Steve Harvey
America's Funniest Comedian
Who is Steve Harvey?
When Steve Harvey was young, his family moved to Cleveland, where he graduated from Glenville High School in 1974 before heading back to his home state to attend West Virginia University. After finishing school, Harvey spent his early twenties working at a number of jobs— insurance salesman, postman, even wannabe professional boxer — without finding anything that really seemed like his true calling. Harvey eventually found that on the stage, performing standup comedy for the first time in 1985. After honing his act through several years of performances in small clubs, he came close to hitting the big time by the end of the decade, making it to the finals of the Second Annual Johnnie Walker National Comedy Search in 1989. From there, Harvey's career really took off. In 1993, he took over as the host of Showtime at the Apollo, the fame syndicated variety show filmed at Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater. Harvey would stay on Showtime at the Apollo until 2000, but his hosting duties on the iconic show were far from the only thing on his plate.
The Smooth Harvey
In 1996, he got his own sitcom, The Steve Harvey Show, on the fledgling WB network. One of the few programs to gain any traction at all on the WB before the emergence of Dawson's Creek and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Steve Harvey Show gained a devoted following among a mostly African-American audience and stayed on the air until 2002.
The Great Harvey
On that tour, called The Kings of Comedy, Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer joined Bernie Mac and D.L. Hughley on a four-man barnstorming road show that became a surprise nationwide hit. In 1999, The Kings of Comedy became the highest-grossing comedy tour ever to date in the United States, raking in more than $19 million.
The Independent Man
In 2000, he launched a daily talk radio show, The Steve Harvey Morning Show. Originally aired only in Los Angeles and Dallas, the show eventually gained national syndication and a New York City flagship. It now airs every day on dozens of stations nationwide. Harvey won Radio & Records magazine's national Syndicated Personality/Show of the Year award in 2007. Even while transforming himself into a major radio personality, Harvey continued to pursue work in standup and acting as well.