Steve Byrne (born July 21, 1974) is an American stand-up comedian and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. He is best known from his multiple stand up comedy hour specials, creating, writing and starring in ''

Sullivan & Son ''Sullivan & Son'' is an American sitcom created by Steve Byrne and Rob Long that was broadcast on TBS. It starred Byrne as Steve Sullivan, who surprises his parents when he leaves his job as a corporate lawyer to take over a bar owned by his ...

'' and as the writer/director of the feature film '' The Opening Act''.

Early life and education

Byrne was born in Freehold, New Jersey. Byrne grew up in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

, Pennsylvania, and went to Hampton High School. He graduated from

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in ...

in Kent, Ohio. His mother is Korean and his father is of Irish descent. Steve has a younger brother, William. He studied theatre at

Career

Byrne was exposed to stand up comedy by working at the comedy club Caroline's in New York City. The first time he ever got on stage was at Stand Up New York on September 30, 1997. Byrne spent the early part of 2018 directing a documentary about Las Vegas headliner, magician and comedian The Amazing Johnathan, entitled ''Always Amazin. The documentary won best documentary film at the Sydney Lift Off Festival, Special Mention at Los Angeles Lift Off Festival, and was screened at Hollywood Now Festival, All Things Comedy Festival and Vancouver Just for Laughs Film Festival. ''Always Amazing'' was released in 2019 for free on YouTube. From 2017–2018, Byrne had been writing a script while on the road about his early years in stand up comedy. That film eventually got the green light, and Byrne wrote and directed his first feature film, '' The Opening Act'', starring Jimmy O Yang, Alex Moffat and

Cedric the Entertainer Cedric Antonio Kyles (born April 24, 1964), better known by his stage name Cedric the Entertainer, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He hosted BET's '' ComicView'' during the 1993–1994 season and '' Def Comedy Jam'' in 1995. He is ...

. The film was released October 16, 2020. In 2003, he filmed the documentary film ''13 or Bust'', where he did 13 shows in one night at every comedy club in Manhattan, breaking the record for most sets in one night by a comedian. It is available on iTunes as a podcast for free. In 2006

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programmin ...

aired Byrne's first half-hour special, ''Comedy Central Presents Steve Byrne''. Byrne had a one-hour special on Comedy Central in 2008 titled ''Steve Byrne's Happy Hour''. On Sunday, July 25, 2010, he had another one-hour special on Comedy Central titled ''The Byrne Identity''. Byrne was also featured on the NBC series '' The Real Wedding Crashers'' and a featured comedian on ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

'' appearing ten times. He has made appearances on ''

Chappelle's Show ''Chappelle's Show'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by comedians Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan, with Chappelle hosting the show and starring in the majority of its sketches. Chappelle, Brennan, and Michele Armour were ...

'', ''

Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn ''Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn'' is a comedic talk show which aired on Comedy Central from 2002 to 2004. The show featured host Colin Quinn and a panel of comedian guests, discussing politics, current events, and social issues. Show history an ...

'', ''

@midnight ''@midnight with Chris Hardwick'' (shortened to and formerly exclusively titled ''@midnight'') was an American late night Internet-themed panel game show, hosted by Chris Hardwick, that aired Monday through Thursday nights between October 21, ...

'', The History Channel's "History of the Joke," Mad TV's 300th episode and Super Bowl promos on CBS with

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

and again with

Bill Cowher William Laird Cowher (born May 8, 1957) is an American sports analyst, former football player and coach. Following a six-year playing career as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), he served as a head coach in the NFL for 15 se ...

. His stand-up has been featured on '' The Late Late Show'', '' Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', ''

Last Call with Carson Daly ''Last Call with Carson Daly'' is an American late-night television series that was broadcast by NBC from 2002 to 2019. Hosted by former MTV personality Carson Daly, the series was initially formatted as a late-night talk show in line with ''T ...

'',

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

's ''

ComicView ''ComicView'' is an American stand-up comedy show that aired on BET on Tuesdays and Fridays from September 1992 to December 2008. In May 2014, BET announced the return of ''ComicView''. The show has been the launching pad for such comedians as D. ...

'', ABC's '' Good Morning America'' as well as

's ''

Premium Blend ''Premium Blend'' was a stand-up comedy series created and directed by Paul Miller that aired on the American cable television channel Comedy Central from 1997 to 2005. In 2005 the show was changed, and now known as "Live at Gotham". The show w ...

''. He has been a featured comic in The Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, the HBO

US Comedy Arts Festival The Comedy Festival, formerly known as the US Comedy Arts Festival, was a comedy festival that ran from 1995 to 2008. The festival included stand-up comedy performances, appearances by the casts of television shows, and has a film component calle ...

in Las Vegas the TBS Very Funny Festival in Chicago, the TBS Very Funny Festival in Toronto and The CanWest Comedy Fest in Vancouver. He has appeared on the Showtime comedy series ''Live Nude Comedy'' and shot a pilot for the G4 Network based on a Japanese Game Show called ''Drunken Businessman''. His ''

Comedy Central Presents ''Comedy Central Presents'' is an American stand-up comedy television series created for Comedy Central. It is the network's main half-hour program which highlights either one or a series of stand-up comedians each episode. In 2011, the series ...

'' Half Hour Special premiered in 2006 and was voted the seventeenth-most-popular ''

'' by fans as part of the Standup Showdown o
comedycentral.com
He also was the winner of the MySpace Standup Or Sitdown competition on TBS. He has had small parts in several films: '' The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard'', starring

Jeremy Piven Jeremy Samuel Piven (born July 26, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Ari Gold in the comedy series '' Entourage'', for which he won a Golden Globe Award and three consecutive Emmy Awards. He also starred in the Britis ...

and produced by

Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show '' Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 2 ...

; ''

Four Christmases ''Four Christmases'' is a 2008 American Christmas comedy film about a couple visiting all four of their divorced parents' homes on Christmas Day. It stars Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon with Robert Duvall, Jon Favreau, Mary Steenburgen, Dwight ...

'', starring

Vince Vaughn Vincent Anthony Vaughn (born March 28, 1970) is an American actor. Vaughn began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 comedy-drama film '' Swingers''. He has appeared in ...

and

Reese Witherspoon Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, she ...

; and ''

Couples Retreat ''Couples Retreat'' is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Peter Billingsley marking his directorial debut, and written by Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, and Dana Fox. Vaughn and Favreau star with Jason Bateman, Faizon Love, Kristin Da ...

'', starring Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau. On July 16, he appeared on ''Conan''. He became a regular on ''

'' with Jay Leno and has done it 9 times. He filmed his third hour special Feb. 8th in New York City in 2014 called ''

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

'' and it's currently streaming on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

. He's currently touring and working on the material for his fourth hour special, which will be entitled, ''Tell the Damn Joke.'' Byrne wrote and created with Rob Long the comedy ''

'' on TBS that premiered in the summer of 2012. After a very successful summer run with Season One, TBS gave the go ahead for a second season that aired in summer of 2013. The show proved to be a hit with an average of 2.4 million viewers per episode and was brought back for a third season with 13 episodes slated for summer of 2014. The show averaged 2 million viewers. Byrne once again hit the road with the other comedians and co-stars of the show Owen Benjamin, Ahmed Ahmed and Roy Wood Jr. in support of ''Sullivan & Son'' thin 2005. He did a show for Comedy Central and the troops at Ft. Irwin in 2006. Byrne embarked on his own USO tour of Afghanistan in June 2008, Japan and Guam in July 2009 and Afghanistan again in 2010. He went back on a USO tour with the other comedians from Sullivan and Son to thank the troops in 2013. He has been part of several national comedy tours including The Jameson Comedy Tour, Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Tour, and The Camel Cigarettes Sin City Tour, and his own national MySpace tour. He has opened for musical acts

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, Mariah Carey on her Charmbracelet Tour, Modest Mouse,

Puddle of Mudd Puddle of Mudd is an American rock band formed in Kansas City, Missouri in 1992. To date, the band has sold over seven million albums and has had a string of No. 1 mainstream rock singles in the United States. Their major-label debut '' C ...

Spoon A spoon is a utensil consisting of a shallow bowl (also known as a head), oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery (sometimes called flatware in the United States), especially as part of a place setting, it is used primarily f ...

, Rev. Horton Heat,

Kings of Leon Kings of Leon is an American rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, and their cousin Matthew Followill. The band's early music was a blend of Southern rock and ga ...

and many more. Byrne has toured with The Kims of Comedy with

Bobby Lee Robert Lee Jr. (born September 17, 1971) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster. From 2001 to 2009, Lee was a cast member on ''MADtv'', and he co-starred in the ABC single-camera sitcom series '' Splitting Up Together'' alongs ...

of Mad TV and

Ken Jeong Kendrick Kang-Joh Jeong (, ; born July 13, 1969) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, producer, writer and licensed physician. He rose to prominence for playing Leslie Chow in ''The Hangover'' film series (2009–2013) and Ben Chang in the ...

of NBC's ''

Community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...

'' and ''

The Hangover ''The Hangover'' is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Todd Phillips, co-produced with Daniel Goldberg, and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. It is the first installment in ''The Hangover'' trilogy. The film stars Bradley Cooper, E ...

''. In early 2011, he toured nationwide on The Comedy Road Show with Vince Vaughn and

Kevin James Kevin George Knipfing (born April 26, 1965), better known by his stage name Kevin James, is an American comedian and actor. In television, James played Doug Heffernan on ''The King of Queens'' from 1998 to 2007, and receieved a Primetime Emmy ...

to promote the film ''

The Dilemma ''The Dilemma'' is a 2011 American dark comedy film directed by Ron Howard, written by Allan Loeb and starring Vince Vaughn and Kevin James. The film follows savvy businessman Ronny (Vaughn) and genius engineer Nick (James) who are best friends ...

''. In the summer of 2011, he toured on The New Majority Tour with

Lisa Lampanelli Lisa Lampanelli (born Lisa Marie Lampugnale; July 19, 1961) is an American former stand-up comedian, actress and insult comic. Early life and journalism career Lampanelli was born in Trumbull, Connecticut, to a middle-class family. Three of her ...

Gabriel Iglesias Gabriel Jesús Iglesias (born July 15, 1976), also known as Fluffy, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He has produced a number of stand-up specials for television outlets such as Comedy Central and Netflix, including ''I'm Not Fat… ...

and

Russell Peters Russell Dominic Peters (born September 29, 1970) is a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, and producer. He began performing in Toronto in 1989 and won a Gemini Award in 2008. In 2013, he was number three on ''Forbes'' list of the world's highe ...

. Since 2005, Byrne has been headlining comedy clubs across the country. He is currently touring to prepare for his fourth one-hour special. In October 2017, Byrne was the supporting act for

The Tenderloins The Tenderloins are an American comedy troupe composed of James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, and Sal Vulcano. The group stars in the television series ''Impractical Jokers'', which premiered on December 15, 2011. The program airs on truT ...

in their "Impractical Jokers: Where's Larry? Tour".

Personal life

Byrne is married and has two children. In 2020 Byrne and his family moved from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

to Nashville.

References

External links

Official website
at

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

Steve Byrne
at MySpace

at

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

Pittsburgh PG articleSteve Byrne funny podcast interview
on The Gentlemen's Club with Caleb Bacon
Levity Entertainment GroupSteve Byrne interview with SanDiego.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrne, Steve 1974 births American stand-up comedians Living people American people of Irish descent American male actors of Korean descent Male actors from Pittsburgh Kent State University alumni 21st-century American comedians