Stephen Berkoff
| Steven Berkoff | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Leslie Steven Berks 3 August 1937 Stepney, London, England |
| Residence | East London |
| Education |
Raine's Foundation Grammar School Hackney Downs School Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Alma mater | L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq |
| Occupation | Actor, playwright and theatre director |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Notable work |
Sink the Belgrano! (1986) Shakespeare's Villains (1998) |
| Spouse(s) | Shelley Lee (m. 1976) (divorced) |
| Awards |
Total Theatre Lifetime Achievement Award (1997) LA Weekly Theater Award for Solo Performance (2000) |
| Website | www |
Leslie Steven Berkoff (né Berks; born 3 August 1937) is an English character actor, author, playwright and theatre director. As an actor, he is best known for his performances in villainous roles, such as Lt. Col Podovsky in Rambo: First Blood Part II, General Orlov in the James Bond film Octopussy, Victor Maitland in Beverly Hills Cop and Adolf Hitler in the TV mini-series War and Remembrance.
Berkoff was born Leslie Steven Berks on 3 August 1937, in Stepney in the East End of London. He is the son of Pauline (née Hyman), a housewife, and Alfred Berks (né Berkoff), a tailor. His family was Jewish (originally from Romania and Russia). Berkoff's father had anglicised his family surname to "Berks" in order to aid the family's assimilation into Britain. Berkoff later removed the “s” from and added back the "off" to his own name, and went by his middle name.
Berkoff attended Raine's Foundation Grammar School (1948–50),Hackney Downs School, the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art (1958) and L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq (1965).
Berkoff started his theatre training in the Repertory Company at Her Majesty's Theatre in Barrow-in-Furness, for approximately two months, in June and July 1962.
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