lawsuit

In 1996, Berkoff won ''Berkoff vs. Burchill'', a

libel Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...

civil action - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...

that he brought against ''

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'' journalist

Julie Burchill Julie Burchill (born 3 July 1959) is an English writer. Beginning as a staff writer at the ''New Musical Express'' at the age of 17, she has since contributed to newspapers such as ''The Daily Telegraph'', ''The Sunday Times'' and ''The Guardia ...

after she published comments suggesting that he was "hideously ugly". The judge ruled for Berkoff, finding that Burchill's actions "held him to ridicule and contempt."

Political and religious views

Berkoff has spoken and written about how he believes

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

and

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

to be regarded in Britain. In a January 2009 interview with ''

The Jewish Chronicle ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'', in which he discussed

anti-Israel Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the modern State of Israel, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the region of Palestin ...

sentiment in the aftermath of the Gaza War, he said: Interviewer Simon Round noted that Berkoff was also keen to express his view that

right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...

Israeli politicians, such as

Ariel Sharon Ariel Sharon (; ; ; also known by his diminutive Arik, , born Ariel Scheinermann, ; 26 February 1928 – 11 January 2014) was an Israeli general and politician who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Israel from March 2001 until April 2006. S ...

and

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...

, were "wretched". Asked if British antisemitism manifested itself in theatre, Berkoff responded: "They quite like diversity and will tolerate you as long as you act a bit

Gentile Gentile () is a word that usually means "someone who is not a Jew". Other groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, sometimes use the term ''gentile'' to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is generally used as a synonym for ...

and don't throw your chicken soup around too much. You are perfectly entitled occasionally even to touch the great prophet of British culture,

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, as long as you keep your

Jewishness Jewish peoplehood (Hebrew: עמיות יהודית, ''Amiut Yehudit'') is the conception of the awareness of the underlying unity that makes an individual a part of the Jewish people. The concept of peoplehood has a double meaning. The first is d ...

well zipped up." Berkoff also referred to the Gaza war as a factor in writing ''Biblical Tales'': "It was the recent 'Gaza' war and the appalling flack that Israel received that prompted me to investigate ancient Jewish values." Speaking to ''The Jewish Chronicle'' in May 2010, Berkoff criticised the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

but added, "it inspires the Jews to produce

Samson Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...

s and heroes and to have pride". Berkoff went on to say of the

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

in the same article: "As Jews, we are so incredibly lucky to have the Talmud, to have a way of re-interpreting the

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...

. So we no longer cut off hands, and slay animals, and stone women." In a ''

Daily Telegraph Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...

'' travel article written while visiting Israel in 2007, Berkoff described

Melanie Phillips Melanie Phillips (born 4 June 1951) is a British journalist, author, and public commentator. She began her career writing for ''The Guardian'' and ''New Statesman''. During the 1990s, she came to identify with ideas more associated with the righ ...

' book '' Londonistan: How Britain Is Creating a Terror State Within'', as "quite overwhelming in its research and common sense. It grips me throughout the journey." In 2012, Berkoff, with others, wrote in support of Israel's national theatre,

Habima The Habima Theatre ( he, תיאטרון הבימה ''Te'atron HaBima'', lit. "The Stage Theatre") is the national theatre of Israel and one of the first Hebrew language theatres. It is located in Habima Square in the center of Tel Aviv. History ...

, performing in London.

References in popular culture

In the 1989 romantic comedy ''

The Tall Guy ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', struggling actor Dexter King (

Jeff Goldblum Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum (; born October 22, 1952) is an American actor and musician. He has starred in some of the highest-grossing films of his era, such as ''Jurassic Park'' (1993) and '' Independence Day'' (1996), as well as their sequels. ...

) auditions unsuccessfully for an imaginary "Berkoff play" called ''England, My England''. In the audition, characters dressed as

skinheads A skinhead is a member of a subculture which originated among working class youths in London, England, in the 1960s and soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working class skinhead movement emerging worldwide in th ...

swear repetitively at each other and a folding table is kicked over. Afterwards, Dexter's agent Mary (

Anna Massey Anna Raymond Massey (11 August 19373 July 2011) was an English actress. She won a BAFTA Award for the role of Edith Hope in the 1986 TV adaptation of Anita Brookner's novel ''Hotel du Lac'', a role that one of her co-stars, Julia McKenzie, h ...

) muses, "I think he's probably mad ..." "I'm scared of Steven Berkoff" is a line in the lyrics of the song " I'm Scared" by

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

guitarist

Brian May Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Fredd ...

, issued on his 1993 debut solo album ''

Back to the Light ''Back to the Light'' is the debut solo studio album of Queen guitarist's Brian May, released on 28 September 1992 by Parlophone Records in the UK, and on 2 February 1993 by Hollywood Records in the US and Canada. May's second solo release fo ...

''. May has declared himself to be an admirer of Berkoff and his wife,

Anita Dobson Anita Dobson (born 29 April 1949) is an English stage, film and television actress, and singer. She is best known for her role from 1985 to 1988 as Angie Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. In 1986, she reached number four in the UK Sing ...

, has appeared in several of Berkoff's plays.

Filmography

Film

Television

Works as author (incomplete)

''Plays'' * ''In the Penal Colony'' (1968) - adaptation of the

short story of the same name. * ''Metamorphosis'' (1969) - adaptation of the Franz Kafka novella of the same name. * ''The Trial'' (1970) - adaptation of the Franz Kafka novel of the same name. * ''Agamemnon'' (1973) - adaptation of

Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; grc-gre, Αἰσχύλος ; c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian, and is often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek ...

's play of the same name. * ''Miss Julie versus Expressionism'' - adaptation of

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

's play ''

Miss Julie ''Miss Julie'' ( sv, Fröken Julie) is a naturalistic play written in 1888 by August Strindberg. It is set on Midsummer's Eve and the following morning, which is Midsummer and the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist. The setting is an estate of ...

''. * ''Fall of the House of Usher'' (1974) - adaptation of the

short story of the same name. * ''

'' (1975) * ''

'' (1980) - originally written in 1979. Inspired by ''

Oedipus Rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' ( grc, Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Gr ...

'' by

Sophocles Sophocles (; grc, Σοφοκλῆς, , Sophoklễs; 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. is one of three ancient Greek tragedians, at least one of whose plays has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or co ...

. * ''Decadence'' (1981) * ''The Tell-Tale Heart'' (1981) - adapted from the Edgar Allan Poe short story of the same name. * ''West'' (1983) - originally written in 1978 as a TV play which was later filmed in 1984. Inspired by ''

Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The ...

''. A companion piece to ''East''. * ''Lunch'' (1983) - originally written in 1966. * ''Actor'' (1985) * ''Harry's Christmas'' (1985) * ''Kvetch'' (1986) * '' Sink the Belgrano!'' (1986) - inspired by the sinking of the ARA General Belgrano. * ''Acapulco'' (1990) - inspired by Berkoff's experience off-set on the film '' Rambo: First Blood Part II''. * ''Brighton Beach Scumbags'' (1991) * ''Pitbull'' later renamed to ''Dog'' (1993) * ''Massage'' (1997) * ''Shakespeare's Villains'' (1998) - inspired by and exploring the villains in the plays of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. * ''The Bow of Ulysses'' (2001) - sequel to ''Lunch''. * ''Dahling You Were Marvellous'' (2001) - originally an unproduced television play written in 1989. * ''Sturm und Drang'' * ''Messiah - Scenes From A Crucifixion'' (2000) - inspired by the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

. * ''Ritual in Blood'' (2001) - originally written in 1965 under the titles of ''Hep, Hep, Hep'' and ''Blood Accusation''. * ''The Secret Love Life of Ophelia'' (2001) - reworking of Shakespeare's ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

''. * ''Sit and Shiver'' (2004) * ''Purgatory'' (2009) * ''Biblical Tales'' (2010) - consisting of four short plays adapted from stories from the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

:
''Adam and Eve'',
''Samson and Delilah'',
''David and Goliath'',
''Moses and Pharaoh'' * ''Oedipus'' (2011) - a version of ''Oedipus Rex'' by Sophocles. * ''Six actors in Search of a Director'' (2012) * ''Religion & Anarchy'' (2013) - consisting of five short plays about

and

the holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

:
''Guilt'',
''Roast'',
''Line-up'',
''How to Train an Anti-Semite'',
''Gas'' * ''An Actor's Lament'' (2013) * ''Harvey'' - inspired by the

Harvey Weinstein scandal In October 2017, ''The New York Times'' and ''The New Yorker'' reported that dozens of women had accused film producer Harvey Weinstein of rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse over a period of at least 30 years. Over 80 women in the film in ...

and performed as a work-in-progress in 2019. ''Film'' * ''West'' (1984) - TV movie written by Berkoff. * ''Metamorphosis'' - TV adaptation for ''

Theatre Night ''Theatre Night'' is the umbrella title under which adaptations of classic and contemporary stage plays were usually broadcast on BBC 2 between 15 September 1985 and 21 July 1990. List of episodes The main source for compiling this list was th ...

'' of Berkoff's play of the same name. Also feature's Berkoff playing the role of Mr. Samsa. * ''Silent Night'' (1991) - TV film starring Berkoff, based on his one-man-play ''Harry's Christmas''. * ''7th November 1938'' - short documentary film from the series ''The Day the World Changed''. Presented by Berkoff talking about an important historical event of his choosing, which is

Herschel Grynszpan Herschel Feibel Grynszpan (Yiddish: הערשל פײַבל גרינשפּאן; German: ''Hermann Grünspan''; 28 March 1921 – last rumoured to be alive 1945, declared dead 1960) was a Polish-Jewish expatriate born and raised in Weimar Germany w ...

's assassination of the German diplomat

Ernst vom Rath Ernst Eduard vom Rath (3 June 1909 – 9 November 1938) was a member of the German nobility, a Nazi Party member, and German Foreign Office diplomat. He is mainly remembered for his assassination in Paris in 1938 by a Polish Jews, Jewish teena ...

. * ''

'' (1994) - film written, directed by and starring Berkoff, based on his play of the same name. * ''Eat Dollink!'' (2017) - documentary written by and starring Berkoff. * ''Venice Beach'' (2017) - documentary directed, produced, written by and starring Berkoff. * ''Shakespeare's Heroes and Villains'' (2019) - documentary written by and starring Berkoff, based on his one-man-play ''Shakespeare's Villains''. * ''Steven Berkoff's Tell Tale Heart'' (2019) - film starring Berkoff and adapted by Stephen Cookson from Berkoff's one-man-play ''The Tell-Tale-Heart''. * ''Brighton'' (2021) - film adapted by Stephen Cookson from Berkoff's play ''Brighton Beach Scumbags''. ''Memoirs and essays'' * ''Steven Berkoff's America'' (1988) - poetry and essays. * ''I am Hamlet'' (1989) - based on Berkoff's working journal of his 1979 production of

's ''

''. * ''A Prisoner in Rio'' (1989) - Berkoff's diary whilst filming the movie ''

''. * ''Coriolanus in Deutschland'' (1992) - Berkoff's journal of directing Shakespeare's ''

Coriolanus ''Coriolanus'' ( or ) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader Caius Marcius Coriolanus. Shakespeare worked on it during the same ye ...

'' in Munich. * ''Overview'' (1994) - memories of Berkoff's travels around the world. * ''Meditations on Metamorphosis'' (1995) - Berkoff's analysis of his various stage productions of Kafka's ''Metamorphosis''. * ''Free Association'' (1996) - autobiography. * ''Shopping in the Santa Monica Mall'' (2000) * ''Tough Acts'' (2003) - memoirs of working with various high-profile actors and directors. * ''My Life in Food'' (2007) - Berkoff's memoirs about food. * ''Diary of a Juvenile Delinquent'' (2010) - autobiography. * ''Tales from an Actor's Life'' (2011) - autobiographical stories told in the third person. * ''Richard II in New York'' (2008) - writing on Berkoff's experience of directing Shakespeare's ''

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...

'' in New York. * ''A World Elsewhere'' (2019) - writings on Berkoff's work as an actor, director and playwright. ''Short stories'' * ''Gross Intrusion and other stories'' (1979) * ''Graft: Tales of an Actor'' (1998) - semi-autobiographical short stories. ''Published poetry'' * ''Steven Berkoff's America'' (1988) - poetry and essays. * ''Requiem for Ground Zero'' (2002) - inspired by the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

. * ''You Remind Me of Marilyn Monroe'' (2009) * ''Poems for the Working Class'' (2021) ''Novel'' * ''Sod the Bitches!'' (2015) ''Photography books'' * ''The Theatre of Steven Berkoff'' (1992) - photographs of a variety of Berkoff's theatre productions, featuring written commentary by Berkoff. * ''East End Photographs'' (2012) * ''Gorbals 1966'' (2018) - photographs of the

Gorbals The Gorbals is an area in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, on the south bank of the River Clyde. By the late 19th century, it had become densely populated; rural migrants and immigrants were attracted by the new industries and employment opportun ...

area of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

during Berkoff's time working at the

Citizens Theatre The Citizens Theatre, in what was the Royal Princess's Theatre, is the creation of James Bridie and is based in Glasgow, Scotland as a principal producing theatre. The theatre includes a 500-seat Main Auditorium, and has also included various s ...

Awards and honours

Awards Honours The Berkoff Performing Arts Centre at Alton College,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, is named for Berkoff. Attending the Alton College ceremony to honour him, he stated: He taught a drama master-class later that day, and performed ''Shakespeare's Villains'' for an invited audience that evening.

References

Sources

* Billington, Michael
"Happy Birthday, Steven Berkoff"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' Theatre Blog. 3 August 2007. ("The hard man with a sensitive soul is 70 today. I've always admired him as an actor, director and – above all – phenomenon.") *Cross, Robert. ''Steven Berkoff and the Theatre of Self-Performance''. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2004. (10). (13). (Rev. by Pankratz.)
Synopsis
at

Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical c ...

, with hyperlinked table of contents and limited preview.) *Pankratz, Annette
Rev. of ''Steven Berkoff and the Theatre of Self-Performance''
''Modern Drama'' 48 (2005): 459–61. (Extract; Project Muse subscription required for online access to full text.) * Sierz, Aleks. ''In-Yer-Face Theatre: British Drama Today''. London:

Faber and Faber Faber and Faber Limited, usually abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, Margaret Storey, William Golding, Samuel B ...

, 2001. (10). (13).
"Steven Berkoff"
''Contemporary Writers''.

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

. Retrieved 30 September 2008.

External links

* * * *
Steven Berkoff
at The Playwrights Database at Doolee.com

by Iain Fisher {{DEFAULTSORT:Berkoff, Steven 1937 births 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English male writers 21st-century English male actors 21st-century English writers Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art Actor-managers English comedy writers English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors English male video game actors English male voice actors English people of Russian-Jewish descent English people of Romanian-Jewish descent Jewish English male actors English satirists English theatre directors Living people Male actors from London People educated at Hackney Downs School People educated at Raine's Foundation School People from Stepney Writers from London English male dramatists and playwrights L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq alumni