Steven Berkoff

Steven Berkoff
Berkoff in 2020
Born
Leslie Steven Berks

(1937-08-03) 3 August 1937 (age 87)
Stepney, London, England
Alma materWebber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art
L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq
Occupations
  • Actor
  • playwright
  • theatre director
Years active1958–Present
Notable workEast (1975)[1]
Shakespeare's Villains (1998)
Spouses
  • Alison Minto
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1970, divorced)​
  • Shelley Lee
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1976, divorced)​
PartnerClara Fischer
Children2
AwardsTotal Theatre Lifetime Achievement Award (1997)
LA Weekly Theater Award for Solo Performance (2000)
Berkoff's voice
recorded 2012, as part of an audio description of The Shard for VocalEyes
Websitewww.stevenberkoff.com Edit this at Wikidata

Steven Berkoff (born Leslie Steven Berks; 3 August 1937) is an English actor, author, playwright, theatre practitioner and theatre director.

As a theatre maker he is recognized for staging work with a heightened performance style eponymously known as "Berkovian theatre",[2] which combines elements of physical theatre, total theatre and expressionism.[3] His work has sometimes been viewed as an example of in-yer-face theatre, due to the intense presentation and taboo-breaking material in a number of his plays.[4]

As a screen actor, he is known for his performances in villainous roles, including the portrayals of General Orlov in the James Bond film Octopussy (1983), Victor Maitland in Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Lt. Col. Podovsky in Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) and Adolf Hitler in War and Remembrance (1988–89).[5][6]

  1. ^ Dorney, Kate; Gray, Frances (14 February 2013). "1969-1979". Played in Britain: Modern Theatre in 100 Plays. Great Britain: Methuen Drama. pp. 92–93. ISBN 9781408164808.
  2. ^ 'Creating the "Berkovian" Aesthetic' by Craig Rosen on the Iain Fisher Steven Berkoff website
  3. ^ "Steven Berkoff – Selecting a practitioner – AQA – GCSE Drama Revision – AQA". BBC Bitesize. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  4. ^ Sierz, Aleks (2001). In-Yer-Face Theatre: British Drama Today. England: Faber and Faber Limited. pp. 25–26. ISBN 0-571-20049-4.
  5. ^ "Steven Berkoff". Contemporary Writers. British Council. Archived from the original on 17 July 2009. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
  6. ^ "Steven Berkoff". filmreference.com. Retrieved 30 September 2008.