Steve Steen began his career at the Oval House Theatre Club in 1972 with his lifelong friend and working partner Jim Sweeney.
He performed as one of the Baron’s minions in a show called ‘A Feast of Fools’, with such luminaries as Pierce Brosnan and John Ratzenberger, who he? He Cliff the postman in ‘Cheers’! This transferred to the Roundhouse for a successful London run. He continued his work at the Oval House theatre, squeezing in a couple of Shakespeare productions with chums like Tim Roth, where is he now, eh?
He then toured all over the country, pausing to play the Edinburgh Festival, Arts Theatre London,Soho Poly, Jeanette Cochrane Theatre, before taking the ferry to tour Europe, including several Festivals of Fools around Holland, Denmark, Germany and Greece. After kicking around Europe, he kicked around England again in the ITV Playhouse production ‘It’s Only A Game’, directed by Les Blair, based on the book by Irish International footballer Eamon Dunphy.
It was inevitable that following these performances a spell in prison would beckon, and in 1979 he was duly banged up in ‘Porridge’ the film spin-off from the TV series. Channel four started up and their first home grown comedy series was ‘Little Armadillos’ starring Steve and his mate Jim directed by Bob Spiers.
Rory Bremner grabbed him by the adenoids for his debut series on BBC 2 and three years of mimicry followed coupled with three successive and successful stage shows.
Throw into that melting pot ‘The Kenny Everett Show’, `Carrott Confidential`, Saturday Night Live’, ‘Russell Harty’s Christmas Party’, ‘Wogan’, ‘Blackadder the Third’, ‘A Bit of Fry and Laurie’, ‘Red Dwarf’, ‘The Staggering Stories of Ferdinand de Bargos’, ‘Spitting Image’, ‘Clive Anderson Talks Back’, ‘Have I Got News For You’, ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway’, ‘The Bill’, ‘The Lenny Henry Show’, ‘The Rory Bremner Show’, ‘The Good Sex Guide’, ‘Crapston Villas’, ‘Jo Brand Through the Cakehole’, ‘The Paul Merton Show’.
His first one man show for the stage was the hugely successful ‘The Lost Continent’ adapted for the stage by Paul Hodson and based on the book by Bill Bryson. He also toured ‘The Blues Brother’ written by Paul Hodson and based on the turbulent life of John Belushi.
He co-starred in Paul Merton’s debut short film ‘The Suicidal Dog’ recently and 2001 to 2003 he toured the highly acclaimed ‘Notes from a Small Island’, again adapted by Paul Hodson and based on the book by Bill Bryson. This show also enjoyed the success of a sell out trip to Edinburgh, Aug 2001, as did the ‘Lost Continent’, as well as three sell out tours of the UK.
A further series of ‘All the Young Dudes’ for Radio 4 in the autumn, then bits of impro with people who are old enough to know better, but who also happen to be the best meant that he would have figgy pudding for Christmas. Then Channel 4 and the ‘Bremner,Bird and Fortune’ show spoilt the holiday by dragging him away from the telly to put him on it.
You name it he’s done it, and he’s still doing his stuff with the Stephen Frost Impro All Stars touring troupe, flexing his acting and comedy muscles across the world!