Steven Berkoff | |
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![]() Berkoff in 2020 | |
Born | Leslie Steven Berks 3 August 1937 |
Alma mater | Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1958–Present |
Notable work | East (1975)[1] Shakespeare's Villains (1998) |
Spouses |
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Partner | Clara Fischer |
Children | 2 |
Awards | Total Theatre Lifetime Achievement Award (1997) LA Weekly Theater Award for Solo Performance (2000) |
Website | www |
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 recognised 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]