I'm a Tommy Steele fan, says Tarantino

The cult film director Quentin Tarantino, who is as renowned for reviving flagging acting careers as he is for schlock violence, said yesterday he would like to work with the British actor Tommy Steele.

Speaking at the premiere of the second part of his marshal-arts inspired gore-fuelled epic Kill Bill, Tarantino paid homage to the star of the 1967 musical Half a Sixpence , who has not made a film for 25 years.

"I've always liked Tommy Steele," the director said when asked which British actor he would most like to use in one of his films. "When I think of him, I think of that Disney movie, The Happiest Millionaire ."

Steele, 67, has spent the past 20 years making a living on stage and was last spotted in January last year in a regional touring production of Scrooge .

Tarantino added that he was also a big fan of Christopher Lee. "After Lord of the Rings , Christopher Lee doesn't need my help but he's one of my favourite actors ever," he said via satellite from America before the premiere at the Empire cinema in Leicester Square.

The director also denied his films glamorise violence. He was responding to criticisms of Kill Bill by Patrick Stewart, the Star Trek star, who accused the film of encouraging violence against women. "Naturally I don't feel that is correct," he said, adding there were no limits to the gore he would portray on screen.