Born in London and trained at the Webber-Douglas Academy and in France, Berkoff has been appearing on stage since the late 1950s, usually in his own original or adapted works, which include "Kvetch" and "Prisoner in Rio" and versions of Kafka's "The Trial" and "Metamorphosis".

Berkoff made his screen debut in Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange" (1971) and was also featured in the director's "Barry Lyndon" (1975). His feature career blossomed in the 80s with turns as generally unscrupulous characters, such as in "Octopussy" (1983). He is perhaps best known as the arch-villain of "Beverly Hills Cop" (1984), as Adolf Hitler in the TV epic "War and Remembrance" (ABC, 1988) and as the rival gangster who gets it between the eyes in "The Krays" (1990). He wrote, directed and played multiple roles in "Decadence" (1993), an adaptation of his play focusing on grotesque British aristocrats.