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
Poolhall Junkies
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Mars Callahan
Jeff Gross
Michael Rosenbaum
Ernie Reyes Jr.
Michelle Ainge
Glenn Plummer
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Obsessed by the world of pool, Johnny could be one of the best. But his mentor and "trainer" Joe, a shady hustler who decides how and who Johnny plays, is holding him back from his dream. When the day finally comes, Johnny breaks from Joe. This leads to only one thing--violence. Joe is beaten up by some of Johnny's buddies as a sign to leave him alone, and with this final act of freedom Johnny leaves the world of pool-sharking. However, Joe is hell-bent on seeking revenge for the beating he took, and he soon finds a new protégé, Brad, who is just as good--if not better than Johnny. The two are pit against each other in a "race to nine" showdown that ends up in a high-stakes game of pool for large sums of money, respect, and more importantly--Johnny and his brother Danny's life.
Director
Mars Callahan
Cast
Jeff Gross
Michael Rosenbaum
Ernie Reyes Jr.
Michelle Ainge
Glenn Plummer
Alison Eastwood
Jerry North
Peter Dobson
Michael J Aronin
Orien Richman
Mike Massey
Mars Callahan
Richard Portnow
![](https://prod-images.tcm.com/Master-Profile-Images/ChristopherWalken.jpg?imwidth=188&height=141)
Christopher Walken
Phillip Glasser
Kristina Santoro
Dimitrious Deslis
Chazz Palminteri
Anson Mount
Ricky Schroder
Bojesse Christopher
Robert Scott Mccloud
John-paul Salisbury
Chris Corso
Billy Lamb
Peter Mark Richman
Nathan Stevens
Shannon Engemann
![](https://prod-images.tcm.com/Master-Profile-Images/RodSteiger.jpg?imwidth=188&height=141)
Rod Steiger
Lissa Pallo
Mick E Jones
Stephen Book
Gino Dentie
Harry Lee
Crew
Aaron Alexander
Michael Anthony
Chris August
Paul E Avery
Brian Baade
Jasmine Bailey
Jasmine Bailey
Roe Baker
Nick Barfuss
Nick Barfuss
Billy Bates
Billy Bates
Diane Beam
Karen Beninati
William Bergman
Jonilyn Bissett
Charles Blaker
Chuck Borden
Alex Boynton
Paul Brooks
James Brown
James Brown
Mike Browning
Tim Bryson
Mars Callahan
Andrew Casciato
Andrew Casciato
Rachel Chabries
Shawn Chou
Dan Christensen
Chris Corso
Brad Costill
Tom Cox
Paul Crosby
Jennifer Cusentino
Chris Dabaldo
Maxim Dembow
Maxim Dembow
Maxim Dembow
Robin Dimaggio
Robin Dimaggio
Robin Dimaggio
Dave Dinnall
John Carlo Dwyer
James Ent
Dave Erickson
Steven Erickson
Steven Erickson
Nathan Esplin
Judy Evers
Samuel Fischer
Samuel Fischer
Leigh French
Terry Gaertner
Lenny Gall
Effney Gardea
Joe Garland
Peter Geoco
Carol Gillson
Richard Glasser
Nick Groce
Jeff Gross
Jeff Gross
Jeff Gross
Ilene Grossman-arciaga
Brady Hallogen
Michael Hamm
Juli Harrison
Gerald Hartley
John Hermansen
John Hermansen
Sean Hewitt
Kevin L Hiatt
Jeremy Hoenack
Jeremy Hoenack
Jeremy Hoenack
Jeremy Hoenack
P C Irving
Bill Jeffs
Ben Jensen
Kate Jesse
Jeff Johnson
Jessica Jordan
Dennis Jorgenson
Heather Joyce
Todd Kleitsch
Dennis Kurumada
Robert Laliberte
Nancy Lanham
R Scott Laoughran
Robert Leblanc
Nicole Lee
Dakota Lucas
Rodd Mann
Paul H Maritsas
David Mastron
Catherine A. Mccabe
Catrine Mcgregor
Darren Mclaughlin
Ron Mendelsohn
David Julian Mendoza
Glenn Miller
Linda L Miller
Robert Morris
Don Muirhead
Jeff Murray
Douglas Nelson
Vincent Newman
Scott Niemeyer
Joseph A Nittolo
Wayne Novotny
James O'keefe
Jeffery Peterson
Kristin Peterson
Lamond Reynolds
Maria Ricatta
Kristina Santoro
Josey Sappington
Charles Sargent
Rita Schrag
Andrew Schrivner
Edward Smith
W Sam Smith
Noah Southall
Seve Spracklen
John Starks
Jack Stewart
Jim Stewart
Darcy Stilson
Nathan Stock
Carol Stutz
Dana Swartout
Tracey-lee Taylor
Vincent Tolman
James Tooley
Tucker Tooley
Alex Torres
Norm Waitt
Dustin Ward
Todd Warren
Fred Wesley
Louis Williams
Chuck Winston
Bill Withers
Bill Withers
Carla Woodmansee
Michael Worthen
Tomoaki Yamamoto
Yong Yun
Yong Yun
Travis Zariwny
Film Details
Technical Specs
Articles
TCM Remembers - Rod Steiger
![Tcm Remembers - Rod Steiger](https://prod-images.tcm.com/img/film-participant-detail/Featured-Artilce_Placeholder.png)
TCM Remembers - Rod Steiger
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Expanded Release in United States March 21, 2003
Limited Release in United States February 28, 2003
Released in United States on Video August 26, 2003
Released in United States Winter February 28, 2003
Limited Release in United States February 28, 2003
Released in United States Winter February 28, 2003
Expanded Release in United States March 21, 2003
Released in United States on Video August 26, 2003