Given Steiger's incredible forcefulness and propensity to dominate the action, his casting as domineering historical figures often made for gripping viewing. Sometimes his presence has gone way over the top (witness his unfortunate Jud Fry in "Oklahoma" 1955), but Steiger's intensity and talent, properly harnessed and utilized, made him brilliantly riveting as concentration camp survivor Sol Nazerman in Sidney Lumet's "The Pawnbroker" (1965). He was also highly effective as the lecherous political hack Komarovsky in David Lean's "Dr. Zhivago" (1965), a role which required him to be callous but sympathetic. As the redneck Southern sheriff in "In the Heat of the Night" (1967), meanwhile, he picked up an Oscar as Best Actor. Whether playing a gay sergeant lusting for a private in "The Sergeant" (1968), or as a flamboyant ladykiller that same year in "No Way to Treat A Lady", Steiger always managed to leave his unique mark in films.
Steiger's TV appearances began in the early 1950s on such anthology series as "Philco Television Playhouse" (1948-56) and "Danger" (1950-55) but it was his performance as the title character in "Marty" (1953) where he scored a dramatic breakthrough. After starring in a 1957 pilot for a series called "The Lonely Wizard" which was not picked up, Steiger did not appear on the small screen again until he played Pontius Pilate in the miniseries "Jesus of Nazareth" (1977). More work followed, predominantly on specials and TV-movies, most notably as explorer Robert E. Peary in the movie "Cook & Peary: The Race to the Pole" (1983) and the miniseries "Sinatra" (1992) as mobster Sam Giancana.
Steiger has also made a number of films abroad, primarily in the United Kingdom and Italy, with some German credits through the 80s as well. Among the more notable are Francesco Rosi's powerful political drama, "Hands Over the City" (1963); "Duck, You Sucker" (1972), Sergio Leone's ambitious spaghetti Western set during the Mexican Revolution; and Peter Hall's drama about adultery "Three Into Two Won't Go" (1969), in which he co-starred with his then-wife Claire Bloom as a married couple who break up, paralleling their real-life split that year.
While Steiger worked steadily throughout the late 70s and into the 80s, it was his performance as a Rabbi in "The Chosen" (1981) which critics hailed as his best in years. Much else he appeared in during the decade was pretty low-budget and/or pretty forgettable, except perhaps for "The Amityville Horror" (1979), marking Steiger's entry into horror roles, upon which several more followed (such as the enjoyable "The Kindred" 1986), though none generated much interest or box office returns.
In the 90s, Steiger could still command leading roles not only in TV-movies but also in feature films like "Men of Respect" (1991), a contemporary retelling of "Macbeth" set in the South Bronx. After playing himself in Robert Altman's "The Player", with just about every other actor in Hollywood, Steiger got a chance to play a tough guy once again in the Sylvester Stallone-Sharon Stone starrer "The Specialist" (1994) playing a Cuban crime boss. Unfortunately, more attention was generated by his hokey Spanish accent than his performance. Despite Steiger's bout with depression in the 90's, he still managed to continue his work in film and television. He accured supporting role credits in films such as "Mars Attack" (1996), "Shiloh" (1997) and "Crazy In Alabama" (1999). In 2003, Steiger supported Oscar nominee Christopher Walken and Chazz Palminteri in "Poolhall Junkies," in which Steiger played the proprietor of the pollhall where the main action takes place.