STYLE FILE…

ACTOR, HOST, COMMENTATOR

JOEL STEINGOLD

ACTOR, HOST, STYLEMAKER

Haute Celebrity Feature | Olivia Ewing, Content & Entertainment Editor

You may recognize actor Joel Steingold from his recent role as the opportunistic and wealthy Chicago hedge fund manager Marcus St. John in the SHOWTIME drama series The Chi. Steingold exudes charisma that is an instant draw, and if the sound of his voice and assured mannerisms don’t immediately captivate you, just stay a while. The entirety of his essence definitely brings something special to the screen and airwaves, and that’s more than meets the eye. He leaves something that just simply resonates with you. It isn’t difficult to reason why Steingold was chosen as the new voice of FOX SPORTS. In his latest venture he delivers more of his raspy, warm tone, which allows the network to add yet another dimension of flavor through Steingold’s unique and dynamic sound. It’s a far cry from his freshman year at a prestigious conservatory when his voice teacher sent him off to an ENT (ear, nose and throat) doctor because she thought he struggled in making a resonant tone with his voice. Success has been Steingold’s best revenge, as he does a TON of voiceover work now. His most recent credits include several VO (voice over) spots and current additional on-camera appearances for prestigious brands such as Hyundai (national commercial), US Forest Service National PSA, Steve Harvey Show (Lifestyle Expert) and many more.

Born and raised in one of the most gritty and grounded cities in the nation, Steingold has Jewish and Black roots that run deep from the guts of his home town. There’s something unexpected about a brother from Detroit. In any interaction with a native, one can speedily distinguish a refreshing authenticity. If you’re lucky, they will share with you their life experience, at which moment you learn is where they garnered their indisputable swagger. Ask anyone who knows, it’s a thing and Steingold has it. He knew from an early age that acting would be his life’s vocation when he learned that through the power of comedy, drama and performance he would find a way to make these universes collide and explode into the powerhouse of talent he has become today.

Steingold’s trajectory includes a two-year period of study at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, NC, and a BFA in Theatre earned at his hometown’s Wayne State University. While in college he spent summers interning and working at MTV and Nickelodeon where he acquired a well-rounded understanding of how entertainment is brought to the masses. Although he’s called Los Angeles home for nearly two decades, Steingold has fond memories of his early days in the “D”, evoking a tender moment in time when his 16-year-old self was a production assistant on not one but two of one of Detroit’s brightest star’s video shoots, “I thought it was a big deal for a kid my age to be carrying around so much cash and be a PA for Aretha Franklin” he says. This is one of many experiences that inspired Steingold to stay the course and eventually live out his dreams.

What brings Steingold to the Haute is… Online audience today is a marked appreciation for his style along with a unique ability to wear one mean fedora. If you haven’t seen enough here, just check out his Instagram @joelsteingold. He says he gets it from his grandfather. That’s one ancestor to which we pay homage for passing along an attribute most men can’t easily master. When asked why his character Marcus St. John on The Chi doesn’t reflect a style more suitable to that of a prosperous money manager, particularly when Steingold’s real-life flair would do the character more justice, he laughs in agreement and says he even offered a few recommendations to the stylist on set.

Given Steingold’s upbringing as the only child to a social justice and woman’s rights advocate, we couldn’t let him get away without asking his perspective on the nation’s youth and current state of world affairs, to which he reflectively imparted a great nugget of wisdom, “Continue to study your history, be involved on some level - whether through protesting or volunteering, just stay engaged in a consistent way.” Along with being an immense inspiration and celebrity feature for Haute is… Online, Steingold is one of our hometown favorites and a living example of what it means to believe in yourself and never give up on whatever it is you are passionate about pursuing. We salute you!

See more of Joel Steingold @joelsteingold