Steven Hill(1922-2016)
- Actor
Born in Seattle, Washington, in 1922, as Solomon Krakovsky, to Russian
Jewish immigrants, Hill became interested in the theater as a little
boy. After graduation from high school, he served in the Naval Reserve
(1940-44). From there, he worked alongside a young, unknown star
Marlon Brando in "A Flag is Born." His
real acting debut came about in 1950, when he co-starred opposite
Hedy Lamarr in
A Lady Without Passport (1950),
and his career took off from there.
For the rest of the 1950s and 1960s, he co-starred in B-movies such as:
The Goddess (1958),
Kiss Her Goodbye (1959),
A Child Is Waiting (1963),
The Slender Thread (1965).
Hill also became a leading character actor guest-starring in a wide
variety of shows such as:
Schlitz Playhouse (1951),
Danger (1950),
Playwrights '56 (1955),
Studio One (1948),
Playhouse 90 (1956),
Naked City (1958),
Espionage (1963),
Dr. Kildare (1961),
Ben Casey (1961), among many
others. Another guest-starring role on
Rawhide (1959), led him to starring
on
Mission: Impossible (1966).
Though the series lasted seven seasons, Hill was not pleased with his
role because he refused to abide by the production schedule that
required working on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, being an Orthodox
Jew. Hill was fired after 1 season, and was replaced in the series by
Peter Graves. After his firing, he
went on a sabbatical from acting, to focus on selling homes in real
estate, hence he moved to New York.
After his long absence from acting, he returned to the small screen
with the TV mini-series, King (1978).
The 1980s saw Hill returning to the box office, co-starring in such
blockbuster films such as:
It's My Turn (1980), opposite
Jill Clayburgh and
Michael Douglas,
Eyewitness (1981),
Yentl (1983),
Garbo Talks (1984), opposite
Anne Bancroft and
Carrie Fisher,
On Valentine's Day (1986), and
it's sequel, Courtship (1987), he
played a Mafia Don in
Arnold Schwarzenegger's another
blockbuster film, Raw Deal (1986), then,
in a blockbuster ten movie
Running on Empty (1988),
followed by The Boost (1988),
White Palace (1990), and one of the
last films, Billy Bathgate (1991).
In the 1990s, at 68, after a 23-year-absence from the small screen, he
reestablished his career, as the last minute replacement for a starring
role in Law & Order (1990), where
he played the role of a pragmatic District Attorney, Adam Schiff, a
character whom everyone grew to love. Despite not appearing in the
pilot episode of the series, he quickly became one of Hollywood's
likable and bankable stars, where he often had scenes, that were
filmed, only in court. His co-stars on the show consisted of actors who
have also made bankable names like Hill himself like
Chris Noth, former
Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986)
alumnae, S. Epatha Merkerson,
Sam Waterston, and newcomers
Jill Hennessy and
Benjamin Bratt. On
Law & Order (1990) he was also
nominated for Emmies twice, but did not win. The entire cast was
shocked when, in 2000, he left his role to enjoy his retirement. Before
then, the entire cast appeared with Hill on
Larry King Live (1985), to
say goodbye to a legendary star.
Jewish immigrants, Hill became interested in the theater as a little
boy. After graduation from high school, he served in the Naval Reserve
(1940-44). From there, he worked alongside a young, unknown star
Marlon Brando in "A Flag is Born." His
real acting debut came about in 1950, when he co-starred opposite
Hedy Lamarr in
A Lady Without Passport (1950),
and his career took off from there.
For the rest of the 1950s and 1960s, he co-starred in B-movies such as:
The Goddess (1958),
Kiss Her Goodbye (1959),
A Child Is Waiting (1963),
The Slender Thread (1965).
Hill also became a leading character actor guest-starring in a wide
variety of shows such as:
Schlitz Playhouse (1951),
Danger (1950),
Playwrights '56 (1955),
Studio One (1948),
Playhouse 90 (1956),
Naked City (1958),
Espionage (1963),
Dr. Kildare (1961),
Ben Casey (1961), among many
others. Another guest-starring role on
Rawhide (1959), led him to starring
on
Mission: Impossible (1966).
Though the series lasted seven seasons, Hill was not pleased with his
role because he refused to abide by the production schedule that
required working on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, being an Orthodox
Jew. Hill was fired after 1 season, and was replaced in the series by
Peter Graves. After his firing, he
went on a sabbatical from acting, to focus on selling homes in real
estate, hence he moved to New York.
After his long absence from acting, he returned to the small screen
with the TV mini-series, King (1978).
The 1980s saw Hill returning to the box office, co-starring in such
blockbuster films such as:
It's My Turn (1980), opposite
Jill Clayburgh and
Michael Douglas,
Eyewitness (1981),
Yentl (1983),
Garbo Talks (1984), opposite
Anne Bancroft and
Carrie Fisher,
On Valentine's Day (1986), and
it's sequel, Courtship (1987), he
played a Mafia Don in
Arnold Schwarzenegger's another
blockbuster film, Raw Deal (1986), then,
in a blockbuster ten movie
Running on Empty (1988),
followed by The Boost (1988),
White Palace (1990), and one of the
last films, Billy Bathgate (1991).
In the 1990s, at 68, after a 23-year-absence from the small screen, he
reestablished his career, as the last minute replacement for a starring
role in Law & Order (1990), where
he played the role of a pragmatic District Attorney, Adam Schiff, a
character whom everyone grew to love. Despite not appearing in the
pilot episode of the series, he quickly became one of Hollywood's
likable and bankable stars, where he often had scenes, that were
filmed, only in court. His co-stars on the show consisted of actors who
have also made bankable names like Hill himself like
Chris Noth, former
Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986)
alumnae, S. Epatha Merkerson,
Sam Waterston, and newcomers
Jill Hennessy and
Benjamin Bratt. On
Law & Order (1990) he was also
nominated for Emmies twice, but did not win. The entire cast was
shocked when, in 2000, he left his role to enjoy his retirement. Before
then, the entire cast appeared with Hill on
Larry King Live (1985), to
say goodbye to a legendary star.