Steve Guttenberg an American actor, author, businessman, producer, and director. He is known for playing Carey Mahoney in the Police Academy films from 1984 to 1987. He also acted in Three Men and a Baby (1987) and its 1990 sequel as well as the films Diner (1982), Cocoon (1985), Short Circuit (1986), The Bedroom Window (1987), The Big Green (1995) and A Novel Romance (2011).
On television, he started his career in the CBS sitcom Billy (1979). He has had recurring guest roles as Woody Goodman in the teen mystery series Veronica Mars (2005–2006), Wayne Hastings, Jr. in the HBO dramedy series Ballers (2017), and Dr. Katman in the ABC sitcom The Goldbergs (2017–2023). Steve was a contestant during season 6 of the dance competition series Dancing with the Stars (2008). On January 8, 2025, Guttenberg was among the various citizens who have been volunteering their time helping first responders as devastating wildfires raged across the Los Angeles area of Southern California. Guttenberg even went unnoticed by the local media when interviewed. ''This is the time for us to remember that we're part of a community'' Guttenberg said and that people ''have to help each other and be kind to each other. If you see somebody who needs help, help them. Ask them what they need''. In an interview with CNN, Guttenberg said that he hadn't ''seen anything like this in my entire life, and I don’t think many people have''. Guttenberg also discussed helping to rescue pets belonging to a neighbor who happened to be out of town as the fires raged. Guttenberg is involved with charities whose goal is to improve opportunities for the homeless and for young people. In 2016, a trust in his honor was established to provide support services to the homeless population of Los Angeles. The Entertainment Industry Foundation, Hollywood's charity arm, selected Guttenberg to be Ambassador for Children's Issues for his work on behalf of children and the homeless. At the 2016 New York Walk to Fight Lymphedema & Lymphatic Diseases in Brooklyn, Guttenberg announced, via a pre-recorded message, that he had joined the Lymphatic Education & Research Network's (LE&RN) Honorary Board.
On television, he started his career in the CBS sitcom Billy (1979). He has had recurring guest roles as Woody Goodman in the teen mystery series Veronica Mars (2005–2006), Wayne Hastings, Jr. in the HBO dramedy series Ballers (2017), and Dr. Katman in the ABC sitcom The Goldbergs (2017–2023). Steve was a contestant during season 6 of the dance competition series Dancing with the Stars (2008). On January 8, 2025, Guttenberg was among the various citizens who have been volunteering their time helping first responders as devastating wildfires raged across the Los Angeles area of Southern California. Guttenberg even went unnoticed by the local media when interviewed. ''This is the time for us to remember that we're part of a community'' Guttenberg said and that people ''have to help each other and be kind to each other. If you see somebody who needs help, help them. Ask them what they need''. In an interview with CNN, Guttenberg said that he hadn't ''seen anything like this in my entire life, and I don’t think many people have''. Guttenberg also discussed helping to rescue pets belonging to a neighbor who happened to be out of town as the fires raged. Guttenberg is involved with charities whose goal is to improve opportunities for the homeless and for young people. In 2016, a trust in his honor was established to provide support services to the homeless population of Los Angeles. The Entertainment Industry Foundation, Hollywood's charity arm, selected Guttenberg to be Ambassador for Children's Issues for his work on behalf of children and the homeless. At the 2016 New York Walk to Fight Lymphedema & Lymphatic Diseases in Brooklyn, Guttenberg announced, via a pre-recorded message, that he had joined the Lymphatic Education & Research Network's (LE&RN) Honorary Board.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is a podcast from dou Wor. Here again is
Larry MENTI with the WOR Saturday morning show. Steve Gutenberg
is best known for the hugely successful Police Academy and
Three Men in the Baby movies. Now he is taking
a dramatic turn. Steve plays real life serial killer John
(00:22):
Robinson in the Lifetime movie Kidnapped by a Killer. The
Heather Robinson Story, premieres tonight at eight o'clock. Steve, thank
you so much for being here today. This is a wow.
I've been watching clips of this. You are too good
in this as a serial killer. You were really good.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Thanks you so much. It's a great opportunity and first
of all, I'm glad to be on your show. Thanks.
And Lifetime is a terrific networks, a great platform, and
they give me the opportunity to play this serial killer,
which an actor only really gets to play once in
his career. There aren't that many parts for serial killers.
(01:00):
Really enjoyed playing the part. It was a great, great
challenge and I think I succeeded. And the research was
difficult because this is a guy who led a heinous life,
but it's a true story. But the real was that
is going to be with Heather. Heather Robinson, who was
(01:21):
adopted by her parents, not knowing that she was actually
stolen from her mother by her uncle, supposed uncle who
actually murdered her biological mother and gave her as an
infant to his brother and sister in law. It's a
fascinating story. You know. You couldn't make things up like this.
(01:43):
I always find that absolutely true. Life is weirder than fiction,
but in this case, it really, it really just broke
the ceiling. So I hope everybody gets to see at
eight o'clock on Lifetime, and I'm really proud of my performance.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Well, you were great at the clubs I've seen that
you were great. Is it difficult to become this person
a serial killer?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
No? I always look at work as fun and I'm
grateful to work. I love to work, So no difficult,
there's life is there's occurrences in life that are difficult.
Work is not difficult. It's a great opportunity to prove yourself,
to use my skills and my craft and create an
(02:28):
illusion that I am a certain character, like all actors do.
Every actor in every play or movie or television program
is creating an illusion. So I got the opportunity to
do that again. Usually actors are cast for what they
can play. They're players. You know Gary Cooper or you
(02:50):
know anybody who you'll see. I'm just pointed out Gary
Cooper is not funny. Gary Grant will always play Carry
Grant and that's who you want to see me. But
when you're able to disappear into a role like I
did with John Robinson, it's a great opportunity. And when
we actors love that, we love to do an hour
(03:11):
and a half of makeup, which I did. We need
a different walk, a different positioning, a different posture, different voice.
So it was really a great opportunity. And now you
know what works not difficult. Not working is difficult.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Yeah, that's a great point. Although there are some actors
that get so involved in a role it almost haunts them,
and it's good to hear that that doesn't happen with you. You
can walk away from a role of playing a serial
killer and it doesn't affect you afterwards.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Right, everybody's different, you know, all human beings have different tolerances,
and there are some actors that need to be method
and need to be in the character all day and
they need maybe to bring that character home. I don't
think it's fair for my coworkers to have to deal
with somebody who's who's putting sort of a burden on
(04:04):
them that you have to act like they're that character
unless I really need it. But then I'll keep my
circles small. But when I come home, I absolutely don't
think it's fair to everybody in my life to sort
of create this illusion that I'm so important, that my
work is so important that it takes me a few
hours to come down from it at the end of
(04:24):
the day. That's not fair. The truth is we're not
that important. Actors are not that important. We're doing a job,
just like plumbers and politicians and accountants and teachers and
nurses and doctors. We're all doing a job. Some people
are more important than others. I would say maybe doctors
(04:44):
and emergency services. Yeah, yeah, you know, but that my
job is that important.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
The last time we talked to you was during the
wildfires out in Los Angeles and you were out helping
your neighbors get back and survive and help them to
get their stuff out of the houses. How are you doing,
how's your house doing, and how are your neighbors doing?
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Well, the Palisades and the Altadena are full of resilient,
hopeful people and strong people, smart people. We've got a
terrific One of our leaders is Rick Caruso, who's a
great builder and developer, and he's going to do a
lot of great work in the Palisades. Everybody is doing
the best they can. We can't really hide the fact
(05:31):
that it was an insane natural disaster. Six thousand homes
were burned to the ground total loss, and that means
let's say four people a home, you got twenty five
thousand people without their homes. It's a lot of people
double that with the Altadena fire. So it's a very
difficult time. Everybody puts a smile on their face, gets
(05:51):
up in the morning, does their best, and that's what
we do as human beings. We want to be our best.
But it's not without it being a very very difficult time,
and it's gonna take many years for both Alcadina and
the Palisades to come back. The hills are getting green again,
which shows that Mother Nature is so resilient, and it'll
(06:12):
take a long time to rebuild all these homes and
take a long time to get everything back to normal.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Well, we all remember you out there helping people, and
we're gonna probably remember you for a long time after
people watch Kidnap by a Killer The Heather Robinson's Story
because it's a different Steve Gutenberg than you're used to.
But you did a wonderful job. Thank you so much,
Steve for spending some time with us, Thanks.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
For having me on the show. Really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Kidnapped by a Killer The Heather Robinson's Story premieres tonight
at eight o'clock. This has been a podcast from wor
This is a podcast from dou Wor. Here again is
Larry MENTI with the WOR Saturday morning show. Steve Gutenberg
is best known for the hugely successful Police Academy and
Three Men in the Baby movies. Now he is taking
a dramatic turn. Steve plays real life serial killer John
(00:22):
Robinson in the Lifetime movie Kidnapped by a Killer. The
Heather Robinson Story, premieres tonight at eight o'clock. Steve, thank
you so much for being here today. This is a wow.
I've been watching clips of this. You are too good
in this as a serial killer. You were really good.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Thanks you so much. It's a great opportunity and first
of all, I'm glad to be on your show. Thanks.
And Lifetime is a terrific networks, a great platform, and
they give me the opportunity to play this serial killer,
which an actor only really gets to play once in
his career. There aren't that many parts for serial killers.
(01:00):
Really enjoyed playing the part. It was a great, great
challenge and I think I succeeded. And the research was
difficult because this is a guy who led a heinous life,
but it's a true story. But the real was that
is going to be with Heather. Heather Robinson, who was
(01:21):
adopted by her parents, not knowing that she was actually
stolen from her mother by her uncle, supposed uncle who
actually murdered her biological mother and gave her as an
infant to his brother and sister in law. It's a
fascinating story. You know. You couldn't make things up like this.
(01:43):
I always find that absolutely true. Life is weirder than fiction,
but in this case, it really, it really just broke
the ceiling. So I hope everybody gets to see at
eight o'clock on Lifetime, and I'm really proud of my performance.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Well, you were great at the clubs I've seen that
you were great. Is it difficult to become this person
a serial killer?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
No? I always look at work as fun and I'm
grateful to work. I love to work, So no difficult,
there's life is there's occurrences in life that are difficult.
Work is not difficult. It's a great opportunity to prove yourself,
to use my skills and my craft and create an
(02:28):
illusion that I am a certain character, like all actors do.
Every actor in every play or movie or television program
is creating an illusion. So I got the opportunity to
do that again. Usually actors are cast for what they
can play. They're players. You know Gary Cooper or you
(02:50):
know anybody who you'll see. I'm just pointed out Gary
Cooper is not funny. Gary Grant will always play Carry
Grant and that's who you want to see me. But
when you're able to disappear into a role like I
did with John Robinson, it's a great opportunity. And when
we actors love that, we love to do an hour
(03:11):
and a half of makeup, which I did. We need
a different walk, a different positioning, a different posture, different voice.
So it was really a great opportunity. And now you
know what works not difficult. Not working is difficult.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Yeah, that's a great point. Although there are some actors
that get so involved in a role it almost haunts them,
and it's good to hear that that doesn't happen with you. You
can walk away from a role of playing a serial
killer and it doesn't affect you afterwards.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Right, everybody's different, you know, all human beings have different tolerances,
and there are some actors that need to be method
and need to be in the character all day and
they need maybe to bring that character home. I don't
think it's fair for my coworkers to have to deal
with somebody who's who's putting sort of a burden on
(04:04):
them that you have to act like they're that character
unless I really need it. But then I'll keep my
circles small. But when I come home, I absolutely don't
think it's fair to everybody in my life to sort
of create this illusion that I'm so important, that my
work is so important that it takes me a few
hours to come down from it at the end of
(04:24):
the day. That's not fair. The truth is we're not
that important. Actors are not that important. We're doing a job,
just like plumbers and politicians and accountants and teachers and
nurses and doctors. We're all doing a job. Some people
are more important than others. I would say maybe doctors
(04:44):
and emergency services. Yeah, yeah, you know, but that my
job is that important.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
The last time we talked to you was during the
wildfires out in Los Angeles and you were out helping
your neighbors get back and survive and help them to
get their stuff out of the houses. How are you doing,
how's your house doing, and how are your neighbors doing?
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Well, the Palisades and the Altadena are full of resilient,
hopeful people and strong people, smart people. We've got a
terrific One of our leaders is Rick Caruso, who's a
great builder and developer, and he's going to do a
lot of great work in the Palisades. Everybody is doing
the best they can. We can't really hide the fact
(05:31):
that it was an insane natural disaster. Six thousand homes
were burned to the ground total loss, and that means
let's say four people a home, you got twenty five
thousand people without their homes. It's a lot of people
double that with the Altadena fire. So it's a very
difficult time. Everybody puts a smile on their face, gets
(05:51):
up in the morning, does their best, and that's what
we do as human beings. We want to be our best.
But it's not without it being a very very difficult time,
and it's gonna take many years for both Alcadina and
the Palisades to come back. The hills are getting green again,
which shows that Mother Nature is so resilient, and it'll
(06:12):
take a long time to rebuild all these homes and
take a long time to get everything back to normal.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Well, we all remember you out there helping people, and
we're gonna probably remember you for a long time after
people watch Kidnap by a Killer The Heather Robinson's Story
because it's a different Steve Gutenberg than you're used to.
But you did a wonderful job. Thank you so much,
Steve for spending some time with us, Thanks.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
For having me on the show. Really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Kidnapped by a Killer The Heather Robinson's Story premieres tonight
at eight o'clock. This has been a podcast from wor
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