Steven Bauer is a Golden Globe-nominated American actor. He is known for his role as Manny Ribera in the 1983 movie Scarface, and his role on the bilingual PBS show Que Pasa USA?

Bauer was born Esteban Ernesto Echevarria in Havana, Cuba, December 2, 1956, the son of Lillian, a schoolteacher, and Esteban Echevarria, a pilot who worked for Cubana Airlines. Bauer's maternal grandparents were Jewish refugees from Germany; his stage surname comes from his maternal great-grandmother. 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 the establishment's Department of Theater Arts and performed at its esteemed Jerry Herman Ring Theatre where he became friends with actor Ray Liotta.

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 Manolo Ribera in the 1983 movie Scarface, even though 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.

Since then, Bauer has made his career primarily, though not exclusively, in action-adventure 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.

Bauer married Melanie Griffith in September 1981. The couple had a son, Alexander Bauer, in 1985, before divorcing in 1987. He remarried in 1989, this time to Ingrid Anderson. However, this marriage ended in divorce as well. His third marriage (to Christiana Boney), also ended in divorce. Besides Alexander, Bauer has another son, Dylan (with Anderson).

Spouse(s)    Melanie Griffith (1981-1987)
Ingrid Anderson (1989-1991)
Christiana Boney (m.1992)

Awards won
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture
2000 Traffic
Wikipedia