Childhood & Early Life
Steve Harvey was born as Broderick Stephen Harvey on January 17, 1957, in Welch, West Virginia, US to Jesse Harvey and Eloise Vera. His father, Jesse, was a coal miner by profession.
The Harveys shifted to Cleveland, Ohio when Steve was young. He completed his preliminary education from Glenville High School. Upon graduating in 1974, he attended Kent State University and West Virginia University where he was a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
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Career
Before beginning his career in comedy, Steve Harvey worked as an autoworker, insurance salesman, carpet cleaner and even a mailman. His first ever comedy performance was on October 8, 1985 at Hilarities Comedy Club in Cleveland, Ohio.
In 1990, Harvey participated in the Second Annual Johnnie Walker National Comedy Search. His stint at the talent hunt earned him a chance to host the music TV show, ‘It’s Showtime at the Apollo’. Eventually, he bagged a starring role in the ABC show, ‘Me and the Boys’ in 1994.
In 1996, he got a big breakthrough in his career when he started hosting his flagship show, ‘The Steve Harvey Show,’ which ran until 2002. The show was especially very popular in the African-American community.
Alongside his television career, Harvey continued presenting his stand-up comedy acts. He performed various pieces with other stand-up comedians, all of which were later compiled into a DVD film titled, ‘The Original Kings of Comedy’.
In 2003, Harvey came up with the show, ‘Steve Harvey’s Big Time Challenge’. The variety show had him play the roles of both a comedian and a host. The show aired on WB Network until 2005. During this time, he even authored a book by the name, ‘Steve Harvey’s Big Time’.
Having gained a reputation for himself both on TV and on the stage, Harvey tried his hand at the big screen in 2003. He starred in films, ‘The Fighting Temptations’ and ‘Racing Stripes’ (supporting role) that year.
By mid-2005, Harvey was creating waves on all mediums of entertainment - as an actor, entertainer, author and TV host. He wrote the critically acclaimed bestseller, ‘Act Like a Lady, Think like a Man’ and soon followed it up with the film, ‘Think Like a Man’.
In 2008, he hosted a career-focussed show for teens called, ‘the Disney Dreamers Academy.’ Two years later, Harvey became the host of the television show, ‘Family Feud’. The show that was suffering from low ratings went on to become the second most watched daytime syndicated show. Additionally, Harvey also hosted Celebrity Family Feud in 2010.
Harvey’s 27-year long journey as a stand-up comedian finally came to an end in August 2012 when he gave his last performance as a stand-up comedian at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
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A month following his final stand-up act, Harvey debuted with the self-titled talk show, ‘Steve Harvey’. It continued until 2016 after which a new syndicated talk show by the name, ‘Steve’, was launched in November 2016. The latter show allowed Harvey greater creative freedom.
Television and films apart, Harvey has also been an integral part of radio. He hosts a weekday-morning radio program, ‘The Steve Harvey Morning Show,’ which started broadcasting in 2005 and continues to air up until now.
Harvey has served as the host for the Miss Universe pageant since 2015. He has hosted the final events in Las Vegas, Philippines and the recent one in Las Vegas. In 2015, Harvey accidently announced Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutiérrez, as the winner of the Miss Universe title instead of Miss Philippines, Pia Wurtzbach. The error was corrected a few moments after Gutiérrez was mistakenly crowned.
Awards & Achievements
Steve Harvey has bagged the prestigious Daytime Emmy Award five times in various categories. Additionally, he has won the NAACP Image Award 14 times.
In 2011, he received the BET Humanitarian Award.
In 2013, he received the 39th People’s Choice Award in the category, ‘Favourite New Talk Show Host’. Same year, he also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2014, he was inducted in the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
In 2015, the street where Harvey lived as a child, East 112th Cleveland, was named Steve Harvey Way. A year later, Harvey was felicitated with the Honorary Doctorate Degree from Alabama State University.
Family & Personal Life
Steve Harvey has been married thrice. He first married Marcia Harvey, with whom he has twin daughters and a son. He then married Mary Shackelford who bore him his second son.
Two years following his divorce from Shackelford, Harvey tied the knot with Marjorie Bridges in 2007. Bridges has three children from her previous marriage. Together, they have seven children and four grandchildren.
Harvey is a devout Christian by faith.
