Steven Bauer (born Esteban Ernesto Echevarría Samson) is a Cuban-American actor. He is known for his role as Manny Ribera in the 1983 film Scarface, as Don Eladio in the AMC drama series Breaking Bad, Avi in Ray Donovan, and the bilingual PBS show ¿Qué Pasa, USA?
Early Life[]
Born Esteban Ernesto Echevarría Samson in Havana, Cuba, the son of Lillian Samson Agostini, a schoolteacher, and Esteban Echevarría, a pilot who worked for Cubana Airlines.[1] Bauer's maternal grandfather was a Jewish refugee from Germany, and Bauer's maternal grandmother was a Cuban of partial Italian ancestry. His stage surname comes from his maternal great-grandmother.
Bauer's parents fled from Cuba to Miami, Florida, on July 4, 1960, following Fidel Castro's Revolution. He graduated from Miami Coral Park High School in 1974. Originally intending to become a musician, Bauer turned to acting while attending Miami-Dade Community College, but then transferred to the University of Miami, where he studied in its Department of Theater Arts and performed at its Jerry Herman Ring Theatre where he became friends with actor Ray Liotta.
Career[]
Bauer's first substantial role was in the PBS bilingual sitcom ¿Qué Pasa, USA?, playing the teenage son of a Cuban exile family in Miami, from 1977 to 1979. He also appeared in the 1980 TV miniseries From Here to Eternity. In 1981, Bauer starred in the television movie She's in the Army Now, where he met his first wife, actress Melanie Griffith. Both Bauer and Griffith studied under famed acting teacher Stella Adler, and he appeared in several off-Broadway productions. During this time he adopted the stage name "Steven Bauer".
Bauer was given the role of Manny Ribera, in the 1983 movie Scarface, even though he was a relatively unknown actor at the time. The producers of Scarface were convinced that he was right for the role based on his strong audition, as well as his authentic Cuban background. His performance drew a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In 1986 he had two other important roles. The first was as Det. Frank Sigliano in the Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines cop comedy Running Scared. The second was as an Israeli soldier named Avner in the Canadian CTV television movie Sword of Gideon. In 1990 Bauer played the role of DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena in the television miniseries Drug Wars: The Camarena Story alongside Benicio Del Toro and Craig T. Nelson. That same year, Bauer took over the series lead of the television show Wiseguy from Ken Wahl for the fourth and final season, playing US Attorney Michael Santana after Wahl's character disappears.
Since then, Bauer has made his career primarily, though not exclusively, in action films and crime dramas on both the big and small screens. He also made an appearance in the video game spin-off Scarface: The World Is Yours, playing drug dealer The Sandman. In 2007 he appeared on an episode of Burn Notice. In 2011, Bauer appeared on the show Breaking Bad playing Mexican drug lord Don Eladio. He stars with Julianne Michelle in the feature film Awakened.
Bauer also appeared as ex-Mossad agent turned private investigator "Avi" in the Showtime series Ray Donovan. Bauer also reprised his Breaking Bad role in AMC'sprequel Better Call Saul. In addition, he played El Santo in the American version of Queen of the South.
Most recently, Bauer has appeared as Kingpin in the music videos of "Let Me" and "Entertainer" by Zayn Malik for his second studio album, Icarus Falls.
Personal Life[]
Bauer married actress Melanie Griffith.[2] The couple had a son in 1985, before divorcing in 1989.[3] That same year he married Ingrid Anderson, with whom he had another son, born in 1990. His second marriage ended in divorce in 1991. A year later, he married his third wife, Christiana Boney; the couple eventually divorced 10 years later in 2002. Again, after a year, Bauer married his fourth wife, Paulette Miltimore, in 2003 and finally the couple parted their ways in 2012.
Awards and Nominations[]
- Nominated – Golden Globe Award – Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture – Scarface (1984)
- Nominated – Golden Globe Award – Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for TV – Drug Wars: The Camarena Story (1990)
- Won – Screen Actors Guild Award – Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture – Traffic (2000)
- Won – Short Film Award – Best Supporting Actor – Crumble (2010)
- Won – Festival Award – Best Actor – The Last Gamble (2011)
- Won – Feature Film Award – Best Actor – The Last Gamble (2012)
- Nominated – Saturn Award – Best Guest Starring Role on Television – Breaking Bad