Steven Robert "Steve"
Guttenberg (born August 24, 1958) is an American film and television
actor. He became known during the 1980s, after a series of starring
roles in major Hollywood films, including Cocoon, Three Men and a
Baby, Police Academy, and Short Circuit. In 2008 Guttenberg was one of
12 contestants on the 6th season of Dancing with the Stars.[1] On
April 1st, he was eliminated from the show.[2]
Early life
Guttenberg was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Ann Iris (née
Newman), a surgical assistant, and Jerome Stanley Guttenberg, an
electrical engineer.[3] He had a Jewish upbringing[4] and grew up in
North Massapequa, New York, where he graduated from Plainedge High
School in 1976. He attended The Juilliard School, State University of
New York, and the University of California at Los Angeles.[5]
Career
Acting career
His studies, which include years with teacher Herbert Berghof and with
the improvisational comedy school, The Groundlings, took him to such
theaters as the Helen Hayes on Broadway, where he created the lead
role in Prelude to a Kiss and The Comedy in London's West End, where
he starred in The Boys Next Door. He won kudos in the world stage
premiere production of Furthest From the Sun, which Woody Harrelson
directed and co-authored. Guttenberg has also appeared widely on TV.
His television films include the critically acclaimed Miracle on Ice
(1981), To Race the Wind (1980), Something for Joey (1977) and the
controversial nuclear holocaust picture, The Day After (1983), which
more than 20 years after its original airing remains the highest-rated
made-for-television movie in history.[citation needed] Prior to his
becoming well known, Guttenberg played the title role in the
short-lived 1979 sitcom Billy as a teenage boy with a Walter Mitty
complex. In 1980, he starred in a Coca-Cola commercial that featured
him trying to help a woman, who did not speak English, whose car had
stalled. They share a common bond in their love of Coke.
Guttenberg has starred in three film
franchises: Cocoon (1985), Three Men and a Baby (1987), and Police
Academy (1984). As well as these he has also appeared in such films as
Diner (1982), The Bedroom Window (1987), The Boys from Brazil (1978),
and Short Circuit (1986). He also starred in "It Takes Two" with
Kirstie Alley and the Olsen Twins. |
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Although Guttenberg is known as a film
actor, his roots are in the theater. His first film as
director/producer/co-screenwriter/star was the adaptation of a Broadway
hit, the stage comedy/drama P.S. Your Cat Is Dead (2002) by the late
James Kirkwood Jr., co-author of A Chorus Line.
Guttenberg had a recurring role on the second season of the television
series Veronica Mars as Woody Goodman, a wealthy businessman and
community leader. He also appeared as a lead in the NBC made-for-TV
remake of The Poseidon Adventure, which aired on November 20, 2005,
playing Richard Clarke, a failing writer having an affair with a massage
therapist.
He was mentioned in a Simpsons episode in a song sung by the
Stonecutters.
More recently he has starred in Mojave Phone Booth as Barry, and Making
Change as Trafton. In Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Clause and its sequel Meet
the Santas, he played the starring role of Nick. Guttenberg is working
on a film with Jessica Simpson entitled Major Movie Star.
Other work
Guttenberg is involved with charity work aimed at improving
opportunities for the homeless and for young people. He has created
Guttenhouse, an apartment complex he funded to accommodate young people
after their graduation from foster child status, with on-site social
worker direction to assist their assuming adult responsibilities. The
Entertainment Industry Foundation, Hollywood's charity arm, selected him
to be Ambassador for Children's Issues because of his work on behalf of
children and the homeless. In this capacity, he spearheads Sight for
Students, a $7-million program in which, together with VSP and Altair
Eyeglasses, he helps provide glasses for 50,000 underprivileged and
visually challenged children throughout their school years. He also
supports Plainedge school district, where he went to high school and
runs charity events there often.
His interest in the welfare of youngsters is reflected in his work as a
producer and director. He executive-produced Gangs, a CBS School Break
Special which earned an Emmy nomination, and debuted as a director with
a CBS School Break Special, Love Off Limits (1993). Guttenberg's spare
time is taken up by his charitable activities for such kids-oriented
agencies as Friends of the Children/Bridges, The Starlight Foundation
and the Entertainment Industry Foundation. He is also a surfer, golfer
and devoted dog owner.
His production company, "Mr. Kirby Productions", is named after Gerald
J. Kirby, his high school drama teacher.
On May 6th, 2008, Guttenberg was a guest on the Howard Stern Show. On
the program, he claimed to have a 10 inch (25.4 cm) penis, and professed
that it is the source of "a lot of confidence."[6]
From Friday 5th December 2008, he will be appearing in the Pantomime
"Cinderella", at The Churchill Theatre in Bromley, England.
Dancing with the Stars
Guttenberg starred in the 2008 spring season of Dancing with the Stars,
although he was eliminated on April 1.[2]
As part of his casting in Dancing with the Stars, Guttenberg was
scheduled to perform a stand-up comedy show, followed by a small dance
number to help promote himself for the show. This was a "mini" tour, and
as such, he chose many towns of a smaller venue to perform in. Some of
these smaller towns included Evansville, Indiana, Edwardsville,
Illinois, Springfield, Missouri, Marshalltown, Iowa, Jacksonville,
Illinois, Salina, Kansas, Blytheville, Arkansas, and Middletown, Ohio.
Filmography
* The Chicken Chronicles (1977)
* The Boys from Brazil (1978)
* Players (1979)
* Can't Stop the Music (1980)
* Miracle On Ice (1981)
* Diner (1982)
* The Man Who Wasn't There (1983)
* The Day After (1983) (TV movie)
* Police Academy (1984)
* Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985)
* Cocoon (1985)
* Bad Medicine (1985)
* Police Academy 3: Back in Training (1986)
* Short Circuit (1986)
* The Bedroom Window (1987)
* Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987)
* Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)
* Three Men and a Baby (1987)
* Cocoon: The Return (1988)
* High Spirits (1988)
* Don't Tell Her It's Me (aka The Boyfriend School) (1990)
* Three Men and a Little Lady (1990)
* The Big Green (1995)
* Home for the Holidays (1995)
* It Takes Two (1995)
* Zeus and Roxanne (1997)
* Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997)
* Tower of Terror (1997)
* Home Team (film) (1999)
* P. S. Your Cat Is Dead! (2002)
* Single Santa Seeks Mrs Claus (2004)
* The Poseidon Adventure (2005)
* Bo! in the USA (2006)
* Mojave Phone Booth (film) (2006)
* Major Movie Star (2008)
* Cornered! (2008) |
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