Biography
Sweeney was born in
Charlestown, a section of
Boston. His
Boston accent and idiosyncratic mannerisms are trademarks of his stand-up act, headlining at top comedy clubs across the country, including
Caroline's Comedy Club in
New York City.
A graduate of
Charlestown High School, he earned a BA in Theatre Arts at the
University of Massachusetts (1974) and an MFA from the
University of Southern California.
During the early '70s, a small group of Boston 'would-be' comedians joined together in a back street Chinese restaurant off
Inman Square, in
Cambridge, MA - the now famous
Ding-Ho. This group included such unknowns as
Lenny Clarke,
Kevin Meaney,
Jay Leno,
Bobcat Goldthwait,
Steven Wright, and of course, Steve Sweeney. Known for his use of dialects and great insight into the
New England political scene, Steve Sweeney has been performing to sold out crowds from day one.
Steve was the first of the Boston super-stars to break into television, Steve was the star of
Park Street Under, a very successful Boston based
sitcom. He has been a regular on all the Major TV shows,
David Letterman,
Evening at The Improv,
Comics Come Home and many others! Many will recognize Steve from his special appearances with
The Ryder Cup, his narrations of
Peter and the Wolf with
The Boston Symphony Orchestra or one of many featured roles in films such as
Rodney Dangerfield's
Back to School,
Judd Apatow's
Celtic Pride, and
There's Something About Mary with
Ben Stiller. Most recently, Steve had taken over the
Boston radio airwaves with the Steve Sweeney Morning Show on 100.7 FM WZLX, he was replaced in a show that people loved. He has taught
comedy,
screenwriting and
acting at the
University of Massachusetts.
On November 3 2005, Steve opened Steve Sweeney's Comedy Club in
Boston's
Copley Square with longtime friend
Dick Doherty.
Currently along with doing stand-up, Steve is back on the radio airwaves with a new morning radio show on WWZN 1510 AM The Zone called "Steve Sweeney and Friends." The program airs weekly from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and is generally joined by Nicole "Nik" Henry and Anthony Pepe along with other frequent guests.
Television and Film Career
- The 8th Annual Young Comedians Show
(1983) TV
- New Wave Comedy
(1986)
- Back to School
(1986)
- Billy Galvin
(1986)
- Comics Come Home
(1995)
- Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
(1995-1999) TV
- Celtic Pride
(1996)
- Comics Come Home 2
(1996)
- Behind the Zipper with Magda
(1998)
- Next Stop Wonderland
(1998)
- Southie
(1998)
- There's Something About Mary
(1998)
- Vig
(1998)
- Baywatch
(1999) TV
- Me, Myself & Irene
(2000)
- Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn
(2002) TV
- Phantom Gourmet
- Credit Card Roulette (2008) TV
References