---
name: "Steven Wright"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/steven-wright"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "6 December 1955"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 24
updated: "2026-09-16T15:15:25.444329+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Steven Wright

Actor. Born 6 December 1955 in New York City, New York, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 6 December 1955, New York City, New York, USA
- **Active:** 2005–2017
- **Also known as:** Steven Alexander Wright

## Fi1m on Steven Wright

> Steven Wright makes absurd remarks sound barely worth mentioning. We like the patience and precision of his deadpan, but his distinctive voice cannot do much for family comedies that have forgotten to write interesting parts.

Tony Leondis's 2017 film casts Steven Wright as the voice of Mel Meh. His slow, nearly expressionless delivery makes that an understandable choice, but the film has thin characters and little for its actors to work with. Wright rarely signals that an absurd remark deserves a laugh; the slow delivery leaves us to notice how strange it is. Here, the appeal of matching a familiar voice to a character is not enough to sustain the comedy.

The screen career has developed alongside stand-up rather than replaced it. An early feature part in *Desperately Seeking Susan* (1985) was followed by *The Appointments of Dennis Jennings* (1988), which he wrote, produced and acted in. That degree of involvement matters when considering an actor whose timing and choice of words are so closely connected. A supporting part cannot be expected to offer the same freedom. Quentin Tarantino's *Reservoir Dogs* (1992), with Wright heard as the K-Billy DJ, gives him a job suited to that unhurried monotone.

The difficulty is finding a film that knows what to do around him. In Lawrence Guterman's *Son of the Mask* (2005), he plays Daniel Moss, while the film gives its shape-shifting baby more attention than its human cast. We were worn out by the frantic effects and shapeless comedy, which leave little pleasure in watching the performers. There is occasional warmth from Jamie Kennedy, but no reason to recommend the film for its cast.

We would not mistake those two films for a fair account of Wright's comic ability. His one-liners and non-sequiturs depend on withholding the usual signals that a joke is arriving, and his lack of emphasis gives the listener time to catch up. The limitation is that casting him for that sound can become a substitute for writing him a part. For an introduction to his screen work, we would start with *Reservoir Dogs*.

## Biography

Steven Wright is an American comedian, actor and writer. He began performing stand-up comedy in Boston in 1979 after graduating from Emerson College.

He is known for his distinctive deadpan delivery and has appeared in films such as *Desperately Seeking Susan* (1985), *Reservoir Dogs* (1992) as the K-Billy DJ (voice), *Natural Born Killers* (1994), *Coffee and Cigarettes* (2004) and *Son of the Mask* (2005) as Daniel Moss. His voice work includes roles in *The Simpsons*, *Babe: Pig in the City* (1998) and *The Emoji Movie* (2017).

Wright won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for *The Appointments of Dennis Jennings* (1988), which he wrote, produced and starred in. He has also received Emmy nominations as a producer on the series *Louie*.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *The Emoji Movie* (2017), Fi1m 27, as Mel Meh (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/the-emoji-movie.md)
- *Son of the Mask* (2005), Fi1m 20, as Daniel Moss — [page](https://film.one/film/son-of-the-mask.md)

## Also known for

- *Reservoir Dogs* (1992), K-Billy DJ (voice), Warren Mermelman — [page](https://film.one/film/reservoir-dogs.md)
- *The Simpsons* (1989), Steven Wright (voice) — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-simpsons.md)
- *Natural Born Killers* (1994), Dr. Emil Reingold — [page](https://film.one/film/natural-born-killers.md)
- *Babe: Pig in the City* (1998), Bob (voice)
- *Coffee and Cigarettes* (2004), Steven (segment "Strange to Meet You")
- *The Swan Princess* (1994), Mr. Lorenzo "Speed" Trudgealong (voice)
- *Half Baked* (1998), The Guy on the Couch (uncredited)
- *Desperately Seeking Susan* (1985), Larry Stillman D.D.S.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/steven-wright