Steve Guttenberg

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Steve Guttenberg

Born	Steven Robert Guttenberg August 24, 1958 (1958-08-24) (age 49) Brooklyn, New York, United States
Spouse(s)	Denise Bixler (30 September 1988 - 1992)

Steven Robert 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]

1 Early life
2 Career
- 2.1 Acting career
- 2.2 Other work
3 Dancing with the Stars
- 3.1 Performances
4 Filmography
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Early life

Guttenberg was born in Brooklyn, New York to Ann Iris 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]

[edit] Career

[edit] 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.

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.

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.

[edit] 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]

[edit] 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.

[edit] Performances

Week #	Dance/Song	Judges' score			Result
Week #	Dance/Song	Inaba	Goodman	Tonioli	Result
1	Foxtrot/ "(Up a) Lazy River"	6	6	6	N/A
2	Mambo/ "I Got a Girl"	6	5	5	Safe
3	Tango/ "Jalousie"	7	7	7	Eliminated