Steve Altes
Steve Altes | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | American |
Education | S.B. (Aeronautics and Astronautics), S.M. (Aeronautics and Astronautics), S.M. (Technology and Policy) |
Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Occupations |
|
Known for | humorous adventure essays, Geeks & Greeks |
Spouse | Diana Jellinek |
Awards | National Medal of Technology |
Website | stevealtes |
Steve Altes (born November 13, 1962) is an American writer and former aerospace engineer. He writes humorous essays about his misadventures.[1]
Early life
Altes was born on November 13, 1962, in
Engineering
Altes holds three degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): S.B., Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1984; S.M., Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1986; and S.M., Technology and Policy, 1986.[4]
In 1982, Altes was part of the MIT team that set a world land-speed record for a human-powered vehicle using a five-person, forty-foot-long "bicycle".[1] His master's thesis, "The Aerospace Plane: Technological Feasibility and Policy Implications",[5] was reviewed by James Fallows in The New York Review of Books in 1986.[6]
After college, Altes worked as a space policy analyst for the Congressional
Due to his varied endeavors in the fields of engineering and entertainment, Altes is sometimes listed as one of MIT's more "notable alumni".[9]
Entertainment
In the mid-1990s, Altes left engineering for a career in entertainment and writing.
Essays
Altes has written a series of first-person participatory adventure essays about experiences such as:
- becoming an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church[10]
- working as a hand model[11]
- standing in for Brad Pitt on the movie The Devil's Own[12]
- being chosen to model for the Just for Men hair color box[13]
- having his first book published[14]
- working as a "bank robber" at the FBI training academy[15]
- answering phones in the Arkansas Governor's Mansion for President-elect Bill Clinton[16]
- and being hired and fired by the CIA in one day.[17]
These essays have appeared in magazines and newspapers like
Books
In 1997, Altes's The Little Book of Bad Business Advice was published by St. Martin's Press.
In 2001, a sequel, If You Jam the Copier, Bolt was published by Andrews McMeel Publishing.[23]
In 2005, Altes was a contributor to Michael J. Rosen's anthology, May Contain Nuts: A Very Loose Canon of American Humor. His piece satirized his career as a male model.[24]
In 2006, the humor editor Judy Brown selected twenty of Altes's jokes to appear in her anthology Joke Express: Instant Delivery of 1,424 Funny Bits from the Best Comedians.[25]
In 2014, Altes ran a Kickstarter[26] campaign which raised $43,098 to finance the illustration of a graphic novel he had written about hacks at MIT, titled Geeks & Greeks.[27][28] The graphic novel was illustrated by Andy Fish and was published in 2016 to generally positive reviews.[29]
Film appearances
Altes has appeared in a number of films and television shows after being accidentally "discovered" and cast as a German terrorist in
Year | Film | Role |
---|---|---|
1995 | Die Hard With a Vengeance |
German terrorist |
1997 | Shadow Conspiracy[31] | Secret Service agent |
1999 | Girl, Interrupted | Medic |
2000 | Hollow Man | Dad |
Print modeling
Altes has worked as a commercial print model and hand model.[13][32]
Other
Altes has also been:
Awards
- 1991 - National Medal of Technology (co-recipient)
- 1990 - National Air and Space Museum Trophy for Current Achievement in Aerospace (co-recipient)
Personal
Altes lives in the Los Angeles area and is married to Diana Jellinek, an acting coach.[35]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Model/Actor/Scientist Adds Writer to Resume". Lawrence Journal-World. Lawrence, KS. 1998-09-10.
- ^ "Valedictorian Tradition Scrapped at High Schools". The Washington Times. Washington, DC. May 7, 1999.
- ^ "Hall of Distinction Inductees". FMSchools.org. Manlius, NY. June 1, 2000.
- ^ "MIT Graduate Inspires Crowd with Life Experience". The Tech (MIT). Washington, DC. December 1, 1998.
- ^ "The Aerospace Plane: Technological Feasibility and Policy Implications" (PDF). MIT.edu. May 1, 1986. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 5, 2014.
- ^ "The Americans in Space". The New York Review of Books. New York City. December 18, 1986.
- ^ "Technology and the Future Warrior: Protecting Soldiers in the 21st Century". Cambridge, Massachusetts: M.I.T. September 13, 2004.
- "Rocket Scientist Turns to Entertainment". MIT.edu. Cambridge, Massachusetts. September 1, 2008.
- "The National Medal of Technology and Innovation 1991 Laureates". USPTO.gov. Washington, DC. January 1, 1991. - ^ "National Air and Space Museum Trophy Recipients". Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution. June 1, 1990.
- ^ "Notable Alumni: After Departing from MIT, Alumni Make their Mark on the World". The Tech. Cambridge, Massachusetts. May 5, 1999.
- "Notable Alumni". MIT Admissions. Cambridge, Massachusetts. September 4, 2014.
- "12 MIT Grads that Changed the World". BostInno.com. Boston, MA. February 16, 2011.
- "Top 10 famous alumni of MIT". TopYaps. September 8, 2014.
- "MIT's 150th Birthday". FastCompany. April 11, 2011.
- Fordham, Sara (September 30, 2009). "The Rival Rundown: Caltech vs MIT". College Candy. Retrieved August 6, 2016. - ^ "Reverend Me". Atheists.org. Los Angeles, CA. June 1, 2004.
- ^ "So, You Want a Piece of Me?" (PDF). Tear Sheet. New York City. June 1, 2000.
- ^ a b "Standing In for Brad". The Washington Post. Washington, DC. March 26, 1997.
- ^ a b "Guy on the Box" (PDF). Tear Sheet. New York City. December 1, 2000.
- ^ a b "How to Become an Author in Four Easy Steps" (PDF). The Writer. Boston. March 1, 1999.
- ^ a b "The Fugitive" (PDF). P.O.V. New York City. August 1, 1998.
- ISBN 9780761818052.
- ^ a b "My Short, Sorry Career as a Spy". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. February 24, 2003.
- ^ "Brad and Me". Salon. Washington, DC. April 27, 1998. Archived from the original on October 20, 2007.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "How I Became a CIA Spy for a Day". The Christian Science Monitor. Boston, MA. March 3, 2003.
- ^ "Capital Style Overcomes Substance". Washington Business Journal. Washington, DC. November 9, 1998.
- ^ "Reverend Me" (PDF). Urban Male Magazine. Canada. Spring 2004.
- ^ "Confessions About My Baby". Funny Times. Cleveland Heights, OH. November 1, 2007.
- ^ "Books Represented". JeffHerman.com. New York City. August 19, 2015.
- ^ "May Contain Nuts: A Very Loose Canon of American Humor". August 12, 2015.
- ISBN 978-0740760471.
- ^ "Geeks & Greeks – an epic graphic novel about MIT pranks". Kickstarter.com. Los Angeles, CA. June 12, 2014.
- ^ "How Stunt Work on Die Hard Led to a Graphic Novel About MIT Hacks". MIT Slice of Life blog. Cambridge, Massachusetts. May 8, 2015.
- ^ a b "Humor Writer to Publish Graphic Novel on Hacks". TechnologyReview.com. Cambridge, Massachusetts. April 21, 2015.
- ^ Moore, Karleigh (April 8, 2016). "Book Review: A Tale of Hazing and Hacking at MIT". The Tech (MIT). Retrieved August 9, 2016.
- Bench, Anthony (August 8, 2016). "Geeks & Greek Review". FanboyNation. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
- Adkins, Jana (August 1, 2016). "From Aerospace Engineer to Life as a Spy". Santa Clarita Valley Business Journal. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
- Pachter, Richard (August 11, 2016). "From John Lewis to Jughead, a Roundup of Graphic Novels". Miami Herald. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- Cornog, Martha (September 15, 2016). "Altes/Fishs, Beaumont, Clowes, Cornell/Parker, Girard, Jackson, Schulz - Graphic Novels Reviews". Library Journal[dead link]. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- Frank, Casey Rose (April 8, 2016). "Battle of the Geeks". The Post-Standard. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- Carreiro, Remy (September 5, 2016). "Animal House for the Tech Gen: Geeks & Greeks Graphic Novel Review". Forever Geek. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- Hughes, Johnny (September 8, 2016). "Review: Geeks & Greeks". Comic Crusaders. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- Ferno, Clay (August 10, 2016). "Talking Geeks & Greeks with Steve Altes and Andy Fish". Force Of Geek. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- Hickey, Patrick (August 25, 2016). "Steve Altes Talks Geeks & Greeks". Review Fix. Retrieved October 23, 2016. - ^ "IMDB - Steve Altes". IMDB. Los Angeles, CA. September 4, 2014.
- "Yippie-Ki-Yay, Mr. Falcon". 2 February 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015. - ^ "Shooting Charlie Sheen". YouTube. Hollywood, CA. Archived from the original on 2016-03-09. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
- ISBN 978-0803209855.
- ^ "Screenplay deals closed 2006". Ink Tip. Los Angeles, CA. June 1, 2006.
- ^ "Bad Move". National Public Radio. Los Angeles, CA. May 26, 2003.
- ^ "Diana Jellinek". IMDB. Los Angeles, CA. September 4, 2014.