Steven Bauer is a Cuban-American actor.
He is known for his role as Manny Ribera in the 1983 film Scarface, his role as Don Eladio
in the AMC drama series Breaking Bad, and his role on the bilingual PBS show ¿Qué
Pasa, USA?.
Early life Born Esteban Ernesto Echevarría Samson in
Havana, Cuba, the son of Lillian Samson Agostini, a schoolteacher, and Esteban Echevarria, a
pilot who worked for Cubana Airlines.
Bauer's maternal grandfather was a Jewish refugee from Germany, and Bauer's maternal
grandmother was a Cuban of partial Italian ancestry.
His stage surname comes from his maternal great-grandmother.
Bauer's parents fled from Cuba to Miami, Florida, on July 4, 1960, following Fidel Castro's
Revolution.
He graduated from Miami Coral Park High School in 1974.
Originally intending to become a musician, Bauer turned to acting while attending Miami-Dade
Community College, but then transferred to the University of Miami, where he studied
in its Department of Theater Arts and performed at its Jerry Herman Ring Theatre where he
became friends with actor Ray Liotta.
Acting career Bauer's first substantial role was in the
PBS bilingual sitcom ¿Qué Pasa, USA?, playing the teenage son of a Cuban exile family in
Miami, from 1977 to 1979.
He also appeared in the 1980 TV miniseries From Here to Eternity.
He was credited in these and a few other early projects as Rocky Echevarría.
In 1981, Bauer starred in the television movie She's in the Army Now, where he met his first
wife, actress Melanie Griffith.
They both moved to New York City and stayed at Ray Liotta's apartment, while Liotta moved
to Los Angeles and stayed at theirs.
Both Bauer and Griffith studied under famed acting teacher Stella Adler, and he appeared
in several off-Broadway productions.
During this time he briefly adopted the stage name Rocky Echevarria, before settling on
"Steven Bauer".
Bauer was given the role of Manny Ribera, the part played by George Raft in the original
1932 version, in the 1983 movie Scarface, even though he was a relatively unknown actor
at the time.
The producers of Scarface were convinced that he was right for the role based on his strong
audition, as well as his authentic Cuban background.
His performance drew a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
In 1986 he had two other important roles.
The first was as Det.
Frank Sigliano in the Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines cop comedy Running Scared.
The second was as an Israeli soldier named Avner in the Canadian CTV television movie
Sword of Gideon, which tells the story of Mossad agents hunting down terrorists in the
aftermath of the 1972 Munich massacre.
The Sword of Gideon script was the basis for Steven Spielberg's later film Munich, which
follows the same storyline and borrows heavily from the Sword of Gideon story and script.
In 1990 Bauer played the role of Drug Enforcement Agency agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena in the
television miniseries Drug Wars: The Camarena Story alongside Benecio Del Toro and Craig
T. Nelson.
That same year, Bauer took over the series lead of the television show Wiseguy from Ken
Wahl for the fourth and final season, playing US Attorney Michael Santana after Wahl's character
disappears.
Since then, Bauer has made his career primarily, though not exclusively, in action films and
crime dramas on both the big and small screens, including such motion pictures as Primal Fear
and Traffic.
He also made an appearance in the video game spin-off Scarface: The World Is Yours, playing
drug dealer The Sandman.
In 2007 he appeared on an episode of Burn Notice.
In 2011, Bauer appeared on the show Breaking Bad playing Mexican drug lord Don Eladio.
He stars with Julianne Michelle in the > Ref> IMDB.com {feature film Template:Awakened,
a supernatural thriller touching on Life After Death, a Supernova Media motion picture ref>
IMDB.com.
He currently appears as ex-Mossad agent turned private investigator "Avi" in the Showtime
series Ray Donovan.
Personal life Bauer married Melanie Griffith in May 1982.
The couple had a son, Alexander Bauer, on August 22, 1985, before divorcing in 1987.
In 1989 he married Ingrid Anderson, with whom he had another son, Dylan, born in 1990.
His second marriage ended in divorce in 1991.
A year later, he married his third wife, Christiana Boney, but the couple eventually divorced.
On December 18, 2012, Bauer was arrested in the Miami, Florida, area, accused of driving
with a suspended license.
As of July 2014, he is dating 18-year-old Lyda Loudon, daughter of former Republican
Missouri Senate member John William Loudon and Gina Loudon, Ph.D.
Filmography Film
Music Video Television
¿Qué pasa, U.S.A.?
.... Jose 'Joe' Peña The Rockford Files .... Jesus Hernandez
From Here to Eternity .... Pvt.
Ignacio Carmona Hill Street Blues .... Officer Fuentes
She's in the Army Now .... Nick Donato An Innocent Love .... Duncan
Alfred Hitchcock Presents .... Gambler Sword of Gideon .... Avner
Tales from the Hollywood Hills: Natica Jackson .... Tony Montoya
Tales from the Hollywood Hills: A Table at Ciro's .... Tony Montoya
Drug Wars: The Camarena Story TV Series .... Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena
Wiseguy .... Michael Santana Sweet Poison .... Bobby
False Arrest .... Det. Dan Ryan Drive Like Lightning
Sisters and Other Strangers .... Anthony Quintana Walker Texas Ranger ..... Lorenzo
Warm Texas Rain .... Rush Relic Hunter .... Tony
For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story .... Angel
Nash Bridges .... Lima Boss of Bosses .... Vito Genovese
UC: Undercover .... Carlos Cortez King of Texas .... Menchaca
Raptor Island 2: Raptor Planet .... Captain Mace Carter
Burn Notice .... Reyes Law & Order: Special Victims Unit .... Raphael
Gardner Cold Case .... Osmany 'Oz' Leon
American Dad!
.... Jaramillo Mental .... Arturo's Father
Breaking Bad .... Don Eladio Ray Donovan .... Avi
Video game Awards and Nominations
Nominated - Golden Globe Award - Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion
Picture - Scarface Nominated - Golden Globe Award - Best Performance
by an Actor in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for TV - Drug Wars: The Camarena Story
Won - Screen Actors Guild Award - Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
- Traffic Won - Short Film Award - Best Supporting Actor
- Crumble Won - Festival Award - Best Actor - The Last
Gamble Won - Feature Film Award - Best Actor - The
Last Gamble Nominated - Saturn Award - Best Guest Starring
Role on Television - Breaking Bad See also
List of Cubans References
External links Steven Bauer at the Internet Movie Database
Steven Bauer at AllMovie Steven Bauer's official MySpace profile
Steven Bauer profile at NNDB