Steven Berkoff

Last updated

Steven Berkoff
Steven Berkoff.jpg
Berkoff in 2020
Born
Leslie Steven Berks

(1937-08-03) 3 August 1937 (age 87)
Stepney, London, England
Alma mater Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art
L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq
Occupations
  • Actor
  • playwright
  • theatre director
Years active1958–Present
Notable work East (1975) [1]
Shakespeare's Villains (1998)
Spouses
  • Alison Minto
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1970,divorced)​
  • Shelley Lee
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1976,divorced)​
PartnerClara Fischer
Children2
Awards Total 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
Website www.stevenberkoff.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

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

Contents

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]

Early life

Berkoff was born Leslie Steven Berks on 3 August 1937, in Stepney in the East 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 a Jewish 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]

During World War II, Berkoff, his sister and their mother were evacuated to Luton, Bedfordshire in 1942. In 1947 he and his family emigrated to the United States, sailing from Southampton aboard the Queen Elizabeth to live with relatives of Berkoff's mother in Nyack, New York. 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) [11] and Hackney Downs School (1950-1955). [12]

In 1952, he was arrested for stealing a bicycle and was sentenced to three months in borstal. He took drama courses at City Literary Institute (1957–58), trained as an actor at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art (1958–59), and later trained in physical theatre and mime at L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, graduating in 1965. [13]

Career

Theatre

Berkoff started his theatre training in the Repertory Company at His Majesty's Theatre in Barrow-in-Furness, for approximately two months, in June and July 1962. [14]

As well as an actor, Berkoff is a noted playwright and theatre director. [15] His earliest plays are adaptations of works by Franz Kafka: The Metamorphosis (1969); In the Penal Colony (1969), and The Trial (1971). In the 1970s and 1980s, he wrote a series of verse plays including East (1975), Greek (1980), and Decadence (1981), followed by West (1983) (later adapted and recorded at Limehouse Studios for transmission on Channel 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), 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". [16] [17]

Drama critic Aleks 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 of Salome by Oscar Wilde, performed in slow motion, at the Gate Theatre, Dublin. [19] For his first directorial job at the UK's Royal 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 play Shakespeare's Villains premièred at London's Haymarket Theatre and was nominated for a Society of London Theatre Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment. [22]

In a 2010 interview with guest presenter Emily Maitlis on The 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 the Hammersmith Riverside Studios, titled One Man. It consisted of two monologues; the first was an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Tell-Tale Heart , 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, Kent; it is his first verse play since Decadence in 1981. [24] His 2018 one-act play Harvey deals with the story of Harvey Weinstein. [25]

Film

In film, Berkoff has played villains such as Soviet General Orlov in the James Bond film Octopussy (1983), the corrupt art dealer Victor Maitland in Beverly Hills Cop (1984), the Soviet officer Lieutenant Colonel Podovsky in Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), and gangster George Cornell 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. [26]

In the Stanley Kubrick films A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Barry Lyndon (1975), Berkoff played, respectively, a police officer and a gambler aristocrat. His other films include the Hammer film Prehistoric 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 film Under the Cherry Moon (1986), Prisoner of Rio (1988), the Australian film Flynn (1993), Fair Game (1995), and Legionnaire (1998).

Berkoff was the main character voice in Expelling the Demon (1999), a short animation with music by Nick Cave. It received the award for Best Debut at the KROK International Animated Films Festival. He has a cameo in the 2008 film The Cottage . Berkoff appeared in the 2010 British gangster film The Big I Am as "The MC", and in the same year, portrayed the antagonist in The Tourist . Berkoff portrayed Dirch Frode, attorney to Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer), in David Fincher's 2011 adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo . 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 . Filmed in Luxembourg, it co-stars Joan Collins.

Television

In television, Berkoff had early roles in episodes of The Avengers and UFO episodes "The Cat with Ten Lives" and “Destruction’ in 1970. Other TV credits include: Hagath, in the episode "Business as Usual" of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ; Stilgar, in the mini-series Children of Dune ; gangster Mr. Wiltshire in one episode of Hotel Babylon ; Dr. Paul Jorry in the episode "Deadline" of Space Precinct ; lawyer Freddie Eccles in "By the Pricking of My Thumbs", an episode of Agatha Christie's Marple ; and Adolf Hitler in the mini-series War and Remembrance . 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 episode "Bank Robbery".

In 2010, Berkoff played former Granada Television chairman Sidney Bernstein for the BBC Four drama, The Road to Coronation Street . He has played the historical Florentine preacher Girolamo Savonarola 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 Brass Eye (1997), warning against the dangers of the fictional environmental disaster "Heavy Electricity". In September 2012, Berkoff appeared in the Doctor Who episode "The Power of Three". [27]

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 [series protagonist] Dan's mistakes even more complicated" when his job as a schoolteacher is threatened. [28]

Other work

In 1996, Berkoff appeared as the Master of Ceremonies in a BBC Radio 2 concert version of Kander and Ebb's Cabaret . He provided the voice-over for the N-Trance single "The Mind of the Machine", which rose to No. 15 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1997. He appeared in the opening sequence to Sky Sports' coverage of the 2007 Heineken Cup Final, modelled on a speech by Al Pacino in the film Any Given Sunday (1999).

Berkoff voices the character General Lente, commander of the Helghan Third Army, in Killzone . He provides motion capture and voice performance for the PlayStation 3 game Heavenly Sword , as General Flying Fox.

Berkoff's 2015 novel Sod the Bitches was described by Guardian critic Stuart Jeffries as "a kind of Philip Roth-like romp through the sex life of a libidinous actor". [25] His 2014 memoir Bad Guy! Journal of a Hollywood Turkey records his time working on a Hollywood blockbuster. [25] [29]

Berkoff appeared in the British Heart Foundation's two-minute public service advertisement, Watch Your Own Heart Attack , broadcast on ITV in August 2008. [30] He also presented two episodes of the BBC Two Horizon episodes: "To Infinity and Beyond..." (2010) and "The Power of the Placebo" (2014).

He is a patron of Brighton's Nightingale Theatre, a fringe theatre venue. [31]

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 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]

Personal life

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, in Limehouse, east London. Fischer appeared onscreen with Berkoff in his film Decadence . He has two daughters, Mylea and Sarah, from previous relationships. [5] [13]

Defamation lawsuit

In 1996, Berkoff won Berkoff vs. Burchill, a libel civil action that he brought against Sunday Times journalist Julie 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]

Political and religious views

Berkoff has spoken and written about how he believes Jews and Israel to be regarded in Britain. In a January 2009 interview with The Jewish Chronicle , in which he discussed anti-Israel sentiment in the aftermath of the Gaza War, he said:

There is an in-built dislike of Jews. Overt antisemitism goes against the British sense of fair play. It has to be covert and civilised. So certain playwrights and actors on the left wing make themselves out to be stricken with conscience. They say: 'We hate Israel, we hate Zionism, 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 against Mugabe when tens of thousands are dying every month in Zimbabwe. [34]

Interviewer Simon Round noted that Berkoff was also keen to express his view that right-wing Israeli politicians, such as Ariel Sharon and Benjamin Netanyahu, were "wretched". [34] 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 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 your Jewishness well zipped up." [34] 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." [35]

Speaking to The Jewish Chronicle in May 2010, Berkoff criticised the Bible but added, "it inspires the Jews to produce Samsons and heroes and to have pride". Berkoff went on to say of the Talmud in the same article: "As Jews, we are so incredibly lucky to have the Talmud, to have a way of re-interpreting the Torah. So we no longer cut off hands, and slay animals, and stone women." [36]

In a Daily Telegraph travel article written while visiting Israel in 2007, Berkoff described Melanie Phillips' 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." [37]

In 2012, Berkoff, with others, wrote in support of Israel's national theatre, Habima, performing in London. [38]

In the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy , struggling actor Dexter King (Jeff Goldblum) auditions unsuccessfully for an imaginary "Berkoff play" called England, My England. In the audition, characters dressed as skinheads 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" by Queen guitarist Brian May, issued on his 1993 debut solo album Back to the Light . [39] May has declared himself to be an admirer of Berkoff [40] and his wife, Anita Dobson, has appeared in several of Berkoff's plays.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1958 I Was Monty's Double Minor roleuncredited
1958 The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw Teenage boyuncredited
1959 The Captain's Table Minor roleuncredited
1959 The Devil's Disciple British corporaluncredited
1960 The Flesh and the Fiends Medical studentuncredited
1961 Konga Student on field tripuncredited
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 [41] [42]
2003 Headrush The Uncle
2004 Action Man: Robot Atak Dr. XVoice
CharlieCharlie 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
2010Perfect LifeThe Elder
The Big I Am The MC
Just for the RecordMike Rosferry
Dead Cert Kenneth Mason
The Tourist Reginald Shaw
The RaptureThe 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 NigelSteven BerkoffCameo
7 CasesLawson
Rise of the Footsoldier Part II: Reign of the General Dr. Flint
2016 Manhattan Night Sebastian Hobbs
Titanium WhiteFather Tornatore
2017RiotChief Constable
TranshumanTil
London HeistAlfie
Fanged UpGovernor Payne
The Dot ManGeneral West
2018Point of No ReturnEvans
2019 Tell Tale Heart Edmund
Red DevilLazarus
The Last Faust Dr. Goodfellow
2020Righteous VillainsGrandfather
2021 Creation Stories Alistair Crowley
Alice, Through the Looking The Executive Producer [43]
2022 Exorcist Vengeance Bishop Canelo [44] [45]
Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher Walter

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1959 The Third Man Toni Da CostaEpisode: "Toys of the Dead"
1959 The Four Just Men Second StudentEpisode: "Panic Button"
1960 The Four Just Men WorkmanEpisode: "Treviso Dam"
1963Corrigan BlakeBarmanEpisode: "Love Bird"
1963 Moonstrike GuntherEpisode: "A Matter of Trust"
1964 Festival MessengerEpisode: "Murder in the Cathedral"
1964 Hamlet at Elsinore LucianusTV film
1964 ITV Play of the Week PestryakovEpisode: "Crime and Punishment"
1965 The Wednesday Play CouncillorEpisode: "Sir Jocelyn, the Minister Would Like a Word..."
1965 The Wednesday Play Private GutkowskiEpisode: "The Pistol"
1965 The Avengers SagerEpisode: "The Gravediggers"
1965 An Enemy of the State Defence Counsel2 episodes
1967VendettaSpiruEpisode: "The Lady's Man"
1967 Softly, Softly PC ArcherEpisode: "The Informant: Part 1: Rough Justice"
1967VendettaNiccoloEpisode: "The Lady's Man"
1967 The Newcomers PoultonEpisode: #1.196
1967 Dixon of Dock Green Dave BanksEpisode: "The Climber"
1968 The Champions CarlosEpisode: "The Iron Man"
1969 The Saint Bertoli2 episodes
1969 The Saint CarlEpisode: "The Man Who Gambled with Life"
1970–1971 UFO Captain Steve Minto4 episodes
1971 The Expert Mike BarrattEpisode: "The Coat"
1971 Thirty-Minute Theatre BertEpisode: "Psychological Warfare"
1981 Play for Today KozlovEpisode: "Beloved Enemy"
1982 Coming Out of the Ice AtomanTV film
1983 The Professionals KrasnovEpisode: "A Man Called Quinn"
1986 Sins Karl Von EiderfeldAll 3 episodes
1988–1989 War and Remembrance Adolf Hitler 11 episodes
1989 Theatre Night Mr. SamsaEpisode: "Metamorphosis"
1990 A Season of Giants Girolamo Savonarola TV film
1991 The Tell-Tale Heart The ManTV film
1992 Intruders Addison LeachBoth 2 episodes
1994 Space Precinct Dr. Paul JorryEpisode: "Deadline"
1997 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine HagathEpisode: "Business as Usual"
1998 La Femme Nikita Charles Sand / Carlo GiraldiEpisode: "In Between"
2000 Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) The MouthEpisode: "Mental Apparition Disorder"
2000 In the Beginning Potiphar Both 2 episodes
2001 Attila the Hun King Rua Both 2 episodes
2001 Jonathan Creek Herman GroleEpisode: "Satan's Chimney"
2002 NCS: Manhunt George Rolf2 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 MeislingTV film
2006 Marple Mr. EcclesEpisode: "By the Pricking of My Thumbs"
2006 Hotel Babylon Mr. WiltshireEpisode: #1.8
2006 New Tricks Ray CookEpisode: "Bank Robbery"
2008 Ten: Umbra Mortis  [ de ]ConradTV film
2010 The Road to Coronation Street Sidney Bernstein TV film
2011–2012 The Borgias Girolamo Savonarola 8 episodes
2012 Doctor Who ShakriEpisode: "The Power of Three"
2014 Witches of East End King Nikolaus 5 episodes
2015 The Frankenstein Chronicles William Blake2 episodes
2016 Barbarians Rising Augustus2 episodes
2016 Man Down Mr. Klackov2 episodes
2018 Lore Dr. Kristoff BrehovyEpisode: "Prague Clock: The Curse of the Orloj"
2019–2020 Vikings King Olaf the Stout 12 episodes

Works as author (incomplete)

Awards and honours

Awards

YearAward CeremonyCategoryNomineeResultRef
2004 Helen Hayes Awards Outstanding Lead Actor, Non-Resident Production Shakespeare's Villains at the Studio Theatre, Washington, D.C. Nominated [46]
2001 Bank of Scotland Herald Angel The Secret Love Life of Ophelia at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2001 Won [47]
2000 Scotsman Fringe First Award Messiah, Scenes from a Crucifixion at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Won [48]
LA Weekly Theater Award Award for Solo Performance Shakespeare's Villains at Odyssey Theatre EnsembleWon [13] [49]
1999 Stage Awards for Acting Excellence Stage Award for Best Ensemble work at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 25th-anniversary revival of East Won
1999 Laurence Olivier Awards Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment Shakespeare's Villains at the Theatre Royal Haymarket Nominated [22]
1997 Total Theatre Awards Lifetime Achievement AwardSteven BerkoffWon [50]
1994 Evening Standard Drama Awards Best ComedyBrighton Beach ScumbagsNominated [51]
1992 1992 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Theatre Choreographer The Trial at the Lyttelton at The National Theatre Nominated [52]
The Observer Award for Outstanding AchievementKvetch at the Garrick Theatre, LondonNominated [22]
1991 Evening Standard Theatre Awards Best Comedy KvetchWon
Best DirectorThe TrialNominated
1980 The New Standard British Film Awards Most Promising Newcomer (Actor)Steven Berkoff for his portrayal of Ronnie Harrison in McVicar Nominated [53]

Honours

The Berkoff Performing Arts Centre at Alton College, Hampshire, is named for Berkoff. [54] 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.

He taught a drama master-class later that day, and performed Shakespeare's Villains for an invited audience that evening.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Isaacs</span> British actor (born 1963)

Jason Isaacs is an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Colonel William Tavington in The Patriot (2000), Michael D. Steele in Black Hawk Down (2001), Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise series (2002–2011), Captain Hook in Peter Pan (2003), James Wolfe in Battle of the Brave (2004), Antonio Pérez in The Escorial Conspiracy (2007), Georgy Zhukov in The Death of Stalin (2017) and John Godfrey in Operation Mincemeat (2021).

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 Theatre: British Drama Today, first published by Faber and Faber in March 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanya Franks</span> English actress (born 1967)

Tanya Christine Franks is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Rainie Cross in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders.

David Harrower is a Scottish playwright who lives in Glasgow. Harrower has published over 10 original works, as well as numerous translations and adaptations.

Philip Ridley is an English storyteller working in a wide range of artistic media.

Moira Buffini is an English dramatist, director, and actor.

<i>The Pitchfork Disney</i> Play by Philip Ridley

The Pitchfork Disney is a 1991 stage play by Philip Ridley. It was his first professional stage work, having also produced work as a visual artist, novelist, filmmaker, and scriptwriter for film and radio. The play premiered at the Bush Theatre in London, UK in 1991 and was directed by Matthew Lloyd, who directed most of Ridley's subsequent early plays.

Ghost from a Perfect Place is a two act play by Philip Ridley. It was Ridley's third stage play and premiered at the Hampstead Theatre, London on 7 April 1994. The part of Travis Flood was played by the veteran, classical actor John Wood, for which he received general acclaim and was nominated for 'Best Actor' at the 1994 Evening Standard Drama Awards. The production was the third collaboration between Ridley and director Matthew Lloyd, who had directed all of Ridley's previous stage plays and would go on to direct Ridley's next play for adults Vincent River in 2000.

<i>Mercury Fur</i> Play

Mercury Fur is a play written by Philip Ridley which premiered in 2005. It is Ridley's fifth adult stage play and premiered at the Plymouth Theatre Royal, before moving to the Menier Chocolate Factory in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Crimp</span> British playwright

Martin Andrew Crimp is a British playwright.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Sinden</span> English filmmaker and actor

Marcus Andrew Sinden is an English actor and film & theatre director and producer.

Skin is an 11-minute short film directed by Vincent O'Connell and starring Ewen Bremner and Marcia Rose. Produced by Tapson/Steel Films for British Screen and Channel 4 Films, it was filmed in September 1995. The screenplay was written in the summer of that year by British playwright Sarah Kane.

Anthony Neilson is a Scottish playwright and director. He is known for his collaborative way of writing and workshopping his plays. Much of his work is characterised by the exploration of sex and violence.

Callum Dixon is an English actor from Chichester.

<i>East</i> (play) 1975 play by Steven Berkoff

East is a 1975 verse play by Steven Berkoff, dealing with growing up and rites of passage in London's rough East End.

Nick Grosso is a British playwright, born in London in 1968 to Argentine parents of Italian and Russian extraction. His style has been described as that of a "latter-day Oscar Wilde on speed" by Sheridan Morley.

Ryan Craig is a British playwright, whose plays usually probe both social norms and ethical issues. He is also a writer for screen, television and radio.

Aleks Sierz is a British theatre critic. He is known for popularising the term "In-yer-face theatre", which was the title of a book he published in 2001.

<i>The Fastest Clock in the Universe</i> Play written by Philip Ridley

The Fastest Clock in the Universe is a two act play by Philip Ridley. It was Ridley's second stage play and premiered at the Hampstead Theatre, London on 14 May 1992 and featured Jude Law in his first paid theatre role, playing the part of Foxtrot Darling. The production was the second collaboration between Ridley and director Matthew Lloyd, who would go on to direct the original productions for the majority of Ridley's plays until the year 2001.

Jews have long been involved in British theatre and have massively influenced it as a result. A significant proportion of British theatre's actors, writers, directors, and producers come from Jewish backgrounds, including Steven Berkoff, Peter Brook, Ryan Craig, Nicholas Hytner, Bernard Kops, Mike Leigh, Gail Louw, Patrick Marber, Sam Mendes, Jonathan Miller, Julia Pascal, Harold Pinter, Nina Raine, Diane Samuels, Tom Stoppard, Samantha Ellis and Arnold Wesker.

References

  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. 1 2 3 "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.
  7. ↑ Else Kvist. ""Normally I'm the villain" says Steven Berkoff". Bromley Times. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012.
  8. ↑ Sorrel Kerbel (2003). Jewish Writers of the Twentieth Century. Routledge. pp. 155–156. ISBN   1-57958-313-X.
  9. ↑ Alan Levy (24 July 2002). "Steven Berkoff: Caught in a web". The Prague Post . Archived from the original on 31 January 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2009.
  10. ↑ Room, Adrian (2010). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins . McFarland. pp.  58. ISBN   9780786443734.
  11. ↑ "Famous Personalities from Raine's Foundation School: Steven Berkoff (1948–1950)" (Press release). David A. Spencer (publicity officer), The Old Raineians' Association. Archived from the original on 11 October 2006. Retrieved 27 September 2008.
  12. ↑ Michael Coveney (4 January 2007). "Steven Berkoff: The Real East Enders". The Independent . UK. Archived from the original on 7 January 2007. Retrieved 27 September 2008. In his latest play and in an exhibition of photographs, Steven Berkoff revisits his past in the vibrant melting-pot that was riverside London.
  13. 1 2 3 "Steven Berkoff". Celebrities. hollywood.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2008. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
  14. ↑ Peter Purves' autobiography "Here's One I Wrote Earlier...", hardback edition, Green Umbrella Publishing, page 70. ISBN   978-1-906635-34-3.
  15. ↑ Akbar, Arifa (17 September 2010). "Steven Berkoff: Rise of an 'up and coming nobody'" . The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022.
  16. ↑ Steven Berkoff, "Free Association: An Autobiography", Faber and Faber, 1 July 1996, p.373. ISBN   978-0571176083
  17. ↑ "Steven Berkoff filmed - Iain Fisher". Steven Berkoff. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  18. ↑ Aleks Sierz (2001). In-Yer-Face Theatre: British Drama Today. London: Faber and Faber. pp. 25–26. ISBN   978-0-571-20049-8.
  19. ↑ "Steven Berkoff directing". Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  20. ↑ "South Bank 1988–1996 – Stage by Stage – National Theatre" Archived 24 December 2012 at archive.today . Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  21. ↑ "Past productions 1986–1990 – Past Events – National Theatre" Archived 24 December 2012 at archive.today . Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  22. 1 2 3 Society Of London Theatre
  23. ↑ "Evil roles are 'flattering'". BBC News. 1 August 2010.
  24. ↑ "Steven Berkoff's new play". Tenterden Forum. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  25. 1 2 3 Steven Berkoff: who will dare to stage my one-man Harvey Weinstein play?. Guardian, 20 November 2018.
  26. ↑ "Steven Berkoff early films". iainfisher.com.
  27. ↑ "tardistime.com".
  28. ↑ "Steven Berkoff and Mark Hamill join Man Down Series 3". British Comedy Guide . 21 June 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  29. ↑ Steven Berkoff News at www.stevenberkoff.com
  30. ↑ Fiona Ramsay (4 August 2008). "ITV to Air British Heart Foundation's Two-minute 'heart attack' Ad". Media Week . BrandRepublic.com (Haymarket Group). Archived from the original on 14 August 2008. Retrieved 27 September 2008.
  31. ↑ "Nightingale Theatre: Patron Steven Berkoff". nightingaletheatre.co.uk/. Archived from the original on 25 September 2008. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
  32. 1 2 Annette Pankratz (2005). "Steven Berkoff and the Theatre of Self-Performance, by Robert Cross". Modern Drama. 48 (2005): 459. doi:10.1353/mdr.2005.0035. S2CID   191557332. Archived from the original on 6 August 2011.
  33. ↑ Mark Lunney and Ken Oliphant (2007). Tort Law: Text and Materials (3rd ed.). London and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 704. ISBN   978-0-19-921136-4.
  34. 1 2 3 Simon Round, "Interview: Steven Berkoff", The Jewish Chronicle, 22 January 2009. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  35. ↑ Steven Berkoff, "Press release for Biblical Tales", New End Theatre. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  36. ↑ Jessica Elgot, "The Bible, rewritten by Steven Berkoff", The Jewish Chronicle, 21 May 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  37. ↑ Steven Berkoff, "A Tale of Tel Aviv", The Daily Telegraph, 10 June 2007. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  38. ↑ Arnold Wesker, Ronald Harwood, Maureen Lipman, Simon Callow, Louise Mensch MP, Steven Berkoff, "Letters: We Welcome Israel's National Theatre", The Guardian, 10 April 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  39. ↑ "Back to the Light". Amazon. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
  40. ↑ "BRIAN'S SOAPBOX". brianmay.com. 29 June 2023.
  41. ↑ Young, Deborah (13 June 2006). "Bokshu, The Myth". Variety . Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  42. ↑ Warrier, Shobha (22 May 2002). "Why can't an Indian make a film in English?". Rediff.com . Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  43. ↑ "ALICE,THROUGH THE LOOKING | 12th Battalion Productions". 12th Battalion. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  44. ↑ Miska, Brad (11 January 2022). "'Death Wish' Meets 'The Exorcist': Charles Bronson Lookalike Robert Bronzi Stars in 'Exorcist Vengeance' [Exclusive Trailer]". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  45. ↑ Gingold, Michael (12 January 2022). ""Death Wish" Meets the Possession Genre in "Exorcist Vengeance"; Trailer & Poster". Rue Morgue . Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  46. ↑ "HHA Nominees & Recipients". theatrewashington. Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  47. ↑ "2001 recipients | The Bank of Scotland Herald Angels" Archived 19 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  48. ↑ "Berkoff's Messiah Tour Gets the Green Light", whatsonstage.com, 27 August 2001. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  49. ↑ Steven Leigh Morris, "The 21st Annual L.A. Weekly Theater Awards", L.A. Weekly, 12 April 2000. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  50. ↑ Total Theatre Award Past Winners. Retrieved 29 August 2012. Archived 19 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  51. ↑ "Walking tall against searching opposition". Evening Standard. London. 22 November 1994. pp. 12–13.
  52. ↑ Olivier Winners 1992 webpage on the Official London Theatre website
  53. ↑ "Film stars line up for awards". Evening Standard. London. 23 October 1980. p. 8.
  54. ↑ "Front of Berkoff Performing Arts Centre". altoncollege.ac.uk.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.