ROD STEIGER, 1925 - 2002
From the docks of New York to the rural back roads of Mississippi to the war torn Russian steppes, Rod Steiger reveled in creating some of the most overpowering and difficult men on the screen. He could be a total scoundrel, embodying Machiavelli's idiom that "it's better to be feared than loved" in the movies. But as an actor he refused to be typecast and his wide range included characters who were secretly tormented (The Pawnbroker, 1965) or loners (Run of the Arrow, 1965) or eccentrics (The Loved One, 1965).
Along with Marlon Brando, Steiger helped bring the 'Method School' from the Group Theater and Actors Studio in New York to the screens of Hollywood. The Method technique, taught by Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg, insisted on complete immersion into the character's psyche and resulted in intense, dramatic performances and performers. Steiger made his first significant screen appearance as Brando's older brother in On the Waterfront (1954). Their climatic scene together in a taxicab is one of the great moments in American cinema.
It was a short leap from playing a crooked lawyer in On the Waterfront to playing the shady boxing promoter in The Harder They Fall (1956). Based on the tragic tale of true-life fighter Primo Carnera, The Harder They Fall details the corruption behind the scenes of professional boxing bouts. Steiger is a fight manager named Nick Benko who enlists newspaperman Eddie Willis (Humphrey Bogart in his final screen appearance) to drum up publicity for a fixed prizefight. While the boxing scenes were often brutally realistic, the most powerful dramatic moments took place between Steiger and Bogart on the sidelines.
As mob boss Al Capone (1959), Steiger got to play another man you loved to hate. He vividly depicted the criminal from his swaggering early days to his pathetic demise from syphilis. In Doctor Zhivago (1965), Steiger was the only American in the international cast, playing the hateful and perverse Komarovsky. During the production of Dr. Zhivago, Steiger often found himself at odds with director David Lean. Schooled in the British tradition, Lean valued the integrity of the script and demanded that actors remain faithful to the script. Steiger, on the other hand, relied on improvisation and spontaneity. When kissing the lovely Lara (played by Julie Christie), Steiger jammed his tongue into Christie's mouth to produce the desired reaction - disgust. It worked! While it might not have been Lean's approach, it brought a grittier edge to the prestige production and made Komarovsky is a detestable but truly memorable figure.
Steiger dared audiences to dislike him. As the smalltown southern Sheriff Gillespie in In The Heat of the Night (1967), Steiger embodied all the prejudices and suspicions of a racist. When a black northern lawyer, played by Sidney Poitier, arrives on the crime scene, Gillespie is forced to recognize his fellow man as an equal despite skin color. Here, Steiger's character started as a bigot and developed into a better man. He finally claimed a Best Actor Academy Award for his performance as Sheriff Gillespie.
Steiger was an actor's actor. A chameleon who didn't think twice about diving into challenging roles that others would shy away from. In the Private Screenings interview he did with host Robert Osborne he admitted that Paul Muni was one of his idols because of his total immersion into his roles. Steiger said, "I believe actors are supposed to create different human beings." And Steiger showed us a rich and diverse cross section of them.
by Jeremy Geltzer & Jeff Stafford
Animals
Brief Synopsis
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A New York cabbie encounters some remarkable characters who inspire him to set off on a journey and discover the meaning of life. He is spiritually dead until, after almost being killed by a criminal, he meets some strange young men who involve him in events in the midst of which he meets the love o
Cast & Crew
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Michael Dijiacomo
Director
Gianin Loffler
Raoul Delfosse
Jacques Herlin
Rod Steiger
Johnny Cinicola
Film Details
Also Known As
Animals (and the Tollkeeper)
Genre
Drama
Romance
Release Date
1998
Location
Utah, USA; Edisto Island, South Carolina, USA; New York City, New York, USA
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 42m
Synopsis
A New York cabbie encounters some remarkable characters who inspire him to set off on a journey and discover the meaning of life. He is spiritually dead until, after almost being killed by a criminal, he meets some strange young men who involve him in events in the midst of which he meets the love of his life.
Director
Michael Dijiacomo
Director
Cast
Gianin Loffler
Raoul Delfosse
Jacques Herlin
Rod Steiger
Johnny Cinicola
Mickey Rooney
O-lan Jones
Mike Starr
Tim Roth
Barbara Bain
John Turturro
Lothaire Bluteau
Mili Avital
Chris Fennell
Francis Bouc
Crew
Lisa Bradley
Production Coordinator
Stephanie Carroll
Art Director
Stephanie Carroll
Set Decorator
Robert Cimino
Music
Michael Dijiacomo
Screenplay
Richard Dooley
Line Producer
Richard Dooley
Executive Producer
Lisa Mae Fincannon
Casting
Kalina Ivanov
Production Designer
Cal Johnson
Stunt Coordinator
Susie Landau
Casting
David Leonard
Editor
Stuart Levy
Music
Lisa Mccomb
Production Associate
Jan Mclaughlin
Sound
Juliette Menager
Casting
Rainer Mockert
Executive Producer
Beatrix Aruna Pasztor
Costume Designer
Alik Sakharov
Director Of Photography
Phillip Schenkler
Assistant Director
Phillip Schenkler
Unit Production Manager
Pamela Smith
Costume Designer
Gabrielle Tana
Producer
Joel Tuber
Associate Producer
Michael Turoff
Special Effects
Film Details
Also Known As
Animals (and the Tollkeeper)
Genre
Drama
Romance
Release Date
1998
Location
Utah, USA; Edisto Island, South Carolina, USA; New York City, New York, USA
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 42m
Articles
TCM Remembers - Rod Steiger
TCM Remembers - Rod Steiger
ROD STEIGER, 1925 - 2002
From the docks of New York to the rural back roads of Mississippi to the war torn Russian steppes, Rod Steiger reveled in creating some of the most overpowering and difficult men on the screen. He could be a total scoundrel, embodying Machiavelli's idiom that "it's better to be feared than loved" in the movies. But as an actor he refused to be typecast and his wide range included characters who were secretly tormented (The Pawnbroker, 1965) or loners (Run of the Arrow, 1965) or eccentrics (The Loved One, 1965).
Along with Marlon Brando, Steiger helped bring the 'Method School' from the Group Theater and Actors Studio in New York to the screens of Hollywood. The Method technique, taught by Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg, insisted on complete immersion into the character's psyche and resulted in intense, dramatic performances and performers. Steiger made his first significant screen appearance as Brando's older brother in On the Waterfront (1954). Their climatic scene together in a taxicab is one of the great moments in American cinema.
It was a short leap from playing a crooked lawyer in On the Waterfront to playing the shady boxing promoter in The Harder They Fall (1956). Based on the tragic tale of true-life fighter Primo Carnera, The Harder They Fall details the corruption behind the scenes of professional boxing bouts. Steiger is a fight manager named Nick Benko who enlists newspaperman Eddie Willis (Humphrey Bogart in his final screen appearance) to drum up publicity for a fixed prizefight. While the boxing scenes were often brutally realistic, the most powerful dramatic moments took place between Steiger and Bogart on the sidelines.
As mob boss Al Capone (1959), Steiger got to play another man you loved to hate. He vividly depicted the criminal from his swaggering early days to his pathetic demise from syphilis. In Doctor Zhivago (1965), Steiger was the only American in the international cast, playing the hateful and perverse Komarovsky. During the production of Dr. Zhivago, Steiger often found himself at odds with director David Lean. Schooled in the British tradition, Lean valued the integrity of the script and demanded that actors remain faithful to the script. Steiger, on the other hand, relied on improvisation and spontaneity. When kissing the lovely Lara (played by Julie Christie), Steiger jammed his tongue into Christie's mouth to produce the desired reaction - disgust. It worked! While it might not have been Lean's approach, it brought a grittier edge to the prestige production and made Komarovsky is a detestable but truly memorable figure.
Steiger dared audiences to dislike him. As the smalltown southern Sheriff Gillespie in In The Heat of the Night (1967), Steiger embodied all the prejudices and suspicions of a racist. When a black northern lawyer, played by Sidney Poitier, arrives on the crime scene, Gillespie is forced to recognize his fellow man as an equal despite skin color. Here, Steiger's character started as a bigot and developed into a better man. He finally claimed a Best Actor Academy Award for his performance as Sheriff Gillespie.
Steiger was an actor's actor. A chameleon who didn't think twice about diving into challenging roles that others would shy away from. In the Private Screenings interview he did with host Robert Osborne he admitted that Paul Muni was one of his idols because of his total immersion into his roles. Steiger said, "I believe actors are supposed to create different human beings." And Steiger showed us a rich and diverse cross section of them.
by Jeremy Geltzer & Jeff Stafford
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States 1998
Released in United States January 1998
Shown at American Film Market (AFM) in Santa Monica, California February 26 - March 4, 1998.
Shown at Sundance Film Festival (American Spectrum) in Park City, Utah January 15-25, 1998.
Feature directorial debut for Michael DiJiacomo.
Began shooting December 16, 1996.
Completed shooting April 4, 1997.
Released in United States 1998 (Shown at American Film Market (AFM) in Santa Monica, California February 26 - March 4, 1998.)
Released in United States January 1998 (Shown at Sundance Film Festival (American Spectrum) in Park City, Utah January 15-25, 1998.)
