Steve Levy, aka Steve Bean, a native of Lynn who had a successful career as a comedian and actor, died Jan. 21 at home in Los Angeles, after battling cancer. He was 58.
As Steve Bean, he landed roles on such TV series as “Quantum Leap,” “Murder She Wrote,” “Married with Children” and “Monk,” and the Bobcat Goldthwait comedy movie “Shakes the Clown.” Most recently, Levy appeared on episodes of Showtime series “Shameless” and “Ray Donovan.”
In 1980, Levy teamed up with comic Chris Zito, a duo that garnered an enthusiastic following as Zito and Bean. Zito and Bean became mainstays of the Boston and North Shore comedy scene and enjoyed a three-year run with their own show at Play It Again, Sam’s. After about a decade, Levy split from the duo to move to Los Angeles, where he joined the Groundlings Improv Group and wrote for such shows as the “Tim Conway Show” and ABC’s “Dot Comedy.”
Zito, now a radio show host and popular club comic, has been sharing memories of his friend on Facebook: “When I was 26 years old, Zito and Bean were in their prime, so to speak. I had my tonsils removed that summer. The doctor knew what I did for a living and told me I couldn’t talk for two weeks and couldn’t sing for month in order to insure I healed completely. When you perform as a comedy team you get paid as one act and split the dough. I was facing a month off. No, salary, no short term disability, and two small kids, 6 and 2. We were booked and Steve went out on his own and honored every one of those dates. He gave me half of the money. All month. For every single show. That’s a generous act of love. He loved me. And my family. He was a part of our family and he showed it. That’s why, even now that he’s gone he’s Uncle Steve to those then two little kids.”
A local memorial service for Levy is planned for late spring. Expect the giants of the golden age of Boston comedy to participate.
As a boy, Levy attended Hillel Academy in Swampscott before his family moved to Providence, R.I. He attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and was an avid Red Sox and Patriots fan.
In late 2016, Levy was diagnosed with “a rare and aggressive form of cancer called Sino-Nasal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. In English, I translated that to ‘Nose Cancer,'” he wrote in a personal essay for Mel Magazine. In the piece, titled “My Year Without a Nose,” Levy detailed his cancer journey and treatment and revealed that he underwent a “schnozophomy. That’s Yiddish for rhinectomy, which is English for cutting your nose off.”
Levy is survived by his wife, Caroline Carrigan; his son, Jacob Randall Levy; parents, Irwin and Dorothy Levy; sisters, Lauren Levy Brodie and her husband Todd, and Jill Levy Sorota; nieces and nephews, Michael Miller, Allison Miller, Lindsey Sorota and Andrew Sorota; and great niece, Amelia Wilcox. Steve also leaves behind two aunts, three uncles and many beloved cousins.
Donations can be made to the Cancer Support Community Pasadena at 76 E. Del Mar Blvd. #215, Pasadena, CA 91105.
Daily Item wire services contributed to this article.
