Guttenberg was born on August 24, 1958[1] in Brooklyn, New York.[2] He is the only son (he has his two sisters) of Ann Iris (née Newman), a surgical assistant, and Jerome Stanley Guttenberg, an electrical engineer.[citation needed] His godfather is actor Michael Bell.[3] Steve had a Jewish upbringing[4] in the Flushing neighborhood of the borough of Queens.[2] In 1976, he graduated from Plainedge High School after his family moved from Queens to North Massapequa.[5][6][7] While still in high school, Guttenberg attended a summer program at the Juilliard School and studied under John Houseman. During that time, he auditioned for and won a part in an off-Broadway production of The Lion in Winter.[5][7]
After playing an uncredited bit part in the suspense film Rollercoaster,[8] Guttenberg had his first screen credit in the TV movie Something for Joey (1977). Next he played the starring role in the 1977 high school comedy The Chicken Chronicles, set in Beverly Hills in 1969. He appeared in the 1978 film The Boys From Brazil, based on the Ira Levin bestseller, and guest-starred on Family.
Guttenberg starred in the short-lived TV series Billy (1979), based on Billy Liar. He had a supporting role in a romance film Players (1979); it is about tennis. In 1980, a Coca-Cola commercial featured him trying to help a non-English-speaking woman fix a flat bicycle tire.[9] He starred in the TV movie To Race the Wind (1980) playing blind lawyer Harold Krents. In the same year, he starred in the Nancy Walker-directed Can't Stop the Music, a semiautobiographical movie about the disco group Village People. Guttenberg played Jim Craig in the TV movie Miracle on Ice (1981). He appeared in Barry Levinson's Diner (1982) and starred in another short-lived TV series No Soap, Radio (1982). Guttenberg starred in the action-comedy The Man Who Wasn't There (1983) and had a supporting part in the post-apocalyptic television movie The Day After (1983). He starred in The Ferret (1984) a pilot for a TV series which was not picked up.
In 1984, Guttenberg played the lead role in Police Academy. It grossed $8.5 million in its opening weekend and over $149 million worldwide, against a budget of $4.5 million; it is the most successful movie in the film franchise which it launched.[10] He became a busy star over the next four years, appearing in nine starring roles, tying with Gene Hackman for busiest actor.[11] In 1985, Police Academy was quickly followed by a sequel, Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment. Guttenberg then had the romantic male lead in Cocoon, another box-office success. A comedy in which he starred, Bad Medicine, was not particularly successful.
Guttenberg starred in the Cinderella pantomime at Churchill Theatre in Bromley (Greater London), playing the Baron (father of Cinderella) in 2008.[19] Celebrating his involvement, the local Empire Cinema screened Police Academy on November 19. He introduced the film and answered questions.[20][21] Guttenberg played himself in a 2010 episode of the Starz comedy Party Down. He appeared on Broadway from late 2011 to early 2012 in Woody Allen's one-act play Honeymoon Hotel, which was part of the show Relatively Speaking.[13] Guttenberg was on History Channel's 2015 miniseries Sons of Liberty playing Jack Bonner. In 2015, he was on SyFy Channel's Lavalantula and was featured in an episode of Community, "Intro to Recycled Cinema", which aired on Yahoo Screen.[22] In 2020, he appeared on Holey Moley II: The Sequel. He also starred in the Lifetime film How to Murder Your Husband: The Nancy Brophy Story where he portrayed Daniel Brophy.[23]
Rumored projects
In a 2009 interview, Guttenberg mentioned that Disney was developing a second sequel to Three Men and a Baby, entitled Three Men and a Bride. He said that his co-stars, Ted Danson and Tom Selleck, would return for the sequel.[24] Guttenberg expressed his interest in making additional sequels to the Police Academy and Cocoon movies, saying they would be surefire hits if they were to be made.[25] In 2010, he revealed that David Diamond and David Weissman were writing a script for Police Academy 8.[26] In 2018, Guttenberg said that a new Police Academy film is packaged but had no other details.[27]
Miscellaneous
Guttenberg's production company, Mr. Kirby Productions, is named after Gerald J. Kirby, his high-school drama teacher.[5]
In 1995, Guttenberg was name-checked in The Simpsons episode "Homer the Great" in the song "We Do", whereby a fictional ancient secret society called the Stonecutters (a parody of the Freemasons) claim it was them that made Guttenberg a star. He was reportedly flattered by the reference.[28]
Personal life
Guttenberg married model Denise Bixler on September 30, 1988.[29] They separated in June 1991[30] and divorced in 1992.[31] Guttenberg has lived with WCBS-TV reporter Emily Smith since 2014.[32] They were engaged on Christmas Day 2016[33][34] and married on January 19, 2019.[35]
Philanthropy
Guttenberg is involved with charities whose goal is to improve opportunities for the homeless and for young people.[36] In 2016, a trust in his honor was established to provide support services to the homeless population of Los Angeles.[37] The Entertainment Industry Foundation, Hollywood's charity arm, selected Guttenberg to be Ambassador for Children's Issues for his work on behalf of children and the homeless.[38] At the 2016 New York Walk to Fight Lymphedema & Lymphatic Diseases in Brooklyn, Guttenberg announced, via a pre-recorded message, that he had joined the Lymphatic Education & Research Network's (LE&RN) Honorary Board.
Awards
The sixth Fire Island Golden Wagon Film Festival held annually, honored Guttenberg with the 2008 Tony Randall Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in the entertainment industry, as well as his community service.[39] The award was created in tribute to the first Golden Wagon honoree, Tony Randall; it is given to a member of the entertainment industry who embodies the same love of Fire Island, independent spirit, and community service which Randall shared.
Guttenberg received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011.[40] In 2014, he received a key to the city from Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine for his work with Fun Paw Care, raising awareness for animal rights.[41]
^ abGuttenberg, Steve, in Katz, Eileen (January 23, 2017). "Why Steve Guttenberg Lives on the Upper West Side". West Side Rag. Manhattan. Archived from the original on June 23, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2019. I was born in Brooklyn, raised in Flushing, Queens, then Massapequa for my middle and high school years.
^Smith, Emily, in "yes, yes, yes". Emily Smith Facebook account. December 25, 2016. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
