Steve Hytner, a familiar face to many, is settled in our biggest little city of Reno, NV. Steve was born in Brooklyn, New York, but raised in Long Island. After living in LA for years, he eventually found his way to Reno to be close to family. Steve wasn't exactly excited at first, explaining, “When you think of Reno, you typically think of the four-block area downtown being the whole identity of this town. But I later found out that there’s so much more to living here. It’s very much tied to the University, the lake, hiking, exercise, and I was very taken by the mountains.” He adds, “I very quickly met my now-wife, Elaine, about 10 years ago, so Reno has been very, very good to me.”

Steve’s career in acting and comedy began in his younger years. He states, “I’ve always had a passion for sports and am a very sports-minded guy. My friend, a year older than me, did a play in high school, and everybody thought he was hilarious. I said, ‘I’m funnier than he is,’ and it really came from that mentality. Everyone expects some sort of artistic story, but I just knew I was funnier than that guy, and that guy was my best friend, so I knew I was. So, I did the play, and that’s how I started with acting.” He continues, “I grew up not far from New York City and moved to Manhattan, where I found it difficult to get a career going. But during those years, there was a huge comedy boom in the ‘80s, and my friends encouraged me to try out stand-up. So, I did, and it turned out I was decent at it. I got passed at the big clubs—Comic Strip and Improv—so all of a sudden, I didn’t have to wait tables anymore and could just do stand-up gigs. But I still had this bug in my ear, so I ended up moving out to LA to pursue acting.”

While starting out doing improv shows in LA and finding representation that focused more on acting gigs, the resume Steve had built stood out. He had been taught by some of the top teachers in New York, such as Uta Hagen and Sanford Meisner. From then on, Steve worked as an actor for over 20 years in LA, appearing in films and shows like Seinfeld, Friends, The Prophecy, Charlie’s Angels, Hardball, That’s So Raven, The Haunted Mansion, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and many more. After moving back to Reno, Steve wasn’t sure what to do next career-wise, so he decided to return to stand-up. “I hadn’t done stand-up in over 20 years, so I looked at it with a much different perspective. The first time I did stand-up, I was 22, and my whole act was ‘Why Won’t She Touch Me?’ Starting again at 50, I had so much more to reach for. I mean, she still won’t touch me, but now at least I have more to talk about,” he jokes. “So that’s how stand-up worked into my life, and now I enjoy just doing stand-up.” Steve reconnected with his comedy routine by doing shows with Reno Tahoe Comedy, where he was able to practice and get back on his feet in terms of performing. “It takes practice, just like anything else. If you walked a tightrope and took two years off, you wouldn’t just go back out there without practicing,” he states. Steve now does private events with Reno Tahoe Comedy and enjoys breaking the fourth wall with the crowd, weaving it into the outline of jokes he’s written for the show, seamlessly blending it all together. Wayne Wright, the owner of Reno Tahoe Comedy, describes meeting Steve as "serendipitous," as they had met through mutual friends and found that it was the perfect opportunity to work together.

Steve played many roles over the years and particularly appreciated the character he played on NBC’s Working, alongside actor Fred Savage. Other characters he described as more of a ‘dreamlike experience,’ from working alongside Clint Eastwood on In the Line of Fire to being part of Seinfeld. Steve shared, “Being part of Seinfeld was unbelievable. Jerry really treated it like his baby, so if you were good, that didn’t necessarily mean you were coming back. He had to enjoy your company and think you were a good person because if not, he didn’t want you around his baby. After a number of years went by, I was fortunate enough to be one of those revolving characters. The truth of the matter is, we knew this was going to be a legendary show while we were filming it, and because we felt that way, we took even more care with it. It was just a bunch of really good, talented people realizing they were working on something special.”

One of Steve’s favorite things to do in Reno is hiking. “It adds such a quality of life that I had never considered before. Most of my life has been about having a gym membership, which I still have, but I love when the weather is nice to go and have a ridiculously great day hiking around.” Steve also mentions that he enjoys not running into other actors or industry people and describes Reno as being extremely diverse. He’s enjoyed making new friends who do something completely different for work and may have a different take on things than he would. Some of Steve’s favorite spots in town to visit with his wife are Pasta Fresca for their fresh daily pasta and gluten-free options, Whispering Vine on Fourth Street for its incredible chef and wine selection, and The Kitchen Table. Steve also recommends checking out R Town Pizza, which serves Detroit-style pizza, and Prost Biergarten, a German-style beer garden, both located next to the Reno Town Mall. Steve enjoys working out at Southrac, where he’s become best friends with the owners, Dave and Gabe. His best advice for those looking to settle in Reno and live like a true local is to go out and do things that you love, and you will find your community within.

What’s next for Steve? He plans to continue doing private events with Reno Tahoe Comedy and eventually hopes to move to Europe with Elaine. They aim to visit countries like Portugal, Rome, or Barcelona, and find a place where they can settle down and retire together.