Stephen Lynn Bridges (May 22, 1963 – March 3, 2012) was an American

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audience dir ...

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passag ...

, and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

who was known for his impressions of politicians, television characters and broadcasters including

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (Birth name, né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

, Arnold Schwarzenegger,

Barney Fife Bernard "Barney" Fife is a fictional character in the American television program '' The Andy Griffith Show'', portrayed by comic actor Don Knotts. Barney Fife is a deputy sheriff in the slow-paced, sleepy southern community of Mayberry, North C ...

Homer Simpson Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in '' The Tracey Ullman Show'' short ...

Tom Brokaw Thomas John Brokaw (; born February 6, 1940) is an American retired network television journalist and author. He first served as the co-anchor of ''The Today Show'' from 1976 to 1981 with Jane Pauley, then as the anchor and managing editor of ' ...

Paul Harvey Paul Harvey Aurandt (September 4, 1918 – February 28, 2009) was an American radio broadcaster for ABC News Radio. He broadcast ''News and Comment'' on mornings and mid-days on weekdays and at noon on Saturdays and also his famous ''The Rest o ...

, and

Rush Limbaugh Rush Hudson Limbaugh III ( ; January 12, 1951 – February 17, 2021) was an American conservative political commentator who was the host of '' The Rush Limbaugh Show'', which first aired in 1984 and was nationally syndicated on AM and FM r ...

Early life

Bridges graduated from

Biola University Biola University () is a private, nondenominational, evangelical Christian university in La Mirada, California. It was founded in 1908 as the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. It has over 150 programs of study in nine schools offering bachelor's ...

in 1986.

Career

His accurate portrayal of Bush led to Bridges being cast as the president in episodes of both '' JAG'' and its spin-off, ''

NCIS NCIS or N.C.I.S. may refer to: Law enforcement * National Criminal Intelligence Service, the predecessor to the Serious Organised Crime Agency of the United Kingdom * Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a United States law enforcement and intelli ...

''. In 2006, he appeared alongside President

at the

White House Correspondents' Association The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) is an organization of journalists who cover the White House and the president of the United States. The WHCA was founded on February 25, 1914, by journalists in response to an unfounded rumor t ...

dinner, mimicking the president by voicing the president's "inner thoughts" during Bush's presidential speech.

Death

On March 3, 2012, Bridges was found dead by his maid in his

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

home after he failed to return a call the day before. According to his agent, Bridges had just returned from performing in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

and went to bed complaining that he felt "super-jetlagged". His death was ruled an accident, with the probable cause "upper airway

anaphylaxis Anaphylaxis is a serious, potentially fatal allergic reaction and medical emergency that is rapid in onset and requires immediate medical attention regardless of use of emergency medication on site. It typically causes more than one of the follo ...

" from a severe allergic reaction.

Filmography

* ''

Nurses Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ca ...

'' (1994) as Torrance * ''

The District ''The District'' is an American crime drama and police procedural television series which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000, to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s police department. ...

'' (2000) * '' ER'' (2001) as Leone * '' Lange Flate Ballær 2'' (2008) as General of the U.S. Navy

As George W. Bush

* '' JAG'' episode "Dangerous Game" (2002) * ''

The Nick Cannon Show ''The Nick Cannon Show'' is an American comedy television series and a spin-off of ''All That''. It aired on Nickelodeon's SNICK block from January 12, 2002, to February 22, 2003, along with ''All That'', ''The Amanda Show'' and '' Taina''. Th ...

'' episode "Nick Takes Over a Wedding" (2002) * ''

'' episode "

Yankee White Yankee White is an administrative nickname for a background check undertaken in the United States of America for US Department of Defense, Department of Defense personnel and contractor employees working with the President of the United States, ...

" (2003) * '' Whoopi'' episode "The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" (2003) * ''

George Lopez George Edward Lopez (born April 23, 1961) is an American comedian and actor. He is known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including Mexican American culture. Lopez has rec ...

'' (2003) * '' Comedy Central Roast of Jeff Foxworthy'' (2005) * '' Merry F#%$in' Christmas'' (2005) * ''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ' ...

'' * ''

White House Correspondents Dinner The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) is an organization of journalists who cover the White House and the president of the United States. The WHCA was founded on February 25, 1914, by journalists in response to an unfounded rumor t ...

'' (2006) * '' Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One For the Road'' ("Yankee Doody Dandy" segment) * '' The View'' (May 29, 2006) * ''

Larry King Live ''Larry King Live'' was an American television talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was the channel's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly. Mainly aired from CNN's Los Angeles ...

'' (2006) * '' Lange Flate Ballær II'' (2008) (Norwegian movie) * ''

I Love the New Millennium ''I Love the New Millennium'' is a mini-series and the tenth installment of the '' I Love the...'' series focusing on the 2000s and premiered on VH1 Monday, June 23, 2008. Each night, from Monday to Thursday, two of the eight episodes premiered, ...

'' (2008)

References

External links

* * *
Comedy Central Bio
*

- Video clip, speaking topics

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridges, Steve 1963 births 2012 deaths American male film actors American male comedians Comedians from Texas American impressionists (entertainers) Biola University alumni Male actors from Dallas Respiratory disease deaths in California Deaths from anaphylaxis 21st-century American comedians Comedians from Los Angeles County