Steven Hill
Steven Hill (born Solomon Krakovsky; Yiddish: שלמה קראַקאָווסקי; February 24, 1922 – August 23, 2016) was an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as district attorney Adam Schiff on the NBC television drama series Law & Order (1990–2000) and Dan Briggs on the CBS action television series Mission: Impossible (1966–1967). For the former, he received two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
For other people named Steven, Steve, or Stephen Hill, see Stephen Hill.
Steven Hill
August 23, 2016 (aged 94)
Steve Hill
Actor
1946–1967; 1977–2000
9
His film roles include The Goddess (1958), A Child Is Waiting (1963), The Slender Thread (1965), Yentl (1983), Raw Deal (1986), Running on Empty (1988), Billy Bathgate (1991), and The Firm (1993).
Early life[edit]
Hill was born Solomon Krakovsky[1][2][3][4] in Seattle, Washington, to Russian Jewish immigrants.[5][6] His father owned a furniture store.[7] He decided to become an actor at age six when he played the lead in The Pied Piper of Hamelin.[8]
After graduating from Garfield High School in 1939, Hill (known at the time as Sol Krakovsky) attended the University of Washington[9] and served four years in the United States Navy during World War II.[10] He graduated from the University of Washington and moved first to Chicago[7] and then to New York City to pursue an acting career.[6]
Career[edit]
Debut[edit]
Hill made his first Broadway stage appearance in Ben Hecht's A Flag Is Born in 1946, which also featured a young Marlon Brando.[5] Hill said that his big break came when he landed a small part in the hit Broadway show Mister Roberts.[5] "The director, Joshua Logan, thought I had some ability, and he let me create one of the scenes," said Hill.[5] "So, I improvised a dialog, and it went in the show. That was my first endorsement. It gave me tremendous encouragement to stay in the business."[5] Hill said this was a thrilling time in his life when, fresh out of the Navy, he played the hapless sailor Stefanowski.[11] "You could almost smell it from the very first reading that took place; this is going to be an overwhelming hit," said Hill.[11] "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."[11]
Actors Studio member[edit]
In 1947, Hill joined Brando, Montgomery Clift, and Julie Harris, among others, as one of the 50 applicants (out of about 700 interviewed) to be accepted by the newly created Actors Studio.[12][13]
Early screen work[edit]
Hill made his film debut in 1950 in A Lady Without Passport.[14] He then re-enlisted in the Navy in 1952 for two years and, when he completed his service, resumed his acting in earnest.[14] Strasberg later said, "Steven Hill is considered one of the finest actors America has ever produced."[14] When he was starting out as an actor, Hill sought out roles that had a social purpose.[5] "Later, I learned that show business is about entertaining," he said.[5] "So, I've had to reconcile my idealistic feelings with reality."[5]
Personal life[edit]
Orthodox Judaism[edit]
In a 1969 interview with The Jewish Press, Hill said: "I used to ask myself, 'Was I born just to memorize lines?' I knew there had to be more to life than that. I was searching—trying to find the answers—to find myself—and I did." Hill said that he had gone home to Seattle ten years earlier and was "feeling depressed because I seemed to be leading an aimless existence. Oh sure, I was a star with all the glamour and everything. But something was missing. My life seemed empty—meaningless."[27]
Appearing as Sigmund Freud in the play A Far Country in 1961 had a profound effect on Hill. In one scene, a patient screams at Freud, "You are a Jew!" This caused Hill to think about his religion.[14] "In the pause that followed I would think, 'What about this?' I slowly became aware that there was something more profound going on in the world than just plays and movies and TV shows. I was provoked to explore my religion."[14]
Hill began to study Torah with Rabbi Yakov Yosef Twersky (1899–1968), the late Skverrer Rebbe,[31] and started adhering to Orthodox Judaism. He observed a kosher diet, prayed three times a day, wore a tallit katan (four-cornered fringed garment) beneath his clothes, and strictly observed Shabbat.[14][27] Hill's Shabbat observance made him unavailable for Friday night or Saturday matinee performances, effectively ending his stage career; it also made many film roles—most notably a role in The Sand Pebbles—impractical for him.[14]
Letters from Hill sent in 1965 to an Orthodox Jewish friend, describing this challenging period in his life, were recently found.[32]