Steven Berkoff | |
|---|---|
 Berkoff in 2020 | |
| Born | Leslie Steven Berks (1937-08-03)3 August 1937 (age 87) |
| Alma mater | Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1958 – present |
| Notable work | East (1975)[1] Shakespeare's Villains (1998) |
| Spouses | |
| Partner | Clara Fischer |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Total Theatre Lifetime Achievement Award (1997) LA Weekly Theater Award for Solo Performance (2000) |
| Website | www |
Steven Berkoff (bornLeslie Steven Berks; 3 August 1937) is an English actor, author,playwright,theatre practitioner andtheatre director.
As a theatre maker he is recognised for staging work with a heightened performance style known as "Berkovian theatre",[2] which combines elements ofphysical theatre, total theatre andexpressionism.[3] His work has sometimes been viewed as an example ofin-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 ofGeneral Orlov in theJames Bond filmOctopussy (1983), Victor Maitland inBeverly Hills Cop (1984), Lt. Col. Podovsky inRambo: First Blood Part II (1985) andAdolf Hitler inWar and Remembrance (1988–89).[5][6]
Berkoff was bornLeslie Steven Berks on 3 August 1937, inStepney in theEast End of London,[5] the son of Pauline "Polly" (née Hyman), a housewife, and Alfred "Al" Berks, a tailor. He had an older sister, Beryl (1930–before 2010).[7] He comes from aJewish family; his grandparents emigrated to England in the 1890s, his paternal grandparents from Romania, and his maternal grandparents from Russia.[8][9] 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.[10]
DuringWorld War II, Berkoff, his sister and their mother wereevacuated toLuton,Bedfordshire in 1942. In 1947 he and his family emigrated to the United States, sailing fromSouthampton aboard theQueen Elizabeth to live with relatives of Berkoff's mother inNyack, New York. However, Berkoff's father struggled to find work, and after a few months the family returned to England. Berkoff attendedRaine's Foundation Grammar School (1948–50)[11] andHackney Downs School (1950–55).[12]
In 1952, he was arrested for stealing a bicycle and was sentenced to three months inborstal. He took drama courses atCity Literary Institute (1957–58), trained as an actor at theWebber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art (1958–59), and later trained in physical theatre and mime atL'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, graduating in 1965.[13]
Berkoff started his theatre training in the Repertory Company atHis Majesty's Theatre inBarrow-in-Furness, for approximately two months, in June and July 1962.[14]
As well as an actor, Berkoff is a notedplaywright andtheatre director.[15] His earliest plays are adaptations of works byFranz Kafka:The Metamorphosis (1969);In the Penal Colony (1969), andThe Trial (1971). In the 1970s and 1980s, he wrote a series of verse plays includingEast (1975),Greek (1980), andDecadence (1981), followed byWest (1983) (later adapted and recorded atLimehouse Studios for transmission onChannel 4 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), andThe Secret Love Life of Ophelia (2001). Berkoff describedSink the Belgrano! as "even by my modest standards... one of the best things I have done".[16][17]
Drama criticAleks Sierz describes Berkoff's dramatic style as "In-yer-face theatre":
The language is usually filthy, characters talk about unmentionable subjects, take their clothes off, have sex, humiliate each other, experience unpleasant emotions, become suddenly violent. At its best, this kind of theatre is so powerful, so visceral, that it forces audiences to react: either they feel like fleeing the building or they are suddenly convinced that it is the best thing they have ever seen and want all their friends to see it too. It is the kind of theatre that inspires us to use superlatives, whether in praise or condemnation.[18]
In 1988, Berkoff directed an interpretation ofSalome byOscar Wilde, performed in slow motion, at theGate Theatre,Dublin.[19] For his first directorial job at the UK'sRoyal National Theatre,[20] Berkoff revived the play with a new cast at the Lyttelton Auditorium; it opened in November 1989.[21] In 1998, his solo playShakespeare's Villains premièred at London'sHaymarket Theatre and was nominated for aSociety of London TheatreLaurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment.[22]
In a 2010 interview with guest presenterEmily Maitlis onThe Andrew Marr Show, Berkoff stated that he found it "flattering" to play evil characters, saying that the best actors assumed villainous roles.[23] In 2011, Berkoff revived a previously performed one-man show at theHammersmithRiverside Studios, titledOne Man. It consisted of two monologues; the first was an adaptation ofEdgar Allan Poe's short storyThe Tell-Tale Heart, the second a piece calledDog, written by Berkoff, which was a comedy about a loud-mouthed football fan and his dog. In 2013, Berkoff performed his playAn Actor's Lament at theSinden Theatre inTenterden, Kent; it is his first verse play sinceDecadence in 1981.[24] His 2018 one-act playHarvey deals with the story ofHarvey Weinstein.[25]
In film, Berkoff has played villains such as Soviet General Orlov in theJames Bond filmOctopussy (1983), the corrupt art dealer Victor Maitland inBeverly Hills Cop (1984), the Soviet officer Lieutenant Colonel Podovsky inRambo: First Blood Part II (1985), and gangsterGeorge Cornell inThe Krays (1990). Berkoff has stated that he accepts roles inHollywood only to subsidise his theatre work, and that he regards many of the films in which he has appeared as lacking artistic merit.[26]
In theStanley Kubrick filmsA Clockwork Orange (1971) andBarry Lyndon (1975), Berkoff played, respectively, a police officer and a gambler aristocrat. His other films include theHammer filmPrehistoric Women (1967),Nicholas and Alexandra (1971),The Passenger (1975),Joseph Andrews (1977),McVicar (1980),Outland (1981),Coming Out of the Ice (1982),Underworld (1985),Revolution (1985),Absolute Beginners (1986),Prince's filmUnder the Cherry Moon (1986),Prisoner of Rio (1988), the Australian filmFlynn (1993),Fair Game (1995), andLegionnaire (1998).
Berkoff was the main character voice inExpelling the Demon (1999), a short animation with music byNick Cave. It received the award for Best Debut at theKROK International Animated Films Festival. He has acameo in the 2008 filmThe Cottage. Berkoff appeared in the 2010 British gangster filmThe Big I Am as "The MC", and in the same year, portrayed the antagonist inThe Tourist. Berkoff portrayed Dirch Frode, attorney to Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer), inDavid Fincher's2011 adaptation ofThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Another 2011 credit is the independent filmMoving Target. He also stars inDecline of an Empire (2014) playing the role of Liberius.
In 1994, he both appeared in and directed the film version of his verse playDecadence. Filmed inLuxembourg, it co-starsJoan Collins.
In television, Berkoff had early roles in episodes ofThe Avengers andUFO episodes "The Cat with Ten Lives" and "Destruction’ in 1970. Other TV credits include: Hagath, in the episode "Business as Usual" ofStar Trek: Deep Space Nine;Stilgar, in the mini-seriesChildren of Dune; gangster Mr. Wiltshire in one episode ofHotel Babylon; Dr. Paul Jorry in the episode "Deadline" ofSpace Precinct; lawyer Freddie Eccles in "By the Pricking of My Thumbs", an episode ofAgatha Christie's Marple; andAdolf Hitler in the mini-seriesWar and Remembrance. In 1998, he made a guest appearance in the Canadian TV seriesLa Femme Nikita (in the episode "In Between"). In 2006, he played celebrity/criminal Ray Cook in theNew Tricks episode "Bank Robbery".
In 2010, Berkoff played formerGranada Television chairmanSidney Bernstein for theBBC Four drama,The Road to Coronation Street. In the same year, he presented theBBC Horizon episodeToInfinity and Beyond. He has played the historicalFlorentine preacherGirolamo Savonarola in two separate TV productions: the 1990 TV filmA Season of Giants and the 2011 seriesThe Borgias. Berkoff appears as himself in the "Science" episode of the Britishcurrent affairssatireBrass Eye (1997), warning against the dangers of the fictional environmental disaster "Heavy Electricity". In September 2012, Berkoff appeared in theDoctor Who episode "The Power of Three".[27]
In 2014, Berkoff played a supporting role in the second season of theLifetime TV showWitches 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 sitcomMan Down as Mr. Klackov, a "terrifying" caretaker with an Eastern European accent "who makes covering [series protagonist] Dan's mistakes even more complicated" when his job as a schoolteacher is threatened.[28]
In 1996, Berkoff appeared as theMaster of Ceremonies in aBBC Radio 2 concert version ofKander and Ebb'sCabaret. He provided the voice-over for theN-Trance single "The Mind of the Machine", which rose to No. 15 in theUK Singles Chart in August 1997. He appeared in the opening sequence toSky Sports' coverage of the2007 Heineken Cup Final, modelled on a speech byAl Pacino in the filmAny Given Sunday (1999).
Berkoff voices the character General Lente, commander of the Helghan Third Army, inKillzone. He provides motion capture and voice performance for thePlayStation 3 gameHeavenly Sword, as General Flying Fox.
Berkoff's 2015 novelSod the Bitches was described byGuardian critic Stuart Jeffries as "a kind ofPhilip Roth-like romp through the sex life of a libidinous actor".[25] His 2014 memoirBad Guy! Journal of a Hollywood Turkey records his time working on a Hollywood blockbuster.[25][29]
Berkoff appeared in theBritish Heart Foundation's two-minute public service advertisement,Watch Your Own Heart Attack, broadcast onITV in August 2008.[30] He also presented two episodes of theBBC TwoHorizon episodes: "To Infinity and Beyond..." (2010) and "The Power of the Placebo" (2014).
He is a patron ofBrighton's Nightingale Theatre, afringe theatre venue.[31]
According to Annette Pankratz in her 2005Modern Drama review ofSteven Berkoff and the Theatre of Self-Performance by Robert Cross: "Steven Berkoff is one of the major minor contemporary dramatists in Britain and – due to his self-fashioning as a bad boy of British theatre and the ensuing attention of the media – a phenomenon in his own right."[32] 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."[32]
Berkoff married Alison Minto in 1970, and Shelley Lee in 1976; both marriages ended in divorce. He lives with his wife Clara Fischer, a German pianist, inLimehouse, east London. Fischer appeared onscreen with Berkoff in his filmDecadence. He has two daughters from previous relationships.[5][13]
In 1996, Berkoff wonBerkoff vs. Burchill, alibelcivil action that he brought againstSunday Times journalistJulie Burchill 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."[33]
Berkoff has spoken and written about how he believesJews andIsrael to be regarded in Britain. In a January 2009 interview withThe Jewish Chronicle, in which he discussedanti-Israel sentiment in the aftermath of theGaza War, he said:
There is an in-built dislike of Jews. Overtantisemitism goes against the British sense of fair play. It has to be covert and civilised. So certain playwrights and actors on theleft wing make themselves out to be stricken with conscience. They say: 'We hate Israel, we hateZionism, we don't hate Jews.' But Zionism is the very essence of what a Jew is. Zionism is the act of seeking sanctuary after years and years of unspeakable outrages against Jews. As soon as Israel does anything over the top it's always the same old faces who come out to demonstrate. I don't see hordes of people marching down the street againstMugabe when tens of thousands aredying every month in Zimbabwe.[34]
Interviewer Simon Round noted that Berkoff was also keen to express his view thatright-wing Israeli politicians, such asAriel Sharon andBenjamin Netanyahu, were "wretched".[34] Asked ifBritish antisemitism manifested itself in theatre, Berkoff responded: "They quite like diversity and will tolerate you as long as you act a bitGentile 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, as long as you keep yourJewishness well zipped up."[34] Berkoff also referred to the Gaza war as a factor in writingBiblical Tales: "It was the recent 'Gaza' war and the appalling flack that Israel received that prompted me to investigate ancient Jewish values."[35]
Speaking toThe Jewish Chronicle in May 2010, Berkoff criticised theBible but added, "it inspires the Jews to produceSamsons and heroes and to have pride". Berkoff went on to say of theTalmud in the same article: "As Jews, we are so incredibly lucky to have the Talmud, to have a way of re-interpreting theTorah. So we no longer cut off hands, and slay animals, and stone women."[36]
In aDaily Telegraph travel article written while visiting Israel in 2007, Berkoff describedMelanie Phillips' bookLondonistan: How Britain Is Creating a Terror State Within, as "quite overwhelming in its research and common sense. It grips me throughout the journey."[37]
In 2012, Berkoff, with others, wrote in support of Israel's national theatre,Habima, performing in London.[38]
In 2015, Berkoff expressed his view that white actors should be allowed to play the classic Shakespearean role of Othello, referring to any efforts to restrict the character’s casting as "racism in reverse".[39]
In the 1989 romantic comedyThe Tall Guy, struggling actor Dexter King (Jeff Goldblum) auditions unsuccessfully for an imaginary "Berkoff play" calledEngland, My England. In the audition, characters dressed asskinheads swear repetitively at each other and a folding table is kicked over. Afterwards, Dexter's agent Mary (Anna Massey) 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" byQueen guitaristBrian May, issued on his 1993 debut solo albumBack to the Light.[40] May has declared himself to be an admirer of Berkoff[41] and his wife,Anita Dobson, has appeared in several of Berkoff's plays.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | I Was Monty's Double | Minor role | uncredited |
| 1958 | The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw | Teenage boy | uncredited |
| 1959 | The Captain's Table | Minor role | uncredited |
| 1959 | The Devil's Disciple | British corporal | uncredited |
| 1960 | The Flesh and the Fiends | Medical student | uncredited |
| 1961 | Konga | Student on field trip | uncredited |
| 1967 | Prehistoric Women | John | |
| 1969 | Vendetta for the Saint | Bertoli | |
| 1971 | Nicholas and Alexandra | Pankratov | |
| 1971 | A Clockwork Orange | Det. Const. Tom | |
| 1975 | The Passenger | Stephen | |
| 1975 | Barry Lyndon | Lord Ludd | |
| 1977 | Joseph Andrews | Greasy Fellow | |
| 1980 | McVicar | Ronnie Harrison | |
| 1981 | Outland | Sagan | |
| 1982 | Coming Out of the Ice | Atoman | |
| 1983 | Octopussy | General Orlov | |
| 1984 | Beverly Hills Cop | Victor Maitland | |
| 1985 | Rambo: First Blood Part II | Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Podovsky | |
| 1985 | Underworld | Hugo Motherskille | |
| 1985 | Revolution | Sgt. Jones | |
| 1986 | Absolute Beginners | The Fanatic | |
| 1986 | Under the Cherry Moon | Isaac Sharon | |
| 1988 | Prisoner of Rio | Jack McFarland | |
| 1990 | The Krays | George Cornell | |
| 1993 | Flynn | Klaus Reicher | |
| 1994 | Decadence | Steve / Les / Helen's Couturier | |
| 1995 | Fair Game | Colonel Ilya Pavel Kazak | |
| 1997 | Love in Paris | Vittorio DaSilva | |
| 1998 | Legionnaire | Sgt. Steinkampf | |
| 2000 | Rancid Aluminium | Mr. Kant | |
| 2001 | Beginner's Luck | Magic Bob | |
| 2002 | Steal | Surtayne | |
| 9 Dead Gay Guys | Jeff | ||
| Bokshu – The Myth | Professor Metcalf | [42][43] | |
| 2003 | Headrush | The Uncle | |
| 2004 | Action Man: Robot Atak | Dr. X | Voice |
| Charlie | Charlie Richardson Snr. | ||
| Head in the Clouds | Charles Bessé | ||
| Brides | Karabulat | ||
| 2005 | The Headsman | Inquisitor | |
| Forest of the Gods | Commandant Hoppe | ||
| 2006 | The Flying Scotsman | Ernst Hagemann | |
| Pu-239 | Starkov | ||
| 2007 | Say It in Russian | Oleg Rozhin | |
| Medvezhya okhota | |||
| 2008 | The Cottage | Arnie | |
| 2009 | At World's End | Jack Pudovski | |
| 44 Inch Chest | Tippi Gordon | ||
| 2010 | Perfect Life | The Elder | |
| The Big I Am | The MC | ||
| Just for the Record | Mike Rosferry | ||
| Dead Cert | Kenneth Mason | ||
| The Tourist | Reginald Shaw | ||
| The Rapture | The Controller | ||
| 2011 | Moving Target | Lawrence Masters | |
| Big Fat Gypsy Gangster | Guru Shah | ||
| The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Dirch Frode | ||
| 2012 | Strippers vs Werewolves | Flett | |
| 2013 | Red 2 | Cobb | |
| 2014 | Fall of an Empire | Liberius | |
| We Still Kill the Old Way | Charlie Archer | ||
| 2015 | North v South | Vic Clarke | |
| Remembering Nigel | Steven Berkoff | Cameo | |
| 7 Cases | Lawson | ||
| Rise of the Footsoldier Part II: Reign of the General | Dr. Flint | ||
| 2016 | Manhattan Night | Sebastian Hobbs | |
| Titanium White | Father Tornatore | ||
| 2017 | Riot | Chief Constable | |
| Transhuman | Til | ||
| London Heist | Alfie | ||
| Fanged Up | Governor Payne | ||
| The Dot Man | General West | ||
| 2018 | Point of No Return | Evans | |
| 2019 | Tell Tale Heart | Edmund | |
| Red Devil | Lazarus | ||
| The Last Faust | Dr. Goodfellow | ||
| 2020 | Righteous Villains | Grandfather | |
| 2021 | Creation Stories | Alistair Crowley | |
| Alice, Through the Looking | The Executive Producer | [44] | |
| 2022 | Exorcist Vengeance | Bishop Canelo | [45][46] |
| Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher | Walter |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | The Third Man | Toni Da Costa | Episode: "Toys of the Dead" |
| 1959 | The Four Just Men | Second Student | Episode: "Panic Button" |
| 1960 | The Four Just Men | Workman | Episode: "Treviso Dam" |
| 1963 | Corrigan Blake | Barman | Episode: "Love Bird" |
| 1963 | Moonstrike | Gunther | Episode: "A Matter of Trust" |
| 1964 | Festival | Messenger | Episode: "Murder in the Cathedral" |
| 1964 | Hamlet at Elsinore | Lucianus | TV film |
| 1964 | ITV Play of the Week | Pestryakov | Episode: "Crime and Punishment" |
| 1965 | The Wednesday Play | Councillor | Episode: "Sir Jocelyn, the Minister Would Like a Word..." |
| 1965 | The Wednesday Play | Private Gutkowski | Episode: "The Pistol" |
| 1965 | The Avengers | Sager | Episode: "The Gravediggers" |
| 1965 | An Enemy of the State | Defence Counsel | 2 episodes |
| 1967 | Vendetta | Spiru | Episode: "The Lady's Man" |
| 1967 | Softly, Softly | PC Archer | Episode: "The Informant: Part 1: Rough Justice" |
| 1967 | Vendetta | Niccolo | Episode: "The Lady's Man" |
| 1967 | The Newcomers | Poulton | Episode: #1.196 |
| 1967 | Dixon of Dock Green | Dave Banks | Episode: "The Climber" |
| 1968 | The Champions | Carlos | Episode: "The Iron Man" |
| 1969 | The Saint | Bertoli | 2 episodes |
| 1969 | The Saint | Carl | Episode: "The Man Who Gambled with Life" |
| 1970–1971 | UFO | Captain Steve Minto | 4 episodes |
| 1971 | The Expert | Mike Barratt | Episode: "The Coat" |
| 1971 | Thirty-Minute Theatre | Bert | Episode: "Psychological Warfare" |
| 1981 | Play for Today | Kozlov | Episode: "Beloved Enemy" |
| 1982 | Coming Out of the Ice | Atoman | TV film |
| 1983 | The Professionals | Krasnov | Episode: "A Man Called Quinn" |
| 1986 | Sins | Karl Von Eiderfeld | All 3 episodes |
| 1988–1989 | War and Remembrance | Adolf Hitler | 11 episodes |
| 1989 | Theatre Night | Mr. Samsa | Episode: "Metamorphosis" |
| 1990 | A Season of Giants | Girolamo Savonarola | TV film |
| 1991 | The Tell-Tale Heart | The Man | TV film |
| 1992 | Intruders | Addison Leach | Both 2 episodes |
| 1994 | Space Precinct | Dr. Paul Jorry | Episode: "Deadline" |
| 1997 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Hagath | Episode: "Business as Usual" |
| 1998 | La Femme Nikita | Charles Sand / Carlo Giraldi | Episode: "In Between" |
| 2000 | Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) | The Mouth | Episode: "Mental Apparition Disorder" |
| 2000 | In the Beginning | Potiphar | Both 2 episodes |
| 2001 | Attila the Hun | King Rua | Both 2 episodes |
| 2001 | Jonathan Creek | Herman Grole | Episode: "Satan's Chimney" |
| 2002 | NCS: Manhunt | George Rolf | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Children of Dune | Stilgar | All 3 episodes |
| 2003 | Seven Wonders of the Industrial World | John A. Roebling | Episode: "The Brooklyn Bridge" |
| 2003 | Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairytale | Meisling | TV film |
| 2006 | Marple | Mr. Eccles | Episode: "By the Pricking of My Thumbs" |
| 2006 | Hotel Babylon | Mr. Wiltshire | Episode: #1.8 |
| 2006 | New Tricks | Ray Cook | Episode: "Bank Robbery" |
| 2008 | Ten: Umbra Mortis [de] | Conrad | TV film |
| 2010 | The Road to Coronation Street | Sidney Bernstein | TV film |
| 2011–2012 | The Borgias | Girolamo Savonarola | 8 episodes |
| 2012 | Doctor Who | Shakri | Episode: "The Power of Three" |
| 2014 | Witches of East End | King Nikolaus | 5 episodes |
| 2015 | The Frankenstein Chronicles | William Blake | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Barbarians Rising | Augustus | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Man Down | Mr. Klackov | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Lore | Dr. Kristoff Brehovy | Episode: "Prague Clock: The Curse of the Orloj" |
| 2019–2020 | Vikings | King Olaf the Stout | 12 episodes |
Plays
| Film
Memoirs and essays
Short stories
Published poetry
Novel
Photography books
|
Awards
Honours
The Berkoff Performing Arts Centre atAlton College,Hampshire, is named for Berkoff.[55] Attending the Alton College ceremony to honour him, he stated:
I remember in my younger days questioning what life means. Finding a place like the Berkoff Performing Arts Centre, I found myself as a person. Having a place like this sowed the seeds of the man I think I am today. A place like this is the first step in changing the life of a person. There's something about theatre that draws people together because it's something connected with the human soul. All over the UK, the performing arts links people with a shared humanity as a way to open the doors to the mysteries of life. We should never underestimate the power of the theatre. It educates, informs, enlightens and humanises us all.
In his latest play and in an exhibition of photographs, Steven Berkoff revisits his past in the vibrant melting-pot that was riverside London.
