Steve Harvey Popular Books

Steve Harvey Biography & Facts

Broderick Stephen Harvey Sr. (born January 17, 1957) is an American television host, producer, actor, and comedian. He hosts The Steve Harvey Morning Show, Family Feud, Celebrity Family Feud, Family Feud Africa, the arbitration-based court comedy Judge Steve Harvey, and he formerly hosted the Miss Universe competition. His accomplishments include seven Daytime Emmy Awards, two Marconi Awards, and fourteen NAACP Image Awards. Harvey began his career as a stand-up comedian in the early 1980s, and later hosted Showtime at the Apollo and starred in the television sitcom The Steve Harvey Show on The WB. In 2000, he was featured in The Original Kings of Comedy after starring in the Kings of Comedy Tour. His last standup show was in 2012. Additionally, Harvey is the host of both Family Feud and Celebrity Family Feud, holding this role since 2010. He also hosted Little Big Shots, Little Big Shots Forever Young, and Steve Harvey's Funderdome. As an author, he has written four books, including his 2009 bestseller Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. In 2017, Harvey founded Steve Harvey Global, an entertainment company that houses his production company East 112 and various other ventures. He launched an African version of Family Feud and also invested in the HDNet takeover along with Anthem Sports and Entertainment. Harvey and his wife Marjorie are the founders of The Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on youth education. Early life Broderick Stephen Harvey was born on January 17, 1957, in Welch, West Virginia, the son of Jesse Harvey, a coal miner, and Eloise Vera. His first name is Broderick, named after actor Broderick Crawford of the TV series Highway Patrol. Harvey had a severe stutter as a child, but eventually overcame it. In sixth grade, when he and his classmates were asked what their personal dreams were, he said that he wanted to be on TV when he grew up. His teacher thought his dream was unrealistic due to his severe stutter; she ridiculed Harvey in front of the class, and called his parents and told them he was being a "smart aleck". Harvey and his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, living on East 112th Street, which was renamed Steve Harvey Way in 2015. He graduated from Glenville High School in 1974. Shortly after high school, he attended Kent State University and West Virginia University, where he was a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity; he never graduated. While Harvey has talked about overcoming his early life and educational obstacles, he later conceded, "It really threw my life into a downward spiral, and I regret not getting that degree." Career Early career and comedy Harvey has been a boxer, an autoworker, an insurance salesman, a carpet cleaner, and a mail carrier. He first performed stand-up comedy on October 8, 1985, at the Hilarities Comedy Club in Cleveland, Ohio. In the late 1980s, he was homeless for three years. He slept in his 1976 Ford when not performing gigs that provided a hotel, and showered at gas stations and swimming pools. Rich and Becky Liss helped him during this time with a contract for carpet cleaning and credit at a travel agency. 1990–2009; Move to television and film Harvey was a finalist in the Second Annual Johnnie Walker National Comedy Search performing on April 16, 1990, eventually leading to a long stint as host of It's Showtime at the Apollo, succeeding Mark Curry in that role. His success as a stand-up comedian led to a starring role on the short-lived ABC series Me and the Boys in 1994. He would later star on The WB network show The Steve Harvey Show, which ran from 1996 to 2002. While popular, the show never achieved critical acclaim outside of the African-American community. In 1997, Harvey continued his work in stand-up comedy, performing on the Kings of Comedy tour along with Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, and Bernie Mac. The tour became the highest grossing comedy tour in history, grossing $18 million its first year and $19 million its second. The comedy act would later be put together into a film by Spike Lee called The Original Kings of Comedy. That title was also used as the name of his comedy and variety television show (later renamed Steve Harvey's Big Time Challenge), which aired on The WB network from 2003 until 2005. Harvey is the host of The Steve Harvey Morning Show, a weekday morning radio program he has hosted since 2000. It was originally syndicated through Radio One, Inc. from September 2000 until May 2005. As of 2019, the show is syndicated through the United States. He appeared in the 2003 movie The Fighting Temptations alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyoncé Knowles. The same year he played the role of Clarence Johnson in the film Love Don't Cost a Thing. In 2004 he had roles in the films Johnson Family Vacation and You Got Served; and, in 2005, he co-starred in the movie Racing Stripes as the voice of Buzz. In 2006, Harvey released the stand-up special Steve Harvey: Don't Trip... He Ain't Through with Me Yet directed by Leslie Small. The special was filmed at MegaFest with Harvey not using profanity during the show. Harvey hosted the Disney Dreamers Academy, a teen-focused personal and professional enrichment event that took place January 17–20, 2008, at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Harvey released the book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man in 2009. The book is about how men think about women and relationships. Based on the book, the 2012 film Think Like a Man is an ensemble romantic comedy depicting characters taking advice on dating from the book. The hardcover version spent 64 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list, 23 of those weeks at No. 1. 2010–2016; Family Feud and other ventures Harvey began hosting Family Feud in September 2010. The show has seen improved ratings under Harvey, and he holds the longest tenure of any Feud host. Harvey also hosts Celebrity Family Feud, where celebrities compete for a chance to donate up to $25,000 to their favorite charity. The show airs during the summer on ABC. In August 2011, on his radio show, Harvey called Cornel West and Tavis Smiley "Uncle Toms" because of their criticism of President Barack Obama. Harvey later apologized for using the phrase but maintained his criticism of West and Smiley. On August 2, 2012, Harvey performed his final stand-up act at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, ending a 27-year career as a stand-up comedian. The two-hour performance was broadcast live on pay-per-view. The same year, Harvey debuted a self-titled syndicated talk show produced by Endemol and distributed by NBCUniversal Television Distribution at the NBC Tower in Chicago. In 2013, Harvey became the first double host nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award, receiving nominations for both Outstanding Talk Show Host and Outstanding Game Show Host. He was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The following year, Harvey launched a new dating website called Delightful. It is .... Discover the Steve Harvey popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Steve Harvey books.