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Name: Steven Weber
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Date of Birth:
March 04, 1961
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Place of Birth:
Queens, New York
Mini-bio:
Mention the name Steven Weber to any television fanatic, and odds are their eyes will soon gloss over with fond memories of the popular early-'90s sitcom Wings. Despite the popularity of his small-scr... read moreeen past, though, the handsome actor has gone on to prove his versatility in a number of features, both made-for-television and otherwise. Born in Queens, NY, to a nightclub singer and a comic manager, Weber discovered his love of acting around the age of three while appearing in a series of television commercials. He followed up a stint at New York's High School of the Performing Arts with an education at New York's prestigious State University, and after working a series of odd jobs, Weber made his film debut in the 1984 Matt Dillon comedy The Flamingo Kid. A role on the enduring daytime soap opera As the World Turns introduced Weber to his first wife, Finn Carter, a few short years later. After appearing as a rock star in Los Angeles and as John F. Kennedy in The Kennedys of Massachusetts (both 1990), Weber was more than ready to take the lead in his own sitcom. Cast as the half-owner, along with brother Joe (Timothy Daly), of a Nantucket-based airline, Weber's charisma and comic talents went a long way in supporting the show over the course of its enduring seven-year run. Of course, Weber wasn't content to simply sit back and enjoy the success of Wings; in addition to the popular show, the actor turned up in supporting roles in numerous features including Single White Female (1992), Jeffrey (1995), and Leaving Las Vegas (also 1995). By the time the show came to an end in 1997, Weber had divorced Finn Carter and married actress Juliette Hohnen, and was ready to find out what else he had to offer to the worlds of film and television. Though a role in the made-for-television adaptation of The Shining failed to erase the memory of Jack Nicholson's terrifying interpretation of the role, Weber did prove memorable in Seinfeld creator Larry David's bitter-flavored comedy Sour Grapes (1998). The following few years would find Weber playing things relatively low-key onscreen; he returned to the small screen to moving effect with the 1999 made-for-television drama Love Letters. In 2000, Weber essayed a supporting role in director Mike Figgis' experimental comedy drama Timecode, and that same year he would return to sitcom territory with the short-lived Cursed. Though that particular effort may not have quite lived up to potential, Weber did gain positive notice for his role in the little-seen independent thriller Sleep Easy, Hutch Rimes (2000). After appearing opposite Alan Alda in the made-for-television feature Clubland (2001), Weber joined the cast of the popular small-screen drama Once and Again later that same year. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Steven Weber mini-bio: This Queens-born actor has certainly proven himself adept at everything from quirky comedy to flat-out melodrama. Born on March 4, 1961, to a Borscht Belt comic and a nightclub singer, Weber was already appearing in TV commercials by elementary school age. He later studied at the High School of the Performing Arts in New York and graduated from New York State University. The fair-haired, fair-skinned actor worked a series of menial jobs during his salad days as a struggling thespian (custodian, elevator operator, singing waiter) until earning his break on TV in a presentation of one of Mark Twain's stories. Quickly making his film debut in the popular comedy The Flamingo Kid (1984), he nabbed a running role on the soap opera "As the World Turns" (1956) a year later. On the set he met first wife Finn Carter, another co-star on the daytime drama. Steven stayed put for a year then went on to gain recognition in more offbeat and/or prestigious productions on film and primetime TV. He played a rock star in the thoroughly offbeat foreign-made film Ángeles, Los (1990) and showed real command as John F. Kennedy in the epic miniseries "The Kennedys of Massachusetts" (1990) (mini).
That same year TV stardom came his way with the sitcom "Wings" (1990). Co-starring with Tim Daly as Brian Hackett, the looser, goofier more aimless half of the brotherly team who co-owned a one-plane, Nantucket-based airline, the actors' chemistry, not to mention a terrifically eclectic supporting cast, kept the show on a steady course for seven seasons. Easily typed now as a genial, lovable loser type, Weber faced the prospect of severe pigeon-holing. So during the show's off season, he started showing up in more serious roles. He suffered at the hands of the deranged Jennifer Jason Leigh in Single White Female (1992); appeared in a second chiller with The Temp (1993); and made a cameo in the highly depressing, award-winning Leaving Las Vegas (1995). He truly impressed both critics and audiences alike as the complex title character in Jeffrey (1995), a gay romantic film comedy, and then completely defied all odds by starring in an epic TV-movie version of Stephen King's horror classic "The Shining" (1997) (mini), seizing the role inherited from Jack Nicholson and brilliantly making it his own while earning a Saturn award for his chilling efforts.
By the time "Wings" came to an end in 1997, Weber had divorced wife Finn (they had no children) and married actress/TV executive Juliette Hohnen. The couple married on July 9, 1995 and have since had two children, Jack and Alfie. Since then Steven has remained quite productive. He and Laura Linney were selected to play the TV-movie leads in the popular A.R. Gurney theater piece Love Letters (1999) (TV). While other TV series comebacks have fared less well, including the short runs of "Cursed" (2000) and "The D.A." (2004), Steven bounced back in other venues. In 2002, he joined the cast of the smash Broadway musical "The Producers," taking over the nebbish Matthew Broderick role. In 2004, he went to London to appear on stage with Kevin Spacey and Mary Stuart Masterson in "National Anthems." Other plays over the years have included "Throwing Your Voice," "Something in the Air" and "Design for Living." In addition to giving voice occasionally to a few animated film and TV characters, he returned fruitfully to Stephen King territory in 2006 with two major TV projects.
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