Born Esteban Ernesto Echevarría Samson in Havana, Cuba, on December 2, 1956. 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.
He is known for his role as Manny Ribera in the 1983 film Scarface, and his role on the bilingual PBS show ¿Qué Pasa, USA?.
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.
“Que Pasa U.S.A.”
Acting career
Bauer’s first substantial role was in the PBS bilingual sitcom ¿Qué Pasa, U.S.A.?, 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 substantial role of Manny Ribera, the counterpart to the part played by George Raft in the original 1932 version, in the 1983 movie Scarface, even though (like Raft) 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 1990 he played the role of DEA-agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena in the critically acclaimed television mini-series Drugwars – 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 U.S. Attorney Michael Santana when 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 spinoff 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.
Filmography
Some of his Films: Scarface (1983) …. Manny Ribera, Thief of Hearts (1984) …. Scott Muller, Sword of Gideon (1986) …. Avner, Running Scared (1986) …. Det. Frank Sigliano,
Improper Conduct (1994) …. Sam, Miami (1997), The Versace Murder (1998) …. FBI Agent John Jacoby, The Learning Curve (2001) …. Mark York, Pit Fighter (2005) …. Manolo, La fiesta del Chivo (2005) …. Viñas, Kings of South Beach (2007) …. Allie Boy, Toxic (2008) …. Conrad, From Mexico with Love (2009) …. Tito, Suicide Dolls (2010) …. Hank, Enemies Among Us (2010) …. Senator.
Some of his Television shows: ¿Qué pasa, U.S.A.? (1977–1978) (TV Series) (as Rocky Echevarría) …. Jose ‘Joe’ Peña, The Rockford Files (1978) (TV Series) (as Rocky Echevarria) …. Jesus Hernandez, From Here to Eternity (1980) (TV Series) (as Rocky Echevarria) …. Pvt. Ignacio Carmona, Hill Street Blues (1981) (TV Series) …. Officer Fuentes, Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985) (TV) …. Gambler (segment “Man From The South”), Sword of Gideon (1986) (TV) …. Avner, Drug Wars: The Camarena Story (1990) (mini) TV Series …. Enrique ‘Kiki’ Camarena, Walker Texas Ranger (1999) (TV) ….. Lorenzo, For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story (2000) (TV) …. Angel, King of Texas (2002) (TV) …. Menchaca, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2007) (TV series) …. Raphael Gardner, American Dad! (2009) (TV series) (voice) …. Jaramillo, Breaking Bad (2011) (TV Series) …. Don Eladio.
Personal life
Bauer married Melanie Griffith in May 1982. The couple had a son, Alexander Bauer, on August 22, 1985, before divorcing in 1987. He remarried in 1989, this time to Ingrid Anderson, with whom Bauer has 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 eventually divorced her as well. On December 18, 2012, Bauer was arrested in the Miami Florida area, accused of driving with a suspended license, only months after Scarface co-star, Angel Salazar, was arrested in Brooklyn NY on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Agencies/Wiki/InternetPhotos/YouTube/www.thecubanhistory.com
The Cuban History, Hollywood.
Arnoldo Varona, Editor.