Stage and Screen Actor Stephen Greif Dies at Age 78

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that stage and screen actor Stephen Greif has died at age 78. His career included appearances with The National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, among others.

After graduating from RADA, Stephen turned down the famous Birmingham Rep to accept an invitation to join The RSC at Stratford followed by a North American tour.

This was followed by a nine-month engagement with the Prospect Theatre Co which included the celebrated productions of Richard II and Edward II with Ian McKellan.

Greif played House of Commons Speaker Sir Bernard Weatherill in the fourth season of The Crown in 2020. And the British actor was also known for his performance as space commander Travis in Blake's 7, a sci-fi series that ran from 1978 to 1981.

He was a member of the National Theatre Company both at the Old Vic in Laurence Olivier's company and on the South Bank for Peter Hall's company. Among the productions he appeared in were Danton's Death, A Woman Killed with Kindness, The Merchant of Venice (with Olivier), Long Day's Journey into Night (again with Olivier), The School for Scandal, Richard II, The Front Page and Macbeth.

Greif was invited back to appear with them at Queen's Theatre in the West End in the Italian Comedy Saturday, Sunday, Monday, directed by Franco Zeffirelli and Laurence Olivier, where he won a Best Actor nomination in the Critics' Circle Theatre Award.

Later, he was invited to join the National again on the South Bank under Peter Hall in the revival of Death of a Salesman, for which he received another Best Actor nomination at the Olivier Awards.

From 2016 to 2018, together with Fenella Fielding, Greif appeared at Crazy Coqs at Zedel's Brasserie on multiple occasions, and various other venues in David Stuttard's adaptation of drama and comedy from famous ancient Greek literature called Tears, Treachery..and Just a little Murder produced by Simon McKay.

Greif appears in many films including Gerry, Risen, Woman in Gold, Bill, D is for Detroit, Lasse Hallström's Casanova, Shoot on Sight, Eichmann, Spartan, The Upside of Anger, Boogie Woogie and Fakers. His many television appearances include Only When I Laugh, Thriller (1 episode, 1976), Howard's Way, Spooks, Mistresses, He Kills Coppers, Silent Witness, the last story of Waking the Dead, The Crown, The Alienist: Angel of Darkness, Doctors and New Tricks.