STEVE GUTTENBERG
AS CAREY MAHONEY
(1-4)
Steve Guttenberg is arguably the most famous of the
Police Academy alumni, having gone on to star in several 80s hit movies, many of which spawned lesser sequels in which he also appeared. After Academy in 1984, Guttenberg went on to appear in
Cocoon,
Short Circuit and
Three Men and a Baby and their subsequent sequels, he also returned for three of the six
Police Academy sequels! Prior to
Police Academy, Guttenberg had spent time with improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, alongside the future Pee Wee Herman
Paul Ruebens, hed also appeared in his own failed sitcom;
Billy in which he played a morticians clerk with a vivid imagination. While his roots were firmly in the theatre, he also found time to squeeze in several TV movies, including sci-fi
The Day After about a nuclear apocalypse and
Miracle on Ice about an improbable hockey victory at the 1980 Olympic Games. But it was 1982s
Diner that Guttenberg was most well known for before Police Academy, directed by
Barry Levinson,
Diner features a collective whos who of 80s stalwarts;
Kevin Bacon,
Mickey Rourke and
Daniel Stern among others.
It was his turn as Cadet Carey Mahoney though that finally made Guttenberg a household name. He plays the lovable rogue Mahoney to perfection and it is arguably his best ever role. Guttenberg returned for Academys 2, 3 and 4 before finally departing before the fifth installment, although the quality diminished with each film it was the loss of Guttenberg that really hit the franchise hard. While they tried to replace him
Matt McCoy in 5 & 6 and
Diagnosis Murder's own
Charlie Schlatter in 7 neither could match Guttenbergs roguish charm. Following
Police Academy, he even, with hindsight somewhat unwisely, turned down the title role in
Big, which eventually went to
Tom Hanks, who never looked back. The 90s werent as kind to
Steve Guttenberg however and he spent much of the decade appearing in dire family fare such as
Zeus & Roxanne alongside a dog and a dolphin and
It Takes Two alongside a still thin
Kirstie Alley and the commercial juggernaut that is
The Olsen Twins. An honourable mention also goes to
Airbourne, not the Australian rock band, but the horrific action-thriller Guttenberg appeared in with
Sean Bean in auto-pilot bad guy mode. These days Guttenberg, tirelessly performs charity work, trying to improve life for the homeless and under privileged young people. He recently appeared on the US version of
Strictly Come Dancing;
Dancing With the Stars, and while the novelty of
Steve Guttenberg performing a Foxtrot would have appealed to yours truly, not so much to the American public He was eliminated after three episodes. Guttenbergs recent history of straight to DVD garbage looks set to continue this year with
Major Movie Star a
Private Benjamin-esque comedy with
Jessica Simpson in the lead role. These days The Stonecutters have obviously decided to stop making
Steve Guttenberg a star, but he will always be regarded as one of the 80s most popular actors.
NEXT: MICHAEL WINSLOW!
OTHER MOVIES: TERMINATOR | BEVERLY HILLS COP | BACK TO THE FUTURE