By Wonderwall.com Editors
9:21am PST, Feb 19, 2022
_
There almost aren't enough hyphens to list the multiple hats renaissance man Steve Harvey has worn in his more than 30-year career in show business. The popular stand-up comedian-actor-author-deejay-philanthropist-fashion entrepreneur-Emmy-winning game show host and father of seven kicked off his latest job in January 2022, laying down the law (and bringing the laughs) on ABC's "Judge Steve Harvey." It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since his first big TV gig, "The Steve Harvey Show," ended its six-year run on Feb. 17, 2002. To mark that milestone, join Wonderwall.com as we take a look back at the life and career of the multitasking funny guy — and family man — in pictures.
Keep reading for a visual walk down memory lane with one of the OG kings of comedy…
RELATED: Betty White's amazing life and career in pictures
_
Steve Harvey was born Broderick Stephen Harvey on Jan. 17, 1957, in Welch, West Virginia, the son of coal miner Jesse Harvey and his wife, Eloise Vera. The family moved to Cleveland, where Steve graduated from Glenville High School in 1974. After attending Kent State University for several years, he worked as a boxer, autoworker, insurance salesman, carpet cleaner and mail carrier but ended up homeless for several years in the late '80s, sleeping in his car when he wasn't performing gigs that provided a hotel. Steve first performed stand-up comedy at Hilarities Comedy Club in Cleveland on Oct. 8, 1985, and in 1990, he was a finalist in the Johnnie Walker National Comedy Search. Steve — seen here early in his career — couldn't have known then where his huge comedic talents would lead him…
RELATED: The most famous game show hosts ever
_
After landing a gig hosting the "Showtime at the Apollo" variety program in 1990, Steve Harvey was tapped to host "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" on Dec. 31, 1994. It would be the beginning of a long list of special events over which Steve (seen here with the broadcasting legend and co-host Margaret Cho) would be asked to preside.
RELATED: Eddie Murphy's life in pictures
_
After years of doing stand-up and a stint as host of the variety show "It's Showtime at the Apollo," the comedian scored a job headlining his own sitcom, "The Steve Harvey Show," which aired on the WB from 1996 to 2002. Steve (pictured with, clockwise from lower left, Cedric the Entertainer, Terri J. Vaughn, Merlin Santana, William Lee Scott and Wendy Raquel Robinson) played Steve Hightower, a former '70s R&B singer who takes a job as a high school music teacher.
_
Steve Harvey went back to his stand-up comedy roots in 1997, performing on the "Kings of Comedy" tour with (from left) Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley and Bernie Mac. It became the highest grossing comedy tour in history, earning $18 million its first year and $19 million its second. A few years later it would be memorialized on the big screen by one of Hollywood's hottest directors…
_
Spike Lee directed the 2000 stand-up documentary "The Original Kings of Comedy," which starred Steve Harvey and the other members of the original smash hit tour: Bernie Mac, Cedric the Entertainer and D.L. Hughley. Filmed over two nights in front of a live audience in Charlotte, North Carolina, the comedians riffing on stage about race, religion, family and more are interspersed with video footage of the men backstage and promoting the show.
_
Steve Harvey — pictured accepting the entertainer of the year award at the 32nd Annual NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles on March 3, 2001 — would go on to become a 14-time NAACP Image Award winner in various categories. His enormous popularity helped him land "The Steve Harvey Morning Show," a weekday morning radio program that has aired since 2000.
_
Steve Harvey has been married three times and now has seven children: four biological and three stepkids. His first marriage, to Marcia Harvey, ended in 1994 after 13 years. His second wife was Mary Shackelford (seen here with him at the premiere of "Rush Hour 2" in Los Angeles on July 26, 2001), with whom he had son Wynton. The pair split in 2005 after nine years of marriage.
_
One of Steve Harvey's highest profile — and most controversial — friends was Michael Jackson. Even after the "Thriller" singer's death in 2009 and subsequent allegations about his abuse of children, Steve (pictured at MJ's 45th birthday celebration in Los Angeles on Aug. 30, 2003) has celebrated his friendship with the King of Pop, whom he once insisted was "just different" in a famous stand-up routine. On Aug. 29, 2018, Steve posted a photo on Instagram of him and Michael with the caption: "MY MAN!!!!!!!"
_
After "The Original Kings of Comedy," Steve Harvey's next big screen appearance was as DJ Miles Smoke in the 2003 film "The Fighting Temptations," which had an ensemble cast that included Cuba Gooding Jr. (pictured) and Beyonce.
_
2003 was a busy year for Steve Harvey the movie star. He played Alvin Johnson in "Love Don't Cost a Thing," a teen comedy starring Nick Cannon and Christina Milian — a remake of the 1987 movie "Can't Buy Me Love," which starred Patrick Dempsey and Amanda Peterson.
_
Steve Harvey was a red carpet fixture in the early 2000s, appearing at events like the premiere of "The Fighting Temptations" in Los Angeles, where he's pictured with co-star Beyonce on Sept. 17, 2003.
_
Steve Harvey kept up his hot streak at the box office with 2004's "You Got Served," a drama about rival dancers and a street dancing competition whose stars included Wade Robson and Lil' Kim. Despite lukewarm reviews, it was No. 1 at the box office during its opening weekend and became a financial success, grossing more than $50 million.
_
In "Racing Stripes," the animated 2005 movie about a zebra who believes he's a racehorse, Steve Harvey (seen here with co-stars David Spade and Dustin Hoffman at the film's Los Angeles premiere on Jan. 8, 2005) played Buzz, the classical music-loving horsefly who's brothers with David's rap-loving horsefly, Scuzz.
_
Third time's a charm! In June 2007, Steve Harvey married Marjorie Bridges, a mom to three kids (Morgan, Jason and Lori), all of whom Steve adopted. Marjorie — seen here showing off her new ring at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans on July 6, 2007, after quietly tying the knot with Steve in Hawaii — is a designer and fashion blogger who also runs the nonprofit Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation. "I married a person who was already happy, and I'm innately happy. So we don't have to make each other happy; we can just complement each other's happiness," he told Good Housekeeping in 2013, adding, "The trick to ending an argument with my wife is to shut up and give up, because she's going to win anyway."
_
Golf lover Steve Harvey (seen here on the green in Bermuda on Oct. 5, 2007) has for years hosted the Steve Harvey Invitational Golf Classic to raise money for his family's nonprofit charity organization, which promotes educational enrichment, mentoring and global service initiatives for children and young adults.
_
"Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man," Steve Harvey's 2009 self-help book for women, riffed on relationships, intimacy, commitment and how to successfully navigate a relationship with a man. It spent 64 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list, including 23 weeks at No. 1. It also led to the 2012 romantic comedy "Think Like a Man," which featured characters following advice from the book.
_
Despite his growing success on film and TV, Steve frequently returned to the stage for stand-up shows (like the "Tear Your Mouth Out" tour, shown here in Los Angeles on March 20, 2010) before retiring from stand-up comedy with a two-hour act at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Aug. 2, 2012. A decade later in January 2022, he told reporters at the Television Critics Association press tour why he quit stand-up: "If I had tried to continue… there's no way I could maintain it. Political correctness has killed comedy. Every joke you tell now, it hurts somebody's feelings," he said, adding, "The only way I can do one more special is if it's at the end of my television career because it will end my television career. We're in the cancel culture now. No stand-up that is sponsor-driven can say anything he wants to."
_
After the massive success of his 2009 book "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man," Steve Harvey penned "Straight Talk, No Chaser," which was published in 2010, and "Act like a Success, Think like a Success: Discovering Your Gift and the Way to Life's Riches," which came out in 2014.
_
When he isn't working, one of Steve Harvey's biggest priorities is the Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation, a philanthropic organization that provides a wide range of youth outreach services including hosting a yearly camp for fatherless children and partnering with Steve's alma mater, Kent State University, to provide scholarships. Steve — pictured with wife Marjorie at the foundation's second annual gala in New York City on April 4, 2011 — hosts dinners, golf tournaments and other events to raise money for the organization.
_
In Steve Harvey's world, philanthropy is a family affair. Steve (seen here in April 2011 at his charitable nonprofit's annual gala with wife Marjorie Harvey, fourth from left, and six of their blended group of kids and stepkids, from left: Wynton Harvey, Karli Harvey, Morgan Harvey, Lori Harvey, Brandi Harvey and Jason Harvey) has said, "Any man can be a father; it takes a special man to be a Dad."
_
Survey says…! Steve Harvey began hosting the popular game show "Family Feud" in 2010 and in 2015 added its spinoff, "Celebrity Family Feud," to his full dance card.
_
It was the mistake seen around the world! As host of the Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas on Dec. 20, 2015, Steve Harvey read the final results wrong and named the first runner-up, Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutiérrez, as the winner. A few minutes later, Steve announced that Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach (inset photo, far right, after getting the crown from 2014 Miss Universe Paulina Vega, center, who took it from Miss Colombia, far left) was actually the new Miss Universe. He later tweeted an apology to both contestants.
_
Steve Harvey and Ellen DeGeneres co-created and produced "Little Big Shots," a variety series featuring Steve as its host who chatted with kids who demonstrated their special talents. The show premiered on NBC in March 2016 and Steve (seen here with little Ryusei Imai during the first season) hosted until season 4, when Melissa McCarthy took over hosting duties.
_
Buh-bye, oversized suits in drab neutrals! Over the years, Steve Harvey (pictured with wife Marjorie Harvey at the Chanel show during Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 4, 2016) has undergone a serious style evolution. Steve, who delights followers by posting frequent photos of his colorful outfits on social media, in November 2021 launched a menswear collection designed by his stylist, Elly Karamoh. "My new clothing line @HbySteveHarvey is coming," Steve captioned a photo where he modeled an electric blue ensemble.
_
Steve Harvey got back to his roots in December 2016 when he hosted two revival specials of "Showtime at the Apollo," the variety show filmed at the famed New York City theater, 23 years after landing his first big gig as host of the syndicated show in 1993.
_
Look at that crew! Steve Harvey — father of seven and grandfather of seven — often posts about his gorgeous, growing family, like this pic he reposted on Dec. 1, 2017, from stepdaughter Morgan Hawthorne's Instagram.
_
In 2017, Steve Harvey mixed up the formula of his kid-focused variety show "Little Big Shots" and hosted "Little Big Shots: Forever Young," where the performers with hidden talents were in their golden years.
_
He pronounced them husband and wife… on live TV! Two days before hosting his first New Year's Eve special from Times Square for FOX, Steve Harvey got ordained in the state of New York — and then officiated an on-air wedding for co-host Maria Menounos and her longtime love, Keven Undergaro. The Dec. 31, 2017, special was FOX's most watched New Year's Eve broadcast to date.
_
The Steve Harvey Mentoring Program aims to help young men realize their potential and "break the misguided traits of manhood and introduce role models who provide positive examples of manhood," according to the Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation's website. Steve (pictured with a young mentoring camp attendee on June 14, 2018, in The Rock, Georgia) devotes much of free time to mentoring and other foundation programs for youth outreach and education.
_
Despite his epic gaffe announcing the winner at the 2015 Miss Universe competition, Steve Harvey (pictured here with contestants at a rehearsal for the Miss Universe pageant in Bangkok, Thailand, on Dec. 16, 2018) has hosted the show every year since — with the exception of 2020, when he took a year off due to uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
_
The hardest working man in show business didn't let torrential storms keep him from hosting "New Years Eve with Steve Harvey: Live From Times Square" — and toasting to 2019 — in New York City on Dec. 31, 2018.
_
Steve Harvey hosted the Miss Universe competition in Atlanta on Dec. 8, 2019, and had a laugh with radiant Miss USA Cheslie Kryst, who tragically died by suicide in New York City on Jan. 30, 2022.
_
Steve Harvey's kids include stepdaughter Lori Harvey, who shared this photo on Instagram in January 2019 with the caption "Happpyyyyy Birthdayyyyy to the coolest, most hardworking, caring and loving dad in the world! Thank you for being everything that you are. You're one of a kind, I love you to the moon and back" in January 2019. Lori is a successful model (and former aspiring Olympic horseback rider!) whose famous beau is actor Michael B. Jordan.
_
Steve Harvey started on "Celebrity Family Feud" in 2015 and has hosted a wide array of famous folks ranging from JoJo Siwa (seen here cracking Steve up on April 9, 2021) to Ed Asner to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Kardashians, with teams squaring off against each other to raise money for charities of their choice.
_
Steve Harvey appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Jan. 10, 2022, to promote yet another new job. Keep reading to see what it is (hint: He opted for slick suits instead of a traditional robe)…
_
Move over, Judge Judy! Steve Harvey has taken the bench for "Judge Steve Harvey," a weekly primetime reality court show that premiered on ABC on Jan. 4, 2022. The comedian declares in the show's opening sequence that he needs no law degree to decide cases, just his unique brand of common sense.
