John Steiner

John Steiner (7 January 1941 – 31 July 2022) was an English actor. Tall and gaunt, he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed on-stage for the Royal Shakespeare Company, but was best known to audiences for his roles in Italian films, several of which became cult classics.

Steiner was born in Chester, Cheshire on 7 January 1941, to Ernest Steiner and Joan (nee Dutton). His father was Swiss. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Out of drama school, Steiner joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. He acted in the role of Monsieur Dupere in Peter Brook's production of Marat/Sade. He reprised the role when the play was transferred to Broadway, and again for the 1967 film adaptation.

On television, he played Grey Wyler, a psychology student in The Death Game, a 1967 episode of The Saint. He found work primarily in films including and the original Bedazzled (1967) with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.

In 1969, Steiner played a part in the Spaghetti Western Tepepa, and also appeared opposite Franco Nero in White Fang, directed by Lucio Fulci. In 1971 he starred in the television series Hine. In 1979 he featured in the leading role of Leo in a television production of Design for Living by Noël Coward.

He found himself in demand in Italy and moved there, appearing in a great number of Italian exploitation and B-films including police actioners (Violent Rome), westerns (Mannaja), war films (The Last Hunter), nazisploitation (Deported Women of the SS Special Section), sci-fi adventure films (Yor, the Hunter from the Future), and horror films, such as Mario Bava's Shock, Dario Argento's Tenebrae, and Ruggero Deodato's Body Count. He also became a favourite of famed Italian filmmaker Tinto Brass, featuring in Salon Kitty, the infamous Caligula, Action, and Paprika. He remained in steady demand until the late 1980s.

As the Italian film industry dwindled, Steiner retired from acting in 1991 and moved to California, where he became a successful real estate agent. Steiner later contributed to DVD extras on some of his films and gave interviews about his Italian work.

Steiner was bisexual. During the 1960s he was in a long-term relationship with director John Schlesinger and became the basis for the character Bob Elkin (played by Murray Head) in Schlesinger's semi-autobiographical film Sunday Bloody Sunday.

He later married, and is survived by his wife of over 30 years.

In addition to English, Steiner spoke French, Italian, and German.

Steiner died in a car crash in La Quinta, California, on 31 July 2022, at the age of 81.