Stephen Oliver Welzig, better known as Steve Oliver, was a ruggedly handsome and muscular actor born on November 29, 1941, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father was a garage mechanic, and Steve grew up in Riverside, California, with three brothers and one sister.
Before pursuing an acting career, Steve worked a variety of jobs, including a stint as a cab driver, roughneck, bounty hunter, and fitness instructor to the stars. He also served briefly in the U.S. Navy, working on an old World War II mine-sweeper during the early part of the Vietnam War.
Steve was an honorary member of the Hell's Angels in his youth and participated in both boxing matches and martial arts events. He made his film debut as a brooding romantic biker gang leader in Russ Meyer's Motorpsycho! (1965),which he landed after staging a fight scene in the producer's office and breaking the desk.
Steve went on to portray similar tough guy roles in drive-in exploitation features such as Angels from Hell (1968),Werewolves on Wheels (1971),and Savage Abduction (1973). He was also excellent as a sleazy gigolo in The Naked Zoo (1970) and memorable as legendary boxer Gentleman Jim Corbett in Tom Horn (1980).
In addition to his film work, Steve had a recurring role as the dangerous Lee Weber on the popular soap opera TV series Peyton Place (1964),where he stood up to the elitist bully Ryan O'Neill. He also made guest appearances on TV shows such as The Streets of San Francisco (1972),CHiPs (1977),and Starsky and Hutch (1975),usually playing strong villains.
Steve was a good friend of Pat Boone and later dedicated his life to the Lord. He concentrated on writing screenplays after stopping his acting career in the early 1990s. A fighter to the end, Steve walked out of chemotherapy and returned to his home in Big Bear, California, to face his pending end.
Sadly, Steve Oliver passed away at the age of 66 on March 5, 2008, in Big Bear City, California, due to gastric cancer.
