Stephen Greif

Beginning in the early '70s, British actor Stephen Greif built up a substantial career for himself as a character player in films and also as a voice-over artist. In the vocal sphere, Greif's mellow, cultured, and unmistakably English speech quickly made him one of the most recognizable voices in U.K. advertisements. In terms of on-camera appearances, Greif came to specialize in portrayals of distinguished, articulate professional types such as physicians, businessmen, and heads of state, usually in a supporting capacity. Greif formally began his litany of dramatic assignments with work on British television, where he specialized in adaptations of the classics, then quickly expanded his focus to include occasional big screen efforts over the following decades, such as Franklin Schaffner's Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), Mike Binder's The Upside of Anger (2004), and Lasse Hallström's Casanova (2005). Greif remains best known for his work on series television, however, especially a memorable multi-episode portrayal of Travis on the British sci-fi series Blakes 7. In 2007, Greif contributed a key supporting role to the racially charged thriller Shoot on Sight.