50 Fun Facts About Famous Steves

Which Apple co-founder bought the Lucasfilm computer graphics division that became Pixar?

Steve Jobs made the purchase in 1986, a year after he was forced out of Apple. The studio went on to release Toy Story, the first computer-animated feature film.

Which Jaws director finished his college film degree in 2002, more than 30 years after dropping out?

Steven Spielberg submitted Schindler's List to complete his degree at Cal State Long Beach. He had dropped out in 1969 to direct television for Universal.

Which novelist threw the first pages of Carrie in the trash, only for his wife Tabitha to rescue them?

Stephen King had given up on the story until Tabitha said she wanted to know what happened next. Carrie became his debut novel, and he later published five short novels as Richard Bachman.

Which physicist, given two years to live at 21, went on to write A Brief History of Time?

Stephen Hawking outlived that prognosis by more than 50 years, dying in 2018 at the age of 76. His book spent a record 237 weeks on the Sunday Times bestseller list.

Which Golden State Warriors guard was the first player voted NBA MVP unanimously?

Stephen Curry took every first-place vote in 2016, after the Warriors won a record 73 regular-season games. He is credited with making the three-point shot central to basketball at every level.

Which Australian wildlife presenter was killed by a stingray barb while filming on the Great Barrier Reef?

Steve Irwin ran Australia Zoo in Queensland, which his parents had founded. His death in 2006 is believed to be the only fatal stingray injury ever captured on video.

Which star of Only Murders in the Building won a Grammy for an album of original banjo music?

Steve Martin's first job was selling guidebooks at the newly opened Disneyland. His album The Crow won the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy in 2010, decades after two of his comedy records had won.

Which actor played Michael Scott in The Office and voices the supervillain Gru in Despicable Me?

Steve Carell worked as a mail carrier in Massachusetts before acting. He quit after seven months when his boss told him he needed to be faster.

Which comedian and game show host announced the wrong winner on live TV at Miss Universe 2015?

Steve Harvey named Miss Colombia, then came back minutes later to say he had misread the result and Miss Philippines had won. He hosted the next pageant in the Philippines to apologize in person.

Which Fargo and Reservoir Dogs actor was a New York City firefighter before turning to acting?

Steve Buscemi rejoined his old unit, Engine Company 55, after the September 11 attacks to work at the World Trade Center site. He had fought fires for four years while taking acting classes.

Which comedian succeeded David Letterman as host of The Late Show on CBS in 2015?

Stephen Colbert had once turned down an internship on Letterman's earlier show because it was unpaid. On the first episode of his own Comedy Central show he coined the word truthiness.

Which star of Bullitt and The Great Escape became the world's highest-paid movie star in 1974?

Steve McQueen called Bullitt his personal favorite, yet it ran so far over budget that Warner Bros. canceled the seven films left on his contract.

Which Aerosmith frontman replaced Simon Cowell as a judge on American Idol?

Steven Tyler completed drug rehabilitation in 1986 after his bandmates staged an intervention. That year a remake of Walk This Way with Run-DMC put the band back in the Top 5.

Which singer fronted Journey during the band's biggest years and co-wrote Don't Stop Believin'?

Steve Perry hurt his hip on a hike before a 1996 reunion tour could begin and needed a hip replacement. He entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the band in 2017.

Which former Microsoft chief executive bought the Los Angeles Clippers for a reported $2 billion?

Steve Ballmer lived down the hall from Bill Gates at Harvard and became the 30th employee of Gates's company in 1980. He was known for shouting so much that he needed surgery on his vocal cords.

Which Canadian point guard won back-to-back NBA MVP awards with the Phoenix Suns?

Steve Nash was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and did not start playing basketball until he was 12 or 13. Before that he played soccer and ice hockey with his younger brother.

Which left-handed quarterback replaced Joe Montana at the 49ers and was MVP of Super Bowl XXIX?

Steve Young threw six touchdown passes in that game, breaking the Super Bowl record of five held by Montana. He had earned a law degree from BYU the year before.

Which guard hit the title-winning shot of the 1997 NBA Finals for the Bulls and later coached Golden State?

Steve Kerr took a pass from Michael Jordan with the score tied and sank a 17-foot jump shot to win the championship. He was born in Beirut, Lebanon.

Which composer wrote the lyrics for West Side Story before creating Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods?

Stephen Sondheim was mentored by Oscar Hammerstein II, a neighbor who became a surrogate father after his parents divorced. Five of his shows won the Tony Award for Best Musical.

Stephen Fry met which future star of House at Cambridge, forming a comedy double act in the 1980s?

Hugh Laurie was introduced to him by their mutual friend Emma Thompson. Fry later read all seven Harry Potter audiobooks and became the original host of the panel show QI.

Which Under Siege star ran an aikido dojo in Japan before he became a Hollywood action hero?

Steven Seagal holds a seventh-dan rank and taught martial arts in Japan before Hollywood. His 1988 debut, Above the Law, is regarded as the first American film to feature aikido fights.

Which wrestler billed as Stone Cold won the WWF Championship at WrestleMania XIV with help from Mike Tyson?

Steve Austin ad-libbed his best-known catchphrase, a play on a Bible verse, to mock a 1996 opponent whose character was a born-again Christian.

Which DJ, a son of the founder of Benihana, is known for throwing cakes at fans during his sets?

Steve Aoki's father was a former wrestler before he launched the Japanese steakhouse chain. Riding an inflatable raft over the crowd is another fixture of his shows.

Which guitarist wrote For What It's Worth for Buffalo Springfield after failing an audition for The Monkees?

Stephen Stills was judged not photogenic enough for The Monkees, but the producers took up his suggestion of Peter Tork. In 1997 he entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice on the same night.

Which E Street Band guitarist, who had never acted, was cast as Silvio Dante in The Sopranos?

Steven Van Zandt first auditioned for the lead role of Tony, but HBO wanted an experienced actor, so creator David Chase wrote Silvio especially for him.

Which actor played Glenn Rhee in The Walking Dead and earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination for Minari?

Steven Yeun was born in Seoul, South Korea, under the name Sang-yeop. He was also an executive producer of Minari, a drama about an immigrant family.

Which original host of Blue's Clues left the show in 2002, reviving false rumors that he had died?

Steve Burns went on The Rosie O'Donnell Show to prove he was alive. He said he quit partly because he was going bald and refused to lose his hair on a kids' TV show.

Which British rower won gold at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000?

Steve Redgrave won his fifth gold three years after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. He is the only man to have won gold at five Olympics in an endurance sport.

Which Liverpool captain's header began the comeback from 3–0 down in the 2005 Champions League final?

Steven Gerrard was named Man of the Match as Liverpool beat AC Milan on penalties. He was also the player fouled for the penalty that brought the third goal.

Which Detroit Red Wings center was named captain at 21 and led the team for two decades?

Steve Yzerman retired as the longest-serving captain of any team in North American major league sports. He won three Stanley Cups, then became general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Steve Rogers, a frail army reject given a super-soldier serum, is the alter ego of which Marvel hero?

Captain America was shown punching Hitler on the cover of his first comic, published in December 1940, when the United States had not yet entered the war.

Steve Urkel, the nerdy neighbor of the Winslows, was meant to appear only once on which sitcom?

Family Matters kept him on after he became its most popular character, and he grew into one of the leads. Actor Jaleel White later added a suave alter ego, Stefan, partly to rest his strained throat.

Which actor rose to fame playing Steve Harrington in the Netflix series Stranger Things?

Joe Keery first auditioned for the role of Jonathan, then sent in a tape for Steve and was cast. He was a founding member of the band Post Animal, which he left in 2018 to focus on acting.

Which actor plays Steve, a former doorknob salesman living in the Overworld, in A Minecraft Movie?

Jack Black's Steve helps four misfits who are pulled through a portal into a cubic world. A song from the film, Steve's Lava Chicken, went viral and charted in several territories.

Which actor plays Steve Trevor opposite Gal Gadot in the 2017 film Wonder Woman and its 1984-set sequel?

Chris Pine took on a role that Lyle Waggoner played in the 1970s TV series. In the character's original origin story, his plane crashes on the hidden island home of the Amazons.

Which actor plays Stephen Strange, a surgeon turned sorcerer, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Benedict Cumberbatch was wanted so badly that Marvel changed the film's production schedule to fit around his other commitments. Joaquin Phoenix had earlier been in talks for the part.

Which actor plays Steve Zissou, an oceanographer hunting a jaguar shark, in a 2004 Wes Anderson film?

Bill Murray's character is both a parody of and a homage to the French diving pioneer Jacques Cousteau, to whom the film is dedicated.

Which singer of Peace Train and Wild World took the name Yusuf Islam after converting in 1977?

Cat Stevens was born Steven Georgiou in London, the son of a Greek Cypriot father and a Swedish mother. He had nearly drowned off the coast of Malibu the year before he converted.

Which Illinois senator, nicknamed the Little Giant, beat Abraham Lincoln in their 1858 Senate race?

Stephen A. Douglas stood just 5 feet 4 inches tall, which explains the nickname. Two years after their famous debates, Lincoln defeated him in the 1860 presidential election.

Which casino developer opened The Mirage and the Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip?

Steve Wynn fronted the Bellagio with fountains choreographed to music on a man-made lake, now a Las Vegas landmark. He resigned from his company in 2018 amid misconduct allegations he has denied.

Which South African activist's death in police custody in 1977 inspired the film Cry Freedom?

Steve Biko died after police drove him 740 miles to a prison hospital, naked and manacled in the back of a Land Rover. The police minister at first implied he had been on a hunger strike.

Jack Lord and later Alex O'Loughlin played detective Steve McGarrett in which long-running crime drama?

Hawaii Five-O ran from 1968 to 1980 and returned as a remake from 2010 to 2020. In both, McGarrett is a former Navy officer whose partner is Detective Danny Williams, known as Danno.

Which adventurer made the first solo nonstop balloon flight around the world in 2002?

Steve Fossett succeeded on his sixth attempt, having made his fortune in financial services. He disappeared in 2007 while flying a light aircraft over the desert between Nevada and California.

Which former Adventure Time storyboard artist created Steven Universe, basing the hero on a younger brother?

Rebecca Sugar kept asking brother Steven whether naming the show after him was a good idea, and stopped only once it was commissioned. He went on to work on the series as an artist.

In Western Christianity, the feast of Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr, falls on which date?

December 26 is a public holiday called St. Stephen's Day in Ireland, while Britain and Canada mark the same date as Boxing Day. Eastern churches keep the feast a day later.

Which Oregon distance runner, fourth in the 5,000 meters at the 1972 Olympics, died in a car crash at 24?

Steve Prefontaine seized the lead in the last mile of that Munich final before slipping out of the medals. Coverage of his races helped inspire the running boom of the 1970s.

Which Supreme Court justice, nominated by Bill Clinton in 1994, retired from the bench in 2022?

Stephen Breyer had been passed over a year earlier, when Clinton chose Ruth Bader Ginsburg instead. In 1973 he worked as an assistant special prosecutor on the Watergate investigation.

Stephen Dedalus is the literary alter ego of which Irish author, appearing in Ulysses and an earlier novel?

James Joyce gave Dedalus many facets of his own life, down to a fine tenor singing voice. The surname echoes a figure of Greek myth and suggests a wish to fly above religion, nationality and politics.

Which Conservative leader served as prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015?

Stephen Harper is a lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs fan who published a history of early professional hockey in 2013, while still in office. He had been a founder of the Reform Party.

Which Phillies left-hander, nicknamed Lefty, won 27 games in 1972 for a team that won only 59?

Steve Carlton accounted for nearly half of the last-place club's wins that season. He later went years refusing to answer reporters' questions.