Steigers early roles, although minor, were numerous, especially in television series during the early 1950s, when he appeared in more than 250 live television productions over a five-year period. He was spotted by Fred Coe, NBCs manager of program development, who increasingly gave him bigger parts. Steiger considered television to be what repertory theatre had been for an earlier generation, and saw it as a place where he could test his talent with a plethora of different roles. Soon afterward he began receiving positive reviews from critics such as John Crosby (media critic), who noted that Steiger regularly gave "effortless persuasive performances". Among Steigers credits were Danger (TV series) (1950–53), Lux Video Theatre (1951), Out There (1951 TV series) (1951), Tales of Tomorrow (1952–53), The Gulf Playhouse (1953), Medallion Theatre (1953), Goodyear Television Playhouse (1953), and as Shakespeares Romeo in "The First Command Performance of Romeo and Juliet (1957)" episode of You Are There (series) in 1954, under director Sidney Lumet. He continued to make appearances in various playhouse television productions, appearing in five episodes of Kraft Theatre (1952–54), which earned him praise from critics, six episodes of The Philco Television Playhouse (1951–55) and two episodes of Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1957–58). Steiger made his big screen debut in 1953, with a small role in Fred Zinnemanns Teresa (film), shot in 1951. Steiger, who described himself as "cocky", won over Zinnemann by praising his direction. Zinnemann recalled that Steiger was "very popular, extremely articulate and full of remarkable memories", and the two remained highly respectful of each other for life.

How many years did Steiger perform on television before he made his big screen debut?
3