Stephen Greif

Cast

Born

August 26, 1944 · Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Died

December 23, 2022

Birth name

Stephen John Greif

Stephen Greif was born on Aug 26, 1944 in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire. He is an Honours graduate from The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He is also a recent and past Member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and a Laurence Olivier and London Critics Circle award winning nominee for his work at The National Theatre over many years. He has often appeared in the West End and at The Old Vic. His grandparents were from Budapest, Lithuania, Russia and Poland. His father Franz was born in Vienna and his mother Polly in the East End of London. He attended Hordle House Preparatory School for two years with his older brother Anthony and his younger brother Peter, but in 1955 when his father's partnership was defrauded and the family endured severe financial hardship, he and Peter were enrolled in Primary School in the London area of Ladbroke Grove, then a run-down part of London. He went on to Sloane Grammar School in Chelsea where he excelled in sport, becoming the school's Athletics and Swimming champion representing his school and county in various London and Regional athletics championships - at the famous White City Stadium among others. He lived, studied and worked in Paris for two consecutive summers before leaving school. He played Captain Hook at primary school, and his love of acting was rekindled during a brief spell at The Regent Polytechnic. After brief times working for an electronics manufacturer (where he nearly electrocuted himself) and as a junior negotiator in a West End real estate agency, he finally determined to become an actor. Having been offered places at LAMDA and RADA, he chose the latter where he won a first Class Honours Diploma, as well as receiving 5 other awards including the prestigious Kendal Award (the Gold Medal equivalent) and others judged and presented by Sir John Gielgud. Hugh Cruttwell, the long time and much revered principal of RADA, wrote in Greif's graduation report: "By sheer hard work, a most receptive willingness to learn and a very intelligent application of his gifts, he has developed almost unrecognizably in the last 18 months. The Honours he has won are proof enough of his fine achievement here and it only remains for me to wish him the great success he richly deserves." His first job was with the RSC at Stratford and in the United States after which he joined The Prospect Theatre Co in their acclaimed productions of Richard 11 and Edward 11 with Ian McKellen which toured the United Kingdom and Europe as well as playing two seasons in the West End and televised for BBC TV He has appeared in many seasons with the National Theatre in both Sir Laurence Olivier's companies at the Old Vic and in the West End. At The Old Vic he played in "The Merchant of Venice" (with Olivier), "Long Day's Journey into Night" (also with Olivier), "A Woman Killed with Kindness", "Danton's Death", "Richard 11", "The Front Page", "School for Scandal" and "Macbeth" . Whilst performing in The National Theatre production of 'Saturday, Sunday, Monday', at The Queen's Theatre directed by Franco Zeffirelli and Sir Laurence , he won a best supporting actor nomination at the Critics Circle awards sharing this honor with Sir Laurence who had been nominated for his performance in the original production just a few months earlier when it opened at The Old Vic. A few years later he played Biff opposite Warren Mitchell in the landmark revival of Arthur Miller's masterpiece 'Death of a Salesman' at The NT's Lyttleton Theatre. He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for his performance. Further to these notable engagements, Stephen was contracted in Nicholas Hytner's inaugural season at the National Theatre, where he played in productions such as 'His Girl Friday' directed by the multi-award-winning Broadway veteran Jack O'Brien, 'Edmond' directed by Edward Hall, and starring Kenneth Branagh, and 'His Dark Materials', the two-part Christmas show written by Phillip Pullman adapted by Nicholas Wright and directed by Nicholas Hytner. He appeared in the West End in Ronald Harwood's 'Reflected Glory' with Albert Finney, 'Epitaph for George Dillon' with Joseph Fiennes, directed by Peter Gill and in Bill Kenwright's smash hit 'Fallen Angels' with Felicity Kendal and Frances de la Tour. He appeared at The Old Vic in 'Six Degrees of Separation' with Lesley Manville. He also contributed to the 85th Birthday celebration of his dear friend, the playwright Bernard Kops, with a rehearsed performance of his breakthrough play 'The Hamlet of Stepney Green' at London's Jewish Museum. In 2017 he celebrated Bernard's 90th birthday with a rehearsed reading of his latest play "Rogues and Vagabonds" at The JW3 Theatre directed by Pamela Howard. In 2016, he appeared at The St James Theatre in "Tears, Treachery ..and Just a Little Murder" with Fenella Fielding, reprising this in 2017 this time at The Crazy Coqs at Zedel's Brasserie . With Fenella's passing , the show was revived in 2020 with Dame Sian Phillips also at Zedel's with further bookings to come in 2021. He has played on stage opposite such luminaries as Sir Laurence Olivier, Denholm Elliot, Dame Joan Plowright, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Frank Langella, Elaine Stritch, Ian McKellen, Joseph Fiennes and Albert Finney, and has been directed by Laurence Olivier, Franco Zeffirelli, Trevor Nunn, David Jones, Clifford Williams, Michael Blakemore, Jonathan Miller, John Dexter, Nicholas Hytner, Edward Hall, Alan Strachan, Peter Coe, Elijah Moshinsky, Peter Gill and on several occasions Michael Rudman. Aside from a continuing presence in the theatre, Stephen has also garnered a long list of television and film work. Early television roles included parts in Edward II (1970) and The Tragedy of King Richard II (1970), The Persuaders! (1971), Thriller (1973), The New Avengers (1976), Killers (1976), Armchair Thriller (1978), The Great Riviera Bank Robbery (1979) (aka "Sewers of Gold" and "Dirty Money", with Ian McShane) and The Life and Loves of a She-Devil (1986). He was cast in his most recognizable role - the villainous Travis in the famous BBC science fiction series Blake's 7 (1978). The character would appear throughout the first series. He also took notable roles in The Persuaders! (1971), Dick Turpin (1979), Return of the Saint (1978), Play for Today (1970) (twice) and three series of Citizen Smith (1977), produced and directed by the legendary Dennis Main Wilson. He has continued to build up a remarkable number of television appearances to the present, acting in productions such as "The Crown ", "Doctors"(2016) ,New Tricks (2003), Silent Witness (1996), Waking the Dead (2000), Doctor Who: The Infinite Quest (2007), Mistresses (2008), MI-5 (2002), Space Race (2005), Holby City (1999), Midnight Movie (1994) (Denis Potter), Minder (1979), EastEnders (1985) and The Bill (1984). Film roles include "Gerry" (2018), Risen (2016), Bill (2015), Woman in Gold (2015), Boogie Woogie (2009), Shoot on Sight (2007), Eichmann (2007), Back in Business (2007), Sixty Six (2006), Casanova (2005), The Upside of Anger (2005), Fakers (2004) and Spartan (2004). Stephen has narrated countless talking books including The History of the Jews, Inspector Palfrey of Westminster (6 books), Send No More Roses, The Match King, He Kills Coppers, Seeking Robinson Crusoe, The Boy with the Magic Numbers (for which he won the prestigious Earphones Award from BBC Audiobooks America), The Pianist, The Darkness of Wallis Simpson, His Dark Materials and most recently for Big Finish, The Blakes 7 novel "Uprising" (2019). His radio work includes: Keep the Devil out, Waterloo, The Ball at Brussels, The Castle, The Zone, The Carter Mysteries, Austerlitz, Love and War, The Man in Black, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Peter Lorre V Peter Lorre (playing Lorre), The Grand Hotel Babylon, The Babbington Plot, The Devil was Here Yesterday, The Iceman, Witness, Take-Away, Down and Out in London and Paris, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, and Hooligan Nights. He has also voiced hundreds of radio and television commercials as well as thousands of cinema and television promos and trailers, on-line games, corporate presentations and Conferences, Narratives and scores of voices for numerous computer games including the latest Sony Playstation game, Puppeteer, Zenoblade Chronicles, Risen 2, Fable 2. Dragon Quest, Witcher, Venetica, Medieval, Momento Mori. He together with Jonathan James Moore , the ex head of BBC Radio light entertainment, is the proud inventor of VoiceQuality, a system for describing the quality and character of the human voice and licensed worldwide to the famous actors' directory The Spotlight. He appeared by invitation of the British Film Institue at the NFI to discuss his work in Blakes 7. He was invited by the Israeli Embassy, courtesy of Steven Berkoff, to read from Amos Oz's book "A Tale of Love and Darkness" to celebrate the founding of the state of Israel. He successfully co-organized the publication of "Fitted Up: The Mitchum Co-op Murder" a biography written by George Thatcher who was wrongly convicted of murder in 1962 sentenced to death then reprieved and served 18 years in prison as a result. Although George died shortly before publication, he knew his story was about to be told. He was a pallbearer and tribute speaker at his dear colleague and friend Fenella Fielding's funeral . He was a determined golfer, a member and President (2018-19) of The Stage Golfing Society, a tennis nut and a movie buff.