Super Troopers

Background:

American actor, writer, and producer Steve Lemme is famous as part of the Broken Lizard comedy group, along with Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske. He commonly plays debonair, sexy and frequently shirtless roles in such Broken Lizard films as “Puddle Cruiser,” 1996, “Super Troopers,” 2001, “Club Dread,” 2004, “Beerfest,” 2006 and “The Slammin' Salmon,” 2009. Without his colleagues, Lemme appeared in “Open Water” (2003) and “Capers” (2008). He is also set to star in “Freeloaders” (2010) and “Shakey” (2011, also an executive producer).

Lemme is divorced from actress Blanchard Ryan. He is now married to Tiffany Chadderton.

Joystick

Childhood and Family:

Stephen Carlos Lemme was born on November 13, 1973, in New York City, New York, to an Argentinean father. He spent one year at Riverdale Country Day High School in New York before transferring to Fountain Valley School in Colorado. After graduating from high school in 1987, he attended a private liberal arts college, Colgate University, in Hamilton, New York. He became a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and met Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske while there. His nickname is Joystick.

Steve has been married twice. His first wife was actress Blanchard Ryan. He married Tiffany Chadderton on April 15, 2010.

Shakey

Career:

In 1990, Steve Lemme founded the comedy troupe Charred Goosebeak, with collegians Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske. After college, the five were reunited in New York City and spent the next few years performing in various clubs and on college campuses under the name Broke Lizard. By the mid 1990s, they had shifted their interests from live material to filmed content. In “Puddle Cruiser” (1996), the group's first full length feature (directed by Chandrasekhar), Lemme starred as Felix Bean and also helped with the script. The low budgeted film won a Golden Starfish for Best American Independent Film at the 1996 Hamptons International Film Festival. It also performed well at the Sundance Film Festival.

In 1999, Lemme appeared with other Broken Lizard members and Matt Kawczynski, Michael Linstroth, Kevin Smith and Michael Ian Black in the comedy film “Big Helium Dog,” which was written and directed by Brian Lynch. In 2001, Broke Lizard was reunited for their second film, “Super Troopers,” in which Lemme portrayed the character of Mac. The comedy, directed by Chandrasekhar, received mixed reviews from critics but was a success at the box office. In addition to members of Broken Lizard, the film also starred Marisa Coughlan, Daniel von Bargen and Brian Cox.

In 2003, Lemme received an unaccredited role in the thriller “Open Water,” which starred Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis and Saul Stein. Directed and written by Chris Kentis, the film grossed $54,667,954 against its budget of $130,000. It also received a Saturn nomination for Best Horror Film and Golden Trailer nominations in the categories of Best Thriller and Best Independent.

Lemme next co-wrote and costarred with Broken Lizard in the comedy horror film “Club Dread” (2004). Helmed by Chandrasekhar, the film met with mixed reviews. The following year, the Broken Lizard appeared in the film adaptation of “The Dukes of Hazzard,” starring Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, Jessica Simpson, Burt Reynolds and Willie Nelson. The film, directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and written by John O'Brien, was largely panned by critics but did well at the box office.

In 2006, Broken Lizard wrote and starred in the comedy movie “Beerfest,” which was directed by Chandrasekhar. Lemme then appeared with Erik Stolhanske and Paul Soter in the romantic comedy “Watching the Detectives” (2007), which was written and directed by Soter and starred Cillian Murphy and Lucy Liu. He was next featured as a FBI director in Julian M. Kheel's action comedy “Capers” (2008), starring Danny Masterson, Leon and Aysan Celik.

Lemme was reunited with Broken Lizard members for the 2009 film “The Slammin' Salmon,” in which he played the role of Connor. The film marked the first Broken Lizard movie to be directed by Kevin Heffernan.

Lemme will appear in the upcoming comedy “Freeloaders,” which was co-written and directed by Dan Rosen. The film will star Dana Goodman, Clifton Collins Jr. and Olivia Munn. He will also star as J.T. O'Neil on the 3D live action comedy “Shakey,” which he executive produced. The film will star Beverly D'Angelo, Steve Guttenberg and Alfonso Arau and is set to be released in September 2011. Lemme will also reprise his role of Mac Womack in the sequel “Super Troopers 2” (2011).

Awards:
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