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

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

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

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of 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 Ca ...

Homer Simpson Homer Jay Simpson is the main protagonist of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' who is part of the titular family. Homer made his television debut in the short " Good Night" on '' The Tracey Ullman Show'' on April 19, ...

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

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 Conservatism in the United States, conservative political commentator who was the host of ''The Rush Limbaugh Show'', which first aired in 1984 and was nati ...

Biography

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' ...

in 1986. His portrayal of

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 then-President Bush 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 ...

dinner, mimicking the president by voicing the president's "inner thoughts" during Bush's speech. He controversially did an impression of

whilst in

blackface Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...

Death

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

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

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)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

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

anaphylaxis Anaphylaxis (Greek: 'up' + 'guarding') is a serious, potentially fatal allergic reaction and medical emergency that is rapid in onset and requires immediate medical attention regardless of the use of emergency medication on site. It typicall ...

" from a severe allergic reaction.

Filmography

* ''

Nurses Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

'' (1994) as Torrance * ''

The District ''The District'' is an American crime drama and police procedural television series that 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. P ...

'' (2000) * '' ER'' (2001) as Leone * ''

Lange Flate Ballær 2 ''Lange Flate Ballær II'' is a 2008 Norwegian comedy film directed by Harald Zwart. It is the sequel to the 2006 film ''Lange Flate Ballær''. The main actors from the first film reprised their roles, starring along with Don Johnson as the US Nav ...

'' (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 created by and starring Nick Cannon for Nickelodeon. It is a spin-off of Nickelodeon's ''All That'', in which Cannon was a former cast member. It aired on Nickelodeon's SNICK bloc ...

'' 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 Department of Defense personnel and contractor employees working with the president and vice president.

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

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

'' (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 television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fourth and sixth installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Jay Leno, it aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009, replacing ''The Ton ...

'' * ''

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 ...

'' (2006) * '' Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One for the Road'' ("Yankee Doody Dandy" segment) * ''

The View ''The View'' is an American talk show created by broadcast journalist Barbara Walters. , in its 28th season, the show has aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC as part of the network's ABC Daytime, daytime programming block since August ...

'' (May 29, 2006) * ''

Larry King Live ''Larry King Live'' is an American television talk show broadcast by CNN from June 3, 1985 to December 16, 2010. Hosted by Larry King, it was the network's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly. Ma ...

'' (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 Dallas 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, California