Steve Stanulis (born November 25, 1971, in

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

) is an American actor, director, and producer of Italian-Lithuanian descent. He was the bodyguard of Kanye West from 2016 to February 2021.

Early life and education

Stanulis was born in

, New York. He went to New Dorp High School and went on to graduate from Wagner College. He studied acting at Manhattan's HB Studios.

Career

Stanulis was a former NYPD policeman. He retired from the force in 2002. He was a Chippendales dancer at Savage Men Dance Troupe. He was the bodyguard of Kanye West from 2016 – February 2021. He also worked with Kanye West at his "

SNL ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

" meltdown and events in New York Fashion Week and the Met Gala. As a producer, Stanulis produced short films like '' Dick & Jane'', ''Because of You'', and the feature film '' The Invisible Life of Thomas Lynch''. Stanulis produced a feature film, '' Long Shot Louie'', and created the play ''Stripped''. He also starred in and produced the comedy-drama ''The Networker''. As an actor, he was cast in '' The Replacements and Gangs of New York'', ''The Interpreter'', '' I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry'', '' Cupidity'', and '' Over the GW''. He has also appeared in TV shows like '' The Sopranos'' and ''The Deuce''. As a director, Stanulis directed ''Wasted Talent'' in 2018. It won Best Documentary at the NYCIF. He then directed a horror film called ''

Clinton Road Clinton Road is located in West Milford, Passaic County, New Jersey. It runs in a generally north–south direction, beginning at Route 23 near Newfoundland and running roughly 10 miles (16 km) to its northern terminus at Upper Greenwood L ...

''. The film won Best Horror in both the Golden Statuette International Film Festival (GSIFF) and the

Philadelphia Independent Film Festival Philadelphia Independent Film Festival is an annual film festival which takes place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The festival was created in 2007 by the Media Bureau, Inc. and has been programmed by the #undergroundfilmforum #uf ...

. It was picked up by Midnight Releasing and had a 15 state theatrical release. He also directed a controversial documentary called ''Race Against Time''. Stanulis also directed and produced films like '' 5th Borough'' and '' Chronicle of a Serial Killer''. As of March 2023 Stanulis continues to produce and star in '' Great Kills'' directed by James Merendino.

Controversy

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West at the Met Gala in 2019

Stanulis was involved in a controversy that involved Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. West accused him of flirting with Kardashian. West threatened him with a $30 million suit, which he claimed that Stanulis agreed to confidentially. The former couple gave him a

cease-and-desist letter A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not dis ...

that claimed he made false and defamatory statements, but Stanulis' legal team threatened to countersue.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanulis, Steve S Living people 1971 births Film directors from New York City Wagner College alumni