John Steiner (born 7 January 1941 in Chester, Cheshire) is an English actor. Tall, thin and gaunt, Steiner attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and worked for a few years at the BBC. Steiner featured in a lead role in a television production of Design for Living by Noël Coward. Later he found further work primarily in films including Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's Bedazzled (1967), Work Is a Four-Letter Word (1968) with Cilla Black, and The Thirteen Chairs (1969). In 1969, Steiner was hired to play a part in the spaghetti western Tepepa, and also appeared opposite Franco Nero in White Fang (1973), directed by Lucio Fulci. He found himself in demand in Italy and moved there, appearing in a great number of Italian B-films and exploitation films including police actioners (Violent Rome, 1975), westerns (Mannaja, 1977), war films (The Last Hunter, 1980), nazisploitation (Deported Women of the SS Special Section, 1976), sci-fi adventure films (Yor, the Hunter from the Future, 1983), and horror films, such as Mario Bava's Shock (1977), Dario Argento's Tenebrae (1982), and Ruggero Deodato's Body Count (1986). He also became a favourite of famed Italian filmmaker Tinto Brass, featuring in Salon Kitty (1976) and the infamous Caligula (1979).Steiner was in very steady demand until the late 1980s. As the Italian film industry dwindled, Steiner retired from acting in 1991 and moved to California, where he became an estate agent.Steiner has recently contributed to DVD extras on some of his films and given interviews about his Italian work.
Retired from acting in 1991 and settled in Southern California with his family.
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Has been a successful real estate agent in Beverly Hills since 1993. [2004]
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Was initially quite unenthusiastic about appearing in Violent City (1975)' in such a small but controversial role as a child murderer. Not wanting the role, he told the producers to double the already hefty payment they were promising him. Surprisingly, they accepted and he shot his role in three days. It went on to do more for his career and garner him more roles and attention than any other of his films.
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Throughout his entire career, Steiner's actual voice is heard in only about half his films. The rest of the time he was dubbed by other actors, especially in the lower-budget films.
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Speaks fluent Italian, Spanish and English.
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Usually played tall and gauntly threatening villans in various movies in Italian cinema.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Paprika
1991
Principe Ascanio
A Season of Giants
1990
TV Movie
Cardinal Riario
Gioco al massacro
1989
Danilo
Sinbad of the Seven Seas
1989
Jaffar
The Nightmare Years
1989
TV Mini-Series
Reverend Lenz
Big Man: Boomerang
1988
TV Movie
Zebra
Appuntamento a Liverpool
1988
Striker
1988
Kariasin
Der Commander
1988
Duclaud
Night of the Sharks
1988
Rosentski
Portami la luna
1987
TV Movie
Julia and Julia
1987
Alex
Lone Runner
1986
Skorm
Notte d'estate con profilo greco, occhi a mandorla e odore di basilico
1986
Frederick, Fulvia's lover
Camping del terrore
1986
Dr. Olsen
Operation Nam
1986
James Walcott
Troppo forte
1986
Mr. Adams
Kommando Leopard
1985
Smithy
The Berlin Affair
1985
Oskar Engelhart
Inferno in diretta
1985
Vlado
A.D.
1985
TV Mini-Series
Simon the Magus
Un caso d'incoscienza
1984
TV Movie
Milton Tennyson
I due carabinieri
1984
Crazy Man on Train
I sopravvissuti della città morta
1984
Lord Dean
I racconti del maresciallo
1984
TV Series
Archibald Allen
Mystère
1983
Ivanov
Yor, the Hunter from the Future
1983
Overlord
Tenebre
1982
Christiano Berti
I cacciatori del cobra d'oro
1982
Captain David Franks
Car Crash
1981
Kirby
The Salamander
1981
Captain Roditi
L'ultimo cacciatore
1980
Major William Cash
The Sandbaggers
1980
TV Series
Trevor D'Arcy
Action
1980
The Manager
Caligula
1979
Longinus
BBC Play of the Month
1979
TV Series
Leo / Trenchard Voysey
Il piccolo Archimede
1979
TV Movie
Alfred
Effetti speciali
1978
TV Movie
L'amour en question
1978
Tom Hastings
Goodbye & Amen
1978
Donald Grayson
Il prigioniero
1978
TV Movie
Antonio Gramsci: i giorni del carcere
1977
Laurin
L'avvocato della mala
1977
Killer
La malavita attacca. La polizia risponde.
1977
Rufy
A Man Called Blade
1977
Valler
Beyond the Door II
1977
Bruno Baldini
Von Buttiglione Sturmtruppenführer
1977
Schwein
La gabbia
1977
TV Movie
Il professore
E tanta paura
1976
Hoffmann
Milano violenta
1976
Fausto
Le deportate della sezione speciale SS
1976
Herr Erner
Mark Strikes Again
1976
Paul Henkel
L'invenzione di Morel
1976
Morel
Le guêpier
1976
Fisher
Salon Kitty
1976
Biondo
Dracula in the Provinces
1975
Count Dragulescu
Violent City
1975
Franco Spadoni 'Chiodo'
Waves of Lust
1975
George
Sharon's Baby
1975
Tommy Morris
L'ultimo giorno di scuola prima delle vacanze di Natale
1975
Il Tenente
Challenge to White Fang
1974
Beauty Smith / Charles Forth
Occupations
1974
TV Movie
Terrini
White Fang
1973
Charles 'Beauty' Smith
La villeggiatura
1973
Scagnetti
Massacre in Rome
1973
Col. Dollmann
ITV Playhouse
1967-1973
TV Series
Johnny / Prince Borodski / Mr. Charles Dumby
La polizia è al servizio del cittadino?
1973
Lambro
Rads 1000
1972
Short
Sbatti il mostro in prima pagina
1972
Ingegner Montelli - Publisher of 'Il Giornale'
The Sextet
1972
TV Series
Simon Tesco
L'istruttoria è chiusa: dimentichi
1971
Biro
Hine
1971
TV Series
Jeremy Windsor
Incontro d'amore
1970
Glenn
El bosque del lobo
1970
Robert
L'asino d'oro: processo per fatti strani contro Lucius Apuleius cittadino romano
1970
Aristomene
Alba pagana
1970
Roderick Rodney Stanton
La ragazza di nome Giulio
1970
Luciano
Department S
1970
TV Series
Hershall
12 + 1
1969
Stanley Duncan
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
1969
TV Series
Stephen
Tepepa
1969
Doctor Henry Price
Armchair Theatre
1968-1969
TV Series
Nigel / Gooch
Work Is a 4-Letter Word
1968
Anthony
The Franchise Trail
1968
TV Movie
Oliver Donut
Bedazzled
1967
TV Announcer (uncredited)
Mogul
1967
TV Series
Lord Flavell
Sanctuary
1967
TV Series
Mr. Waller
Marat/Sade
1967
Monsieur Dupere
The Saint
1967
TV Series
Grey Wyler
Orlando
1966
TV Series
Trevor Beale
Public Eye
1966
TV Series
Brian Graham
The Wednesday Play
1965
TV Series
Thornton
Front Page Story
1965
TV Series
Boscombe's Assistant
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
Vic
2006
Short special thanks
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
John Steiner's Adventures in Italy
2015
Documentary short
Himself
The Outsider - Il Cinema Di Antonio Margheriti
2013
Documentary
Himself
Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s
2012
Documentary
Himself
Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered - Volume 1
2008
Video documentary
Himself
My Roman Holiday with John Steiner
2007
Video documentary short
Himself
A Documentary on the Making of 'Gore Vidal's Caligula'