Steve Burns
Burns at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2023
Born
Steven Michael Burns

(1973-10-09) October 9, 1973
Boyertown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
EducationDeSales University
Occupations
  • Actor
  • musician
  • television host
  • voice actor
Years active1995–present
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)
LabelsPIAS Recordings

Steven Michael Burns (born October 9, 1973)[1] is an American actor, musician, television host, and voice actor. He is best known as the original host of the children's television program Blue's Clues from 1996 until 2002, for which he was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 2001. Burns has also done extensive voice-over work for advertising, and is currently the voice of the Snickers satisfies advertising campaign.[2][3]

Early life and career

Burns was born in Boyertown, Pennsylvania, to Joseph Burns Jr. (1938–2015) and Janet Burns (née Petaccio). He has two sisters. His father served in the U.S. Navy and later became the human resources director of Safeguard Business Systems.[4] He attended Boyertown Area Senior High School in Berks County, graduating in 1992.[5]

Burns at Galaxy Con Raleigh in 2023

Burns played in bands called Sudden Impact US, Nine Pound Truck, and the Ivys (which he has called a "Morrissey rip-off band") while in high school and college.[6] He studied theatre under an acting scholarship at DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley, where he was discovered by an agent.[7] He dropped out of school and moved to New York City to become a professional actor.[8] He lived in a basement apartment near Times Square, finding his first success as a voice-over artist for ads and making appearances on Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order. Burns is of part Irish and part Italian ancestry.[7]

Blue's Clues

In 1994, Burns auditioned for Blue's Clues, thinking it was a voice-over role for a game show. He modeled his audition performance after Christopher Walken.[9] He had long hair and an earring. "I was a bit of a skate rat," he said.[7] Initially, the Nickelodeon executives were not supportive of Burns hosting their new show; in subsequent auditions, the show's creators requested that he dress more conservatively. (Burns reported that the creators, in a call-back phone conversation, asked him, "Could you not look like yourself tomorrow morning?")[10] It became apparent, however, that he was the favorite with preschool test audiences. Executive producer and co-creator Traci Paige Johnson reported that of the 100 people they auditioned, Burns was "the realest".[11] As Alice Wilder, Nickelodeon's Director of Research and Development, said: "There was just something about this kid, who was fresh out of Pennsylvania, who just knew where to look in the camera to really talk to kids. He was just right."[10]

Blue's Clues was an instant hit due to Burns' performances as much as the show's format. He became "a superstar" among his audience and their parents, but unknown to everyone else,[11] and enjoyed what he called being a "micro-celebrity, about as small a celebrity as you can be".[7] As The New York Times reported, he "developed an avid following among both preteen girls and mothers. The former send torrents of e-mail; the latter scrutinize the show with an intensity that might make even Elmo, the red Muppet, blush."[7] In 2000, People included Burns in their annual list of America's most eligible bachelors.[12] According to writer Diane Tracy, Burns was "destined for the part".[13] Also, according to Tracy, Burns was not the typical children's television host: "There is nothing syrupy about him—his humor is sometimes borderline offbeat, but never inappropriate for preschoolers."[13]

The show was filmed in a studio in Tribeca, Manhattan.[14] Burns became "very involved" with the production of Blue's Clues from the beginning.[12] One of the most challenging aspects of hosting the show was performing on the "blue screen" before the animation was added.[15] Burns called it "maddening"[12] and likened it to "acting at the bottom of a swimming pool".[16]

Departure

After nearly six years and nearly 100 episodes, Burns announced he was leaving Blue's Clues in January 2001[17][18][19][20][21][22][10] and in his final episodes, which aired as a three-part special on April 29, 2002, "Steve" introduced new host Donovan Patton as his younger brother, Joe.[23]

According to Johnson, Burns never wanted to become a "children's host". He loved kids, but stated, "he could not make a life-long career out of it."[11] Burns went on by saying, "I knew I wasn't going to be doing children's television all my life, mostly because I refused to lose my hair on a kid's TV show, and it was happening, fast."[10] The day following the filming of his final episode for the show, he shaved his head – something that he wanted to do for several years, but the show's producers would not allow.[24] He explained in a 2016 interview that "a lot of the original people on the show, like the people who created it, were all moving on to other careers. It just felt like time."[25] In a 2022 Variety interview, Burns revealed that he suffered from clinical depression while on the show.[26]

Burns's departure led to the resurfacing of rumors that had circulated about him since 1998, including death from a heroin overdose, being killed in a car accident, and (similar to rumors about Paul McCartney in 1966) being replaced with a look-alike. Burns made an appearance on The Rosie O'Donnell Show to dispel these rumors,[10] and he and co-creator Angela Santomero appeared on The Today Show to help concerned parents extinguish the fears of kids who may have heard these rumors.[23]

Burns consulted on the casting for the revival of Blue's Clues, titled Blue's Clues & You! and hosted by Josh Dela Cruz.[27] He and Patton reprised their roles in the premiere episode to welcome their cousin "Josh".[28] Burns has written and directed several episodes of the new show.[29]

Burns appeared in videos for the 25-year anniversary of the premiere of Blue's Clues in 2021, including a widely watched Twitter video on Nick Jr.'s Twitter account in which he – in character as the host of the show – explained reassuringly that he had never forgotten the viewers after leaving to go to college, and marveling at how much each of them had experienced since then.[30][31][32][33][34]

Music and film career

Burns performing in 2009

Burns worked on material for his first album, Songs for Dustmites, for two and a half years at a small studio in his home in Brooklyn before it was produced by PIAS Records in late 2002. He started work on the album after he left Blue's Clues in 2002, and it was released in 2003.[11] He posted eleven songs on his webpage and then realizing he needed help with drums and arrangements went to Steven Drozd of the Flaming Lips for advice. Drozd assisted Burns with six tracks, Lips bassist Michael Ivins engineered the album, and longtime Lips producer Dave Fridmann produced it. One of the songs from the album, "Mighty Little Man", is used as the opening theme for the CBS series Young Sheldon.[35] Burns appeared on the series in January 2020, playing a Star Trek enthusiast whom the title character meets.[36]

Burns started a band, Steve Burns and the Struggle, and completed his second album, Deep Sea Recovery Efforts, which was released in 2009. Members of the Struggle include Drozd and Ryan Smith of A Million Billion.

Burns acted in the 2007 horror-comedy film Netherbeast Incorporated with Darrell Hammond and Dave Foley, playing the part of a vampire.[37] In 2008, he played an astronaut in Christmas on Mars, a science fiction film from the Flaming Lips.[24] In March 2012, he appeared in the YouTube comedy series The Professionals.[38]

He appeared in DeSales University's production of Amadeus as the title character in 2007 and also appeared in The Comedy of Errors.[39]

In late 2016, Burns released a children's album with Drozd, titled Foreverywhere under the name "STEVENSTEVEN". They released a video of the album's first song, "The Unicorn and Princess Rainbow".[25]

Burns made a guest appearance on Tim Kubart's 2018 children's album Building Blocks.[40]

Personal life

After residing in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, for much of his adult life, Burns currently resides near the Catskill Mountains.[41]

Filmography

TV series

TV specials

Video games

Shorts

  • Blue's Birthday – himself
  • La lecon – Arthur Knudson
  • The Bill (2001) – Bill
  • Hot Pants – Ben

Stage

  • Amadeus – Mozart
  • The Comedy of Errors – Dromio

Movies

Documentaries

Discography

References

  1. ↑ "Today in history: October 9". NBC News. October 9, 2005. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  2. ↑ "At FanX, 'Blue's Clues' star Steve Burns gets nostalgic". Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Steve Burns – ICM Speakers". Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Mr. Joseph E. Burns Jr. Obituary". klotzbachfuneralhomes.com. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  5. ↑ Hatza, George (June 24, 2007). "Burning Up the Stage". Reading Eagle Company. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  6. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20070715161339/http://www.spin.com/features/magazine/2004/02/me_you_dog_named_blue/
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Iovine, Julie V. (November 18, 1999). "At home with—Steven Burns; A few clues in Brooklyn". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved December 11, 2007.
  8. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20070715161339/http://www.spin.com/features/magazine/2004/02/me_you_dog_named_blue/
  9. ↑ "Creating Immediacy with Steve Burns from Blue's Clues". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Jim Forbes (narrator) (July 27, 2006). Behind the clues: 10 years of Blue (Short documentary). Nickelodeon.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Norris, Chris (February 9, 2004). "Me and you and a dog named Blue". Spin Magazine. Archived from the original on January 7, 2008. Retrieved December 18, 2007.
  12. 1 2 3 "Questions and answers: Steve Burns". Newsweek. July 8, 2000. Archived from the original on August 13, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  13. 1 2 Tracy, Diane (2002). Blue's Clues for Success: The 8 Secrets Behind a Phenomenal Business. New York: Kaplan Publishing. p. 46. ISBN 079315376X.
  14. ↑ "Success of 'Blue's Clues' is no mystery". Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  15. ↑ Kiesewetter, John (April 29, 2002). "'Blue's Clues' puts on new host, new shirts". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  16. ↑ Mifflin, Lawrie (August 3, 1997). "The Joy of Repetition, Repetition, Repetition". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
  17. ↑ "Steve Burns to Leave 'Blue's Clues'". Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  18. ↑ "CNN.com - Entertainment - Showbuzz - January 1, 2001". www.cnn.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Burning up the stage". Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Wild Man Blues Clues". The New York Observer. May 13, 2002. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  21. ↑ "'Blue's Clues' Host Steve Burns on How the Flaming Lips Changed His Life". SPIN. June 22, 2019. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  22. ↑ Burns, Steve. "Frequently asked questions". Steve's Webpage.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2009.
  23. 1 2 Mikkelson, Barbara (August 5, 2007). "Demise and shine". Snopes.com. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
  24. 1 2 D'Angelo, Joe (April 30, 2002). "Ex-'Blue's Clues' host Steve Burns an Indie rocker at heart". MTV. Archived from the original on February 6, 2008. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  25. 1 2 Bradley, Bill (December 15, 2012). "Steve Burns Finally Confirms Why He Left 'Blue's Clues'". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  26. ↑ Hailu, Selome (November 16, 2022). "Steve Comes Home: How the 'Blue's Clues' Host Overcame Death Rumors and Depression to Return to His Beloved TV Pup". Variety. Archived from the original on November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  27. ↑ Carras, Christi (September 13, 2018). "'Blue's Clues' Reboot Finds New Host in Joshua Dela Cruz". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 14, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  28. ↑ Jacobs, Meredith. "'Blue's Clues & You!': Nickelodeon Reveals Premiere Date & Returning Hosts (VIDEO)". TV Insider. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  29. ↑ Onstad, Katrina (November 6, 2019). "'Blue's Clues' Returns, and Silence Is Still the Star (Published 2019)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  30. ↑ Nick Jr. Channel [@nickjr] (September 7, 2021). "So about that time Steve went off to college… #BluesClues25 https://t.co/O8NOM2eRjy" (Tweet). Retrieved September 9, 2021 – via Twitter.
  31. ↑ May, Tiffany (September 8, 2021). "First Host of 'Blue's Clues' Returns, Striking a Chord With Grown-Ups". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  32. ↑ Cohen, Li (September 8, 2021). ""I never forgot you": Steve from "Blue's Clues" is back two decades later with a message to millennials". CBS News. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  33. ↑ Anders, Caroline (September 8, 2021). "25 years later, Steve from 'Blue's Clues' has a message for fans: 'I never forgot you'". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  34. ↑ Fallon, Kevin (September 10, 2021). "Why Is Everyone Freaking Out About 'Blue's Clues' Host Steve?". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on September 11, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  35. ↑ Wiiliams, Liam (November 21, 2017). "Young Sheldon's Theme Song Is by Steve from Blue's Clues, of All People". TV Guide.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  36. ↑ Mathews, Liam (January 7, 2020). "Blue's Clues Star Steve Burns Is Young Sheldon's Weird New 'Friend' in This Sneak Peek". MSN Entertainments. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  37. ↑ Harris, Chris (November 2, 2007). "Former 'Blue's Clues' Host Steve Burns: Still Not Dead". MTV. Archived from the original on February 6, 2008. Retrieved February 1, 2008.
  38. ↑ "The Professionals". YouTube. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  39. ↑ Schoof, Dustin (June 14, 2011). "Former 'Blue's Clues' Host Steve Burns to Appear in 'The Comedy of Errors' at DeSales University". LeighValleyLive.com. Advance Local Media LLC. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  40. ↑ "Grammy Winner Tim Kubart Releases 'Building Blocks' on September 28". Broadway World News. September 7, 2018. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  41. ↑ "'Blue's Clues' star Steve Burns lists hipster mansion for $3.3M". November 12, 2020. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
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