Steve Byrne

Steve Byrne (born July 21, 1974) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for his multiple stand-up comedy hour specials; for creating, writing, and starring in Sullivan & Son; and as the writer and director of the feature film The Opening Act. He was born in Freehold, New Jersey, grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and attended Hampton High School before graduating from Kent State University. His mother is Korean and his father is of Irish descent.

Byrne was exposed to stand-up while working at the comedy club Caroline's in New York City, and first performed at Stand Up New York on September 30, 1997. In 2003, he filmed the documentary 13 or Bust, doing 13 shows in one night at every comedy club in Manhattan, breaking the record for most sets in one night. His Comedy Central Presents half-hour special premiered in 2006, followed by hour-long specials Steve Byrne's Happy Hour (2008) and The Byrne Identity (2010), and his Netflix special Champion, filmed in New York City in 2014. He has participated in multiple USO tours of Afghanistan, Japan, and Guam.

Byrne wrote and created the TBS comedy Sullivan & Son with Rob Long, which premiered in summer 2012 and ran for three seasons with an average of 2.4 million viewers per episode. He directed a documentary about magician and comedian The Amazing Johnathan titled Always Amazin', which won best documentary at the Sydney Lift Off Festival. From 2017 to 2018, he wrote a script about his early years in stand-up that became The Opening Act, which he also directed and which was released October 16, 2020. He has had numerous television appearances, including on Chappelle's Show and @midnight, and was featured on The Tonight Show ten times.