Steven Hill - Early Life and Career

Early Life and Career

Hill was born Solomon Krakovsky in Seattle, Washington. After serving four years in the Naval Reserve, Hill made his first New York stage appearance in Ben Hecht's A Flag Is Born in 1946, which also featured a young Marlon Brando. Hill says his big break came when he landed a small part in the hit Broadway show Mister Roberts. "The director, Joshua Logan, thought I had some ability, and he let me create one of the scenes," says Hill. "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." Hill said this was a thrilling time in his life when, fresh out of the service, he played the hapless sailor Stefanowski. "You could almost smell it from the very first reading that took place; this is going to be an overwhelming hit," said Hill. "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."

In 1947, Hill joined such other actors as Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, and Julie Harris, as one of the 50 fortunate applicants (out of approximately 700, interviewed) to be accepted by the newly created Actors Studio.

Hill made his film debut in 1950 in Lady Without a Passport. He then re-enlisted in the Navy in 1952 for two years and, when he completed his service, resumed his acting in earnest. Strasberg later said, "Steven Hill is considered one of the finest actors America has ever produced". When he was starting out as an actor, Hill sought out roles that had a social purpose. "Later, I learned that show business is about entertaining," he says. "So, I've had to reconcile my idealistic feelings with reality".

Hill was particularly busy in the so-called "Golden Age" of live TV drama, appearing in such prestigious video offerings as The Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti in 1960, where he portrayed Bartolomeo Vanzetti. "When I first became an actor, there were two young actors in New York: Marlon Brando and Steven Hill," said Martin Landau. "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".

In 1961, Hill had an unusual experience when he appeared as Sigmund Freud on Broadway in Henry Denker's A Far Country, portraying Freud at the age of 35. 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. As a result, the producers decided to cancel the performance just as the curtain was about to go up. Among the notables in the audience were Joseph P. Kennedy, Jack Benny, and Richard Rodgers. The audience was invited to exchange its ticket stubs for other performances. The understudy was not ready to replace Hill, so Alfred Ryder, the play's director, stepped into the role of Freud for one performance.

Hill guested in the original Robert Stack series The Untouchables episode: 'Jack 'Legs' Diamond' as the title gangster character giving a compelling cold evil performance, and a similar sinister role as a confined to bed (following an accident) ruthless manipulative millionaire in 'The White Knight' a 1966 black & white third season episode of The Fugitive, starring David Janssen.

Hill's early screen credits include The Goddess and A Child Is Waiting.