Rod Steiger

Rod Steiger (1925–2002) was an American film and stage actor known for emotionally intense character roles. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for playing police chief Bill Gillespie in In the Heat of the Night.

In the Heat of the Night: A 1967 crime drama in which a Black Philadelphia detective and a Mississippi police chief investigate a murder. Steiger won his Academy Award for playing police chief Bill Gillespie.
Elia Kazan: An American stage and film director whose work shaped postwar acting and cinema. Kazan directed Steiger as Charlie Malloy in On the Waterfront.
Actors Studio: A New York actors’ organization founded in 1947 to support training and performance in the Method tradition. Steiger joined the studio after serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Academy Award for Best Actor: An annual Academy Award recognizing a leading performance by an actor in a film. Steiger received the award for In the Heat of the Night at the 1968 ceremony.
On the Waterfront: A 1954 drama about a former boxer confronting corruption among New York dockworkers. Steiger plays Charlie Malloy, the conflicted brother of Marlon Brando’s Terry.
Marlon Brando: An American actor associated with influential performances in postwar film and theater. Brando and Steiger play brothers in the celebrated confrontation in On the Waterfront.
Method acting: A family of acting approaches that use psychological and personal preparation to build performances. Steiger’s training at the Actors Studio connected him with this influential tradition.
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor: An annual Academy Award recognizing a supporting performance by an actor in a film. Steiger was nominated in this category for On the Waterfront before winning for a leading role.
The Pawnbroker: A 1964 drama about a Holocaust survivor running a pawnshop in Harlem. Steiger’s restrained lead performance earned an Academy Award nomination.
Sidney Poitier: An American actor and filmmaker whose screen roles challenged racial stereotypes. Poitier’s detective and Steiger’s police chief anchor In the Heat of the Night.

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Paddy ChayefskyRelated: Steiger played the title character in the original television production of Marty.