Stephen Greif, ‘The Crown’ and ‘Blake’s 7’ Actor, Dies at 78
Veteran actor Stephen Greif, known for his role in the hit British sci-fi series Blake’s 7 and more recently Netflix’s The Crown, has died. He was 78.
His talent agency representatives confirmed the passing in a Twitter post, writing, “With great sadness we announce the death of our wonderful client Stephen Greif. His extensive career included numerous roles on screen and stage, including at the National Theatre, RSC and in the West End. We will miss him dearly and our thoughts are with his family and friends x.”
A cause of death has not been revealed at the time of writing.
With great sadness we announce the death of our wonderful client Stephen Greif.
His extensive career included numerous roles on screen and stage, including at the National Theatre, RSC and in the West End.
We will miss him dearly and our thoughts are with his family and friends x pic.twitter.com/sYcwILCvNr— Michelle Braidman Associates (@TeamBraidman) December 26, 2022
Born on August 26, 1944, in Hertfordshire, England, Greif was an honors graduate from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he won several awards, including Best Actor and Most Promising Actor. He began his acting career in various stage productions, including The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, The School for Scandal, and Richard II.
Throughout the 1970s, Greif appeared in numerous British television series, including The Persuaders, The Protectors, Dixon of Dock Green, and The New Avengers. However, his most prominent role came in 1978, playing Space Commander Travis in the BBC sci-fi series Blake’s 7, which aired for four seasons between 1978 and 1981.
Greif continued his TV work throughout the 1980s and 90s, appearing in classic British shows such as Tales of the Unexpected, Minder, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Howard’s Way, Drop the Dead Donkey, and EastEnders.
In more recent years, he appeared in the BBC crime drama Silent Witness, the British medical soap opera Doctors, and Netflix’s royal period drama The Crown, where he portrayed Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Bernard Weatherill. He also reprised his Blake’s 7 role of Travis in 11 new audio stories for Big Finish Productions.
He also starred in a handful of feature films, including 2004’s Spartan, 2005’s Casanova, and 2015’s Woman in Gold.
