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| '''Steven Hill''' (born ], ]) is an American ] and ] ] who was a founding member of ]'s ]. Hill is perhaps best known for portraying ] ] in the NBC TV drama series '']'', a part that he played for ten seasons (1990 – 2000). | '''Steven Hill''' (born ], ]) is an American ] and ] ] who was a founding member of ]'s ]. Hill is perhaps best known for portraying ] ] in the NBC TV drama series '']'', a part that he played for ten seasons (1990 – 2000). | ||
| Steven is the BEST person alive. He was born August 28, 1994 | |||
| ==Early life and career== | |||
| Hill was born '''Solomon Krakovsky''' in ].<ref name=PCOLSignoff /> After a four-year hitch with the ], Hill made his first New York stage appearance in ]'s ''A Flag is Born'' (]), which also featured a young ].<ref name=PCOLSignoff /> Hill says his big break came when he landed a small part in the hit ] show '']''.<ref name=PCOLSignoff /> "The director, ], thought I had some ability and he let me create one of the scenes," says Hill.<ref name=PCOLSignoff /> "So I improvised dialog and it went in the show. That was my first endorsement. It gave me tremendous encouragement to stay in the business."<ref name=PCOLSignoff>New York Times. "Signoff; On 'Law and Order,' a Real Idealist." February 2, 1996.</ref> Hill said this was a thrilling time in his life when fresh out of the service he played the hapless sailor Stefanowski.<ref name=PCOLMrroberts/> "You could almost smell it from the very first reading that took place - this is going to be an overwhelming hit," said Hill.<ref name=PCOLMrroberts/> "We all felt it, and experienced it and were convinced of it, and we were riding the crest of a wave from the very first day of rehearsals."<ref name=PCOLMrroberts></ref> | |||
| Hill made his film debut in 1950 in '']''.<ref name=PCOLPodengo/> He then re-enlisted in the Navy in 1952 for two years and when he completed his service resumed his acting in earnest.<ref name=PCOLPodengo></ref> Hill became one of the founding members of ]'s ], alongside such other actors as Marlon Brando, Montgomery Cliff and Julie Harris.<ref name=PCOLPodengo/> Strasberg later said, "Steven Hill is considered one of the finest actors America has ever produced".<ref name=PCOLPodengo/> When he was starting out as an actor, Hill sought out roles that had a social purpose.<ref name=PCOLSignoff /> "Later I learned that show business is about entertaining," he says.<ref name=PCOLSignoff /> "So I've had to reconcile my idealistic feelings with reality".<ref name=PCOLSignoff /> | |||
| Hill was particularly busy in the so-called "Golden Age" of live TV drama, appearing in such prestigious video offerings as ''The Trial of ]'' in 1960 earning him an ] nomination for his portrayal of Bartolomeo Vanzetti.<ref name=PCOLPodengo/> "When I first became an actor, there were two young actors in New York: Marlon Brando and Steven Hill," said Martin Landau.<ref name=PCOLPodengo/> "A lot of people said that Steven would have been the one, not Marlon. He was legendary. Nuts, volatile, mad and his work was exciting".<ref name=PCOLPodengo/> | |||
| In 1961, Hill had an unusual experience when he appeared as Sigmund Freud on ] in ]'s '']''<ref></ref> portraying Freud at the age of 35.<ref>New York Times. "Co-Stars Named for 'Far Country'" by Sam Zolotow. December 22, 1960.</ref> On April 12, 1961 Hill was stricken with a virus the night of a sold out performance for the Masters Children's Center of Dobbs Ferry.<ref name=PCOLFarcountry/> As a result the producers decided to call off the performance just as the curtain was about to go up.<ref name=PCOLFarcountry/> Among the notables in the audience were Joseph Kennedy (the father of President Kennnedy), Jack Benny and Richard Rodgers.<ref name=PCOLFarcountry/> The audience was invited to exchange its ticket stubs for other performances.<ref name=PCOLFarcountry>New York Time. ""'Far Country' Not Given" April 12, 1961.</ref> The understudy was not ready to replace Hill, so the play's director stepped into the role of Freud for one performance.<ref>New York Times. "Director with Actor Complex Replaces Ill Star in Freud Role" by Milton Esterow. April 13, 1962.</ref> | |||
| ==''Mission: Impossible''== | ==''Mission: Impossible''== | ||
Revision as of 15:01, 16 May 2008
- For The Real World cast member, see Steven Hill (model)
| Steven Hill | |
|---|---|
| Born | Solomon Krakovsky |
| Occupation | actor |
| Years active | 1946-present |
| Spouse(s) | Selma Stern (1951 – 1964); Rachel (1967-present) |
Steven Hill (born February 24, 1922) is an American film and television actor who was a founding member of Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio. Hill is perhaps best known for portraying District Attorney Adam Schiff in the NBC TV drama series Law & Order, a part that he played for ten seasons (1990 – 2000).
Steven is the BEST person alive. He was born August 28, 1994
Mission: Impossible
Hill was the original leader of the Impossible Missions Force, Dan Briggs (as in "Good morning, Mr. Briggs...") in the series Mission: Impossible in 1966-1967, but he left the show after the first season. As one of the few Orthodox Jewish actors working in Hollywood, he was not willing to abide by the show’s production schedule because it required him to work on the Sabbath. He was suspended during the production of episode no. 23, entitled Action! near the end of the season when he refused to climb the rafters via a soundstage staircase. Consequently, he was written out of that episode, had his role scaled back in the few remaining episodes of the season and was not asked to return for season 2.
After appearing in Mission Impossible, Hill didn't work in acting for another ten years. Hill had what he calls "tremendous periods of unemployment" in his career. "What we have here is a story of profound instability and impermanence," he said of his own career. "This is what you learn at the beginning in show business; then it gets planted in you forever". Hill left acting in 1967 and moved to a Jewish community in Rockland County, New York where he worked in writing and real estate. Hill said later "I don't think an actor should act every single day. I don't think it's good for the so-called creative process. You must have periods when you leave the land fallow, let it revitalize itself". After ten years, he was ready to begin acting again. "They say you can't quit show business," he said in 1977. "It took ten years, but I could get it out of my system. So I called an agent and put him to work."
Hill returned to work in the 1980s and 1990s, playing parental and authority-figure roles in such films as Yentl (1983), Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs, Heartburn (1986), and Billy Bathgate (1991). Hill also appeared as a mob kingpin in Raw Deal (1986), an action vehicle for Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Law & Order
Hill is best known as Adam Schiff in the NBC TV drama series Law & Order, a part that he played for ten seasons (1990 – 2000). Hill's character is loosely modeled after the real district attorney of New York, the legendary Robert Morgenthau and it is reported that Morgenthau was a fan of the character. Hill says playing Adam Schiff is the hardest role he's ever had because of all the legal jargon he has to learn. "It's like acting in a second language," says Hill. Hill adds that he agrees with the show's philosophy. "There's a certain positive statement in this show," Hill says. "So much is negative today. The positive must be stated to rescue us from pandemonium. To me it lies in that principle: law and order." Hill earned another Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor In a Dramatic Series in 1997. At the time of his departure, Hill was the longest-serving cast member. Along with Law & Order castmate Sam Waterston, Hill has also appeared in commercials for T.D. Waterhouse, an investment brokerage.
Personal life
Hill and his first wife, Selma Stern, were married in 1951 and had four children before divorcing in 1964. Hill married his second wife, Rachel, in 1967 and they have five children.
Orthodox Judaism
Appearing in the play A Far Country in 1961 had a profound affect on Hill's later life. In one scene of A Far Country a patient screamed at Freud, "You are a Jew!" this caused Hill to think about his religion. "In the pause that followed I would think, 'What about this?' I slowly became aware that there was something more profound going on in the world than just plays and movies and TV shows. I was provoked to explore my religion". Hill began to adhere to strict Orthodox Judaism, observing a kosher diet, wearing a four-cornered garment beneath his clothes, and strictly observing the Shabbat. This made Hill unavailable for Friday night or Saturday matinee performances and effectively ended his stage career and closed many roles to him in the movies, most notably The Sand Pebbles.
See also
References
- White, P., "The Complete Mission: Impossible Dossier," pages 98-99, Avon Books 1991.
- White 1991 pages 60-61 and 100.
- ^ New York Times. "Signoff; On 'Law and Order,' a Real Idealist." February 2, 1996.
- ^ Time Magazine. "New Play on Broadway" April 14, 1961.
- CNN.com - Entertainment - Another crime perpetrated on 'Law & Order' - August 2, 2000
- Robert Morgenthau
- Robert Morgenthau - Manhattan DA
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
PCOLPodengowas invoked but never defined (see the help page).
External links
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