Skip to content
MovieCove
Steve Guttenberg

Steve Guttenberg

Actor, also producer, director and writer · Born August 24, 1958 (68) · Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Steven Robert Guttenberg (born August 24, 1958) is an American actor, author, businessman, producer, and director. He is known for his lead roles in Hollywood films of the 1980s and 1990s, including Cocoon, Police Academy, Three Men and a Baby, Three Men and a Little Lady, Diner, The Bedroom Window, The Big Green, and Short Circuit. While still in high school, he attended a summer program at the Juilliard School and studied under John Houseman. After graduating from high school, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting. He made his film debut in 1978 in the drama The Boys from Brazil. His breakthrough role came in 1980, when he starred in the comedy Diner. He then went on to star in a string of successful films, including Cocoon, Police Academy, Three Men and a Baby, and Short Circuit. In the 1990s, his career slowed down, but he continued to work steadily in film and television. He has appeared in such films as The Lost World: Jurassic Park, The Day After, and Ballers. He has also had recurring roles on the television series Veronica Mars, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and The Goldbergs. In addition to his acting career, he is also a businessman and producer. He is the co-founder of the production company Guttenflick Pictures. He is also the author of two books, The Guttenberg Bible and The Kids from DISCO. Guttenberg is married to WCBS-TV reporter Emily Smith. They have been together since 2014 and were married in 2019.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 24, 1958 (68)
From
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer, director and writer
Titles
79 on MovieCove · 99 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 63 days to Oct 26Down 17% in 30 days

What are Steve Guttenberg's films like?

Across their 67 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy34 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 34th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Action7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 10th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Adventure7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 14th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Documentary4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 85th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 79th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Animation3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 13th percentile
: browse their Animation movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
31%
Self
23%
Survival
16%
Society
13%
Morality
10%
Power
4%
Ideas
2%
Family bonds22 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival16 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love12 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity14 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship12 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth8 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose7 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 66 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 49 · Serious 11 · Dark 6

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 48 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 6

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 36 · Charged 19 · Intense 11

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 41 · Shifting 21 · Whiplash 4

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 14 · Some laughs 30 · Funny 22

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 30 · Even-paced 29 · Relentless 7

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 54 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 3

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 60 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

48 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 24 of 48 analyzed roles.

Hero
24 of 48
Ally
6 of 48
Herald
4 of 48
Trickster
4 of 48
Mentor
4 of 48
Shadow
3 of 48
Shapeshifter
2 of 48
Threshold guardian
1 of 48
Show the 48 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
31
Joyful
25
Tense
21
Hopeful
21
Absurd
21
Other
58

How their films linger

Feel-good42 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun24 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful25 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 8 with a twist

  • Happy40
  • Bittersweet18
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous5
  • Cyclical2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Steve Guttenberg's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 50 of their 79 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (26).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Steve Guttenberg's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

99 credits, 79 with a MovieCove page; 20 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • American Summer(2026)

    Executive Producer · as Mikey

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Floaters(2025)

    as Manny

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Broad Trip(2026)

    as Wayne

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Kidnapped by a Killer: The Heather Robinson Story(2025)

    as John Robinson

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • High Potential(2024)

    Show 1 episode · as Phil Elko

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Goodbye, Hello (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    as Gene Ryan

  • The Little Mermaid(2023)

    as King Jasper (voice)

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • How to Murder Your Husband(2023)

    as Daniel Brophy

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • The Adventures of Bunny Bravo(2022)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Roe v. Wade(2019)

    as Justice Powell

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Break Even(2020)

    as Lance

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Original Gangster(2020)

    as Jean-Baptiste Philippe

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Heckle(2020)

    as Ray Kelly

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Rifkin's Festival(2020)

    as Jake

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Good Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    as Don

  • Trauma Center(2019)

    as Dr. Jones

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Hangover in Death Valley(2018)

    as JJ (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Lez Bomb(2018)

    as Mike

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Bigger(2018)

    as Louis Weider

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Chasing the Blues(2017)

    as Dan McKenna

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Miss Arizona(2018)

    as Gary

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • After Party(2017)

    as Alan

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Ay Lav Yu Tuu(2017)

    as Christopher

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Tattoo Age(2017)

    Show as Actor

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • 2 Lava 2 Lantula!(2016)

    as Colton West

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens(2016)

    as Colton

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Alternate Universe: A Rescue Mission(2016)

    as Verstag

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Lavalantula(2015)

    as Colton West

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Ballers(2015)

    Show 8 episodes · as Wayne Hastings Jr.

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • The Mysteries of Laura(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Steve Guttenberg

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows

  • Affluenza (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Philip Miller

  • The Goldbergs(2013)

    Show 7 episodes · as Dr. Katman

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • I Heart Shakey(2012)

    as Stubbs

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Eldorado(2012)

    as JJ

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • A Novel Romance(2011)

    Executive Producer · as Nate Shepard

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • 2 Everything 2 Terrible 2: Tokyo Drift(2010)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Ay Lav Yu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Christopher

  • Cornered!(2008)

    as Morty

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Help Me, Help You(2009)

    as Steve

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Community(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Maury

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • The Gold Retrievers(2009)

    as Wade

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Waking Sleeping Beauty(2009)

    as Michael Kellam (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Amazing Racer(2009)

    as Ed

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Fatal Rescue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Jacob Jones

  • Party Down(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Steve Guttenberg

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Heidi 4 Paws (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Sebastian (voice)

  • Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous(2008)

    as Sidney Green

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Jackson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Businessman

  • Mojave Phone Booth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Barry

  • Meet the Santas(2005)

    as Nicholas Claus

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The Poseidon Adventure(2005)

    as Richard Clarke

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Domino One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Casey

  • Veronica Mars(2004)

    Show 8 episodes · as Woody Goodman

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus(2004)

    as Nicholas Claus

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • P.S. Your Cat Is Dead!(2002)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Jimmy Zoole

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • According to Jim(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Steve Guttenberg

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows

  • Law & Order: Criminal Intent(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Clay Darren

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Home Team(1998)

    as Mr. Butler

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Tower of Terror(1997)

    as Buzzy Crocker

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Airborne(1998)

    as Bill McNeil

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Casper: A Spirited Beginning(1997)

    as Tim Carson

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Zeus and Roxanne(1997)

    as Terry Barnett

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Overdrive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Matt Stricker

  • It Takes Two(1995)

    as Roger Callaway

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Home for the Holidays(1995)

    as Walter Wedman

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Big Green(1995)

    as Tom Palmer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Three Men and a Little Lady(1990)

    as Michael Kellam

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • The Boyfriend School(1990)

    as Gus Kubicek / Lobo Murunga

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • High Spirits(1988)

    as Jack Crawford

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Cocoon: The Return(1988)

    as Jack Bonner

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Three Men and a Baby(1987)

    as Michael Kellam

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Surrender(1987)

    as Marty

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Amazon Women on the Moon(1987)

    as Jerry (segment "Two I.D.'s")

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol(1987)

    as Mahoney

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • The Bedroom Window(1987)

    as Terry Lambert

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Short Circuit(1986)

    as Newton Crosby

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Police Academy 3: Back in Training(1986)

    as Carey Mahoney

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Pecos Bill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    as Pecos Bill

  • Bad Medicine(1985)

    as Jeff Marx

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Tall Tales & Legends (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as Pecos Bill

  • Cocoon(1985)

    as Jack Bonner

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment(1985)

    as Carey Mahoney

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Police Academy(1984)

    as Carey Mahoney

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Day After(1983)

    as Stephen Klein

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Man Who Wasn't There(1983)

    as Sam Cooper

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • No Soap, Radio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 5 episodes · as Roger

  • Diner(1982)

    as Edward 'Eddie' Simmons

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Miracle on Ice(1981)

    as Jim Craig

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Can't Stop the Music(1980)

    as Jack Morell

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • To Race the Wind(1980)

    as Harold Krents

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Players (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as Rusty

  • Billy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 7 episodes · as Billy Fisher

  • The Boys from Brazil(1978)

    as Barry Kohler

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Chicken Chronicles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    as David Kessler (as Steven Guttenberg)

  • Rollercoaster(1977)

    as Messenger (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Something for Joey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    as Mike Cappelletti

  • Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 1 episode · as Philip

  • Stuck! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Dr. Landauer

  • The Dybbuk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Rabbi Azrael

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 98 titles, 96 of them dated from 1976 to 2026; peak year 1986.

Biggest box office

Three Men and a Baby (1987)

$168M worldwide

Highest rated

Drew: The Man Behind the Poster (2013)

Midcredits 90th

Most popular right now

Police Academy (1984)

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
19762026

Peak 1986 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 30 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting98 of 98: 95 only acting, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score36thDirecting1 of 98: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting1 of 98: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing2 of 98: 0 only producing, 2 with another role

98 titles, 3 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1970s7 · acting1980s22 · acting1990s11 · acting2000s20 · 20 acting · 1 crew2010s21 · 21 acting · 1 crew2020s15 · 15 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 40% of 42 roles
78889813

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Steve Guttenberg's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 29th percentile, the median of all 69; across their 66 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 31st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

31stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 66

Approval · how many liked their films

29thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 66

Reach · how many have seen their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 66

Midcredits score across 79 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up14
  • 50th to 74th12
  • 25th to 49th22
  • Below 25th31

Shape of the crowd

31 of their 79 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Universally Panned4
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Divisive8
  • Cult Classic7
  • Crowd Pleaser18
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed31

Most divisive · actor

The Adventures of Bunny Bravo (2022)

99th percentile spread · 54% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009)

Midcredits 94th · 84% liked

Reviewers score the acting 51/100 in their films, across 55 reviewed titles; fans 69, detractors 34. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Steve Guttenberg's work okay for kids?

Across up to 19 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore10 titles9–71 · median 27 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity19 titles17–54 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity15 titles29–57 · median 45 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs12 titles13–39 · median 28 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense12 titles11–66 · median 18 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Steve Guttenberg work with?

People who share at least 2 of Steve Guttenberg's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michael Winslow shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles