A darkly handsome, swarthy actor, Steven Bauer made an auspicious feature debut as Al Pacino's right hand man and short-lived brother-in-law in Brian De Palma's "Scarface" (1983). But, due to personal difficulties and seemingly bad career choices, he was not able to parlay that role into leading man status.

Born in Havana, Cuba, Bauer moved with his family to the US as a toddler in 1959. Originally intending to become a musician, he turned to acting while attending junior college. While studying, Bauer, then billed as Rocky Echevarria, won his first TV role on the PBS series "Que Pasa U.S.A.?"