Steve Sweeney (born 10 November 1948) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain members of an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
.
Biography
Sweeney was born in
CharlestownCharlestown is a part of the city of Boston, Massachusetts located on a peninsula north of Boston proper. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
, a section of
BostonBoston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England"...
. His
BostonBoston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England"...
accent and idiosyncratic mannerisms are trademarks of his stand-up act, headlining at top comedy clubs across the country, including
Caroline'sCarolines on Broadway is a venue for stand-up comedy located in Times Square in New York City on Broadway between 49th and 50th Street. It is one of the most established, famous, and recognized stand-up comedy clubs in the United States. Its marketing slogan is "America's Premiere Comedy...
Comedy Club in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
.
A graduate of
Charlestown High SchoolCharlestown High School is a public school located at 240 Medford Street in Charlestown, Massachusetts with a zip code of 02129. Charlestown High School is the only high school in Charlestown. Charlestown is part of Boston which means the school is part of the Boston Public School System...
, he earned a BA in Theatre Arts at the
University of MassachusettsThe University of Massachusetts is the five-campus public university system of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts....
(1974) and an MFA from the
University of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California is a private, nonsectarian, research university located in the University Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, USA...
.
During the early '70s, a small group of Boston 'would-be' comedians joined together in a back street Chinese restaurant off
Inman SquareInman Square is a neighborhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It lies north of Central Square, at the junction of Cambridge, Hampshire, and Inman Streets near the Cambridge–Somerville border.-Location:...
, in Cambridge, MA - the now famous Ding-Ho. This group included such unknowns as
Lenny ClarkeLenny Clarke is an American comedian and actor, famous for his thick Boston accent. Sometime during the 1970s, as related in the Comedy Central roast of Clarke's friend Denis Leary, Clarke ran for mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts. When asked by Leary what his platform was, Clarke replied "Fuck...
,
Kevin MeaneyKevin Gerard Meaney is an Irish American comedian and voice actor. He has been involved in a number of television programs, having been featured on Dr. Katz, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Garfield and Friends, Rocko's Modern Life, London Underground, and Duckman, among others...
,
Jay LenoJames Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host. From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. During his tenure, the show held the top ratings position in its time slot on nearly every weekday...
,
Bobcat GoldthwaitRobert Francis "Bobcat" Goldthwait is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and film and television director. He is commonly known for his energetic, rabid stage personality, his dark, acerbic black comedy, and his gruff but high-pitched voice...
,
Steven WrightSteven Alexander Wright is an Academy Award-winning American comedian, actor and writer. He is known for his distinctly lethargic voice and slow, deadpan delivery of ironic, witty, philosophical and sometimes deeply confusing or nonsensical jokes and one-liners with intentionally contrived...
, and of course, Steve Sweeney. Known for his use of dialects and great insight into the
New EnglandNew England is a region of the United States. It is located at the northeastern corner of the US, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and the state of New York, consisting of the modern U.S...
political scene, Steve Sweeney has been performing to sold out crowds from day one.
Steve was the first of the Boston super-stars to break into television, Steve was the star of
Park Street UnderPark Street Under is a sitcom set in a fictional bar in the Park Street subway station in Boston, Massachusetts. It was produced starting in 1979 by Boston television station WCVB-TV. This was a rare example in the United States of a half-hour sitcom produced by a local station during the 1970s...
, a very successful Boston based sitcom. He has been a regular on all the Major TV shows
,
David LettermanDavid Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman...
, Evening at The Improv, Comics Come Home and many others! Many will recognize Steve from his special appearances with The Ryder Cup, his narrations of
Peter and the WolfPeter and the Wolf is a composition by Sergei Prokofiev written in 1936 after his return to the Soviet Union. It is a children's story , spoken by a narrator accompanied by the orchestra.-History:...
with The Boston Symphony Orchestra or one of many featured roles in films such as
Rodney DangerfieldRodney Dangerfield , born Jacob Cohen, was an American comedian and actor, best known for the catchphrases "I don't get no respect" or "I get no respect" and his monologues on that theme....
's
Back to School----Back to School is a 1986 comedy film starring Rodney Dangerfield, Keith Gordon, Sally Kellerman, Burt Young, William Zabka, Sam Kinison, and Robert Downey, Jr....
,
Judd ApatowJudd Apatow is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is well-known for making a distinct series of critically and commercially successful comedy films, including The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Funny People...
's
Celtic PrideCeltic Pride is a comedy film written by Judd Apatow and Colin Quinn and directed by Tom DeCerchio. It features Daniel Stern and Dan Aykroyd as Mike O'Hara and Jimmy Flaherty, two passionate Boston Celtics fans and Damon Wayans as Lewis Scott, the Utah Jazz's All-Star shooting guard.-Plot:Best...
, and
There's Something About MaryThere's Something About Mary is a 1998 romantic comedy film, directed by the Farrelly brothers, Bobby and Peter. Starring Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon and Ben Stiller, it is a combination of romantic comedy and gross-out film....
with
Ben StillerBenjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara....
. Most recently, Steve had taken over the
BostonBoston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England"...
radio airwaves with the Steve Sweeney Morning Show on 100.7 FM WZLX, he was replaced in a show that people loved. He has taught
comedyComedy as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse generally intended to amuse, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in Ancient Greece...
,
screenwritingScreenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for film, television or video games.Writing for film is potentially one of the most high-profile and best-paying careers available to a writer and, as such, is also perhaps the most sought after...
and
actingActing is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play...
at the
University of MassachusettsThe University of Massachusetts is the five-campus public university system of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts....
.
On November 3 2005, Steve opened Steve Sweeney's Comedy Club in
BostonBoston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England"...
's
Copley SquareCopley Square, named for the American portraitist John Singleton Copley , is a public square located in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. A bronze statue of Copley, by sculptor Lewis Cohen, is located on the northern side of the square...
with longtime friend
Dick DohertyDick Doherty was a famous Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Mooncoin and with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1906 until 1913....
.
Currently along with doing stand-up, Steve is back on the radio airwaves with a new morning radio show on WWZN 1510 AM The Zone called "Steve Sweeney and Friends." The program airs weekly from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and is generally joined by Nicole "Nik" Henry and Anthony Pepe along with other frequent guests.
Television and Film Career
- The 8th Annual Young Comedians Show (1983) TV
- New Wave Comedy (1986)
- Back to School
----Back to School is a 1986 comedy film starring Rodney Dangerfield, Keith Gordon, Sally Kellerman, Burt Young, William Zabka, Sam Kinison, and Robert Downey, Jr....
(1986)
- Billy Galvin (1986)
- Comics Come Home (1995)
- Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist is an animated series that originally ran on Comedy Central from May 28, 1995 to December 24, 1999, starring Jonathan Katz, Jon Benjamin, and Laura Silverman...
(1995-1999) TV
- Celtic Pride
Celtic Pride is a comedy film written by Judd Apatow and Colin Quinn and directed by Tom DeCerchio. It features Daniel Stern and Dan Aykroyd as Mike O'Hara and Jimmy Flaherty, two passionate Boston Celtics fans and Damon Wayans as Lewis Scott, the Utah Jazz's All-Star shooting guard.-Plot:Best...
(1996)
- Comics Come Home 2 (1996)
- Behind the Zipper with Magda (1998)
- Next Stop Wonderland
Next Stop Wonderland is a 1998 romantic comedy film directed by Brad Anderson and written by Anderson and Lyn Vaus.-Cast:* Hope Davis ... Erin Castleton* Alan Gelfant ... Alan Monteiro* Philip Seymour Hoffman ... Sean* Cara Buono ... Julie...
(1998)
- Southie
Southie is a 1999 American film directed by John Shea and starring Donnie Wahlberg. The film centers around Danny Quinn who returns back home to South Boston from New York City and gets stuck between his friends, who are supported by one Irish gang, and his family, which are members of another...
(1998)
- There's Something About Mary
There's Something About Mary is a 1998 romantic comedy film, directed by the Farrelly brothers, Bobby and Peter. Starring Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon and Ben Stiller, it is a combination of romantic comedy and gross-out film....
(1998)
- Vig
Vig may refer to:* Vigorish, or "vig", a fee charged by a bookmaker for services* Butch Vig, music producer and drummer for rock band Garbage* Miklós Vig, Hungarian cabaret and jazz singer, actor, comedian and theater secretary from the 1920s to the 1940s...
(1998)
- Baywatch
Baywatch is an American television series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran from 1989 to 1999...
(1999) TV
- Me, Myself & Irene (2000)
- Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn
Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn was a comedic talk show on Comedy Central. The show featured roundtable discussions, inviting various guests of many views, mixing mostly comics/entertainers expressing themselves with journalists and political figures. Quinn's regular guests consisted mainly of Comedy...
(2002) TV
- Phantom Gourmet
The Phantom Gourmet is a food-related television program with reviews of New England area restaurants from an anonymous critic. The show airs on WSBK-TV in Boston, Massachusetts and WLWC-TV in Providence, Rhode Island each Saturday and Sunday morning, with a half-hour episode composed of older...
- Credit Card Roulette (2008) TV
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels