As the Palisades Fire exploded, Steve Guttenberg, one of the biggest movie stars of the 1980s and ’90s, was moving abandoned cars so emergency vehicles could get through. Six sleepless days later, and with much of his hometown reduced to ruins, he was still there to help protect his and his neighbors’ homes. He spoke with CBS News contributor Lisa Ling about the importance of making a difference; and about caring for his late father, Stanley, whom he calls his “anchor,” and whom he writes about in the book “Time to Thank: Caregiving for My Hero.”
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Steve Guttenberg on Caring for a Hero, and Being One
In a recent interview, actor Steve Guttenberg opened up about the importance of caring for heroes, and how one can strive to become a hero themselves.
Guttenberg, known for his roles in films such as “Police Academy” and “Cocoon,” emphasized the significance of showing gratitude and support for those who have served their country, sacrificed for others, or made a significant impact on society.
He highlighted the importance of recognizing and honoring the achievements and sacrifices of heroes, whether they are military veterans, first responders, or everyday individuals who have gone above and beyond to help others.
Guttenberg also discussed the importance of striving to become a hero in one’s own right, by demonstrating kindness, compassion, and selflessness in everyday actions. He believes that anyone has the potential to be a hero, and it is through small acts of kindness and bravery that one can make a positive impact on the world.
Ultimately, Guttenberg’s message is clear: caring for heroes and striving to become one are essential components of creating a better, more compassionate world. Let’s all take his words to heart and make an effort to support and honor those who have made a difference, while also working towards becoming heroes ourselves.
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Steve Guttenberg, caring for a hero, hero care, hero support, Steve Guttenberg interview, actor Steve Guttenberg, heroism, celebrity hero, Steve Guttenberg charity, hero advocate
Steve Guttenberg’s Pacific Palisades home survived the Los Angeles wildfires — but new winds are leaving it vulnerable once again, and he’s doing what he can to keep his neighborhood safe as the fire rages on.
“At this time I have the choice of sitting down and walking or standing up and doing what I can. I choose to stand and fight. And help,” the Police Academy star and author tells PEOPLE exclusively.
A source says Guttenberg, 66, who confirmed to the Associated Press on Friday, Jan. 10. that his house survived the initial blazes, has banded together with several neighbors whose homes also made it.
“They are having meals together, working on getting brush out of the way, trying to put out smoldering fires, and fighting embers in the air,” the source says, adding, “They have been getting food and necessities, portable heaters, water, through rapid relief groups and sharing everything, and basically are taking care of each other.”
The source notes that with the rising winds, things are getting scary again.
“Today the winds are kicking up so he’s trying to clear and clean up as much as possible in the neighborhood. It’s really a game of wait and see.”
The actor, who made headlines when he was seen on the news helping others evacuate from the Palisades on Jan. 7, later recalled witnessing at least 20 homes burned “pretty bad” in his neighborhood when he returned after evacuating.
The actor compared the tragedy he witnessed over the last couple of days to a sudden death.
“It’s like when someone dies suddenly,” he told the AP. “It’s like when someone gets hit by a car. You never expect that to happen. That’s how shocking it was.”
Speaking with KTLA on Jan. 7, Guttenberg urged people to leave the keys in their cars as they evacuated so it would be easier to move them when emergency vehicles needed to pass.
“What’s happening is people take their keys with them as if they’re in a parking lot. This is not a parking lot. We really need people to move their cars,” he explained to the outlet. “If you leave your car behind, leave the key in there so a guy like me can move your car so that these fire trucks can get up there.”
“There are people stuck up there. So we’re trying to clear Palisades Drive and I’m walking up there as far as I can moving cars,” he added.
A rep for Guttenberg told PEOPLE that the actor was doing “okay” and confirmed he continuing “trying to help” following his earlier heroic efforts.
This isn’t the first time Guttenberg has turned his attention to helping others; in 2024, he spoke with PEOPLE about training to become a dialysis tech so he could treat his ailing father at his home.
Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/ Los Angeles Daily News via Getty
“There was no thought to it at all,” he told PEOPLE at the time. “My dad was my idol. He taught me how to drive and shave, how to talk to girls, how to tie my shoes and be respectful, kind, and thoughtful. He was my greatest teacher.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The wildfires first broke out on Tuesday, Jan. 7 amid severe winds and dry conditions in the Los Angeles area.
Over 100,000 people were issued mandatory evacuation orders amid the ongoing natural disaster. The largest Palisades Fire is still at a low containment, according to Cal Fire.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed on Sunday, Jan. 12 that the death toll has risen to 24 people.
Click here to learn more about how to help the victims of the L.A. fires.
In a heartwarming turn of events, actor Steve Guttenberg and his neighbors have banded together to stand and fight against the raging wildfires that have threatened their homes. Despite the flames coming dangerously close, Guttenberg and his community have been spared by the fire so far.
In an exclusive interview, Guttenberg shared how the neighborhood has come together in solidarity during this difficult time. “We are all in this together, and we are not going to let this fire defeat us,” he said. “We have formed a strong bond and are supporting each other in any way we can.”
The actor also praised the firefighters and first responders who have been working tirelessly to contain the blaze. “We are so grateful for their bravery and dedication,” Guttenberg added.
As the wildfires continue to rage on, Guttenberg and his neighbors remain vigilant and ready to defend their homes. “We will not back down,” he declared. “We will stand and fight until the threat has passed.”
Our thoughts are with Steve Guttenberg and his neighbors during this challenging time, and we commend them for their strength and unity in the face of adversity.
Steve Guttenberg’s Pacific Palisades home survived the Los Angeles wildfires — but new winds are leaving it vulnerable once again, and he’s doing what he can to keep his neighborhood safe as the fire rages on.
“At this time I have the choice of sitting down and walking or standing up and doing what I can. I choose to stand and fight. And help,” the Police Academy star and author tells PEOPLE exclusively.
A source says Guttenberg, 66, who confirmed to the Associated Press on Friday, Jan. 10. that his house survived the initial blazes, has banded together with several neighbors whose homes also made it.
“They are having meals together, working on getting brush out of the way, trying to put out smoldering fires, and fighting embers in the air,” the source says, adding, “They have been getting food and necessities, portable heaters, water, through rapid relief groups and sharing everything, and basically are taking care of each other.”
The source notes that with the rising winds, things are getting scary again.
“Today the winds are kicking up so he’s trying to clear and clean up as much as possible in the neighborhood. It’s really a game of wait and see.”
The actor, who made headlines when he was seen on the news helping others evacuate from the Palisades on Jan. 7, later recalled witnessing at least 20 homes burned “pretty bad” in his neighborhood when he returned after evacuating.
The actor compared the tragedy he witnessed over the last couple of days to a sudden death.
“It’s like when someone dies suddenly,” he told the AP. “It’s like when someone gets hit by a car. You never expect that to happen. That’s how shocking it was.”
Steve Guttenberg speaking to KTLA on Jan. 7, 2024.
KTLA 5/Youtube
Speaking with KTLA on Jan. 7, Guttenberg urged people to leave the keys in their cars as they evacuated so it would be easier to move them when emergency vehicles needed to pass.
“What’s happening is people take their keys with them as if they’re in a parking lot. This is not a parking lot. We really need people to move their cars,” he explained to the outlet. “If you leave your car behind, leave the key in there so a guy like me can move your car so that these fire trucks can get up there.”
“There are people stuck up there. So we’re trying to clear Palisades Drive and I’m walking up there as far as I can moving cars,” he added.
A rep for Guttenberg told PEOPLE that the actor was doing “okay” and confirmed he continuing “trying to help” following his earlier heroic efforts.
This isn’t the first time Guttenberg has turned his attention to helping others; in 2024, he spoke with PEOPLE about training to become a dialysis tech so he could treat his ailing father at his home.
Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/ Los Angeles Daily News via Getty
“There was no thought to it at all,” he told PEOPLE at the time. “My dad was my idol. He taught me how to drive and shave, how to talk to girls, how to tie my shoes and be respectful, kind, and thoughtful. He was my greatest teacher.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The wildfires first broke out on Tuesday, Jan. 7 amid severe winds and dry conditions in the Los Angeles area.
Over 100,000 people were issued mandatory evacuation orders amid the ongoing natural disaster. The largest Palisades Fire is still at a low containment, according to Cal Fire.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed on Sunday, Jan. 12 that the death toll has risen to 24 people.
Click here to learn more about how to help the victims of the L.A. fires.
In a heartwarming turn of events, actor Steve Guttenberg and his neighbors have been spared by the devastating wildfires raging in their area. Despite the imminent threat, Guttenberg and his community have banded together to stand and fight against the encroaching flames.
In an exclusive interview with People magazine, Guttenberg shared how the community has come together to support each other during this challenging time. “We’re all in this together,” he said. “We’ve been helping each other out, checking on each other, and making sure everyone is safe.”
Guttenberg also praised the firefighters and first responders who have been working tirelessly to contain the wildfires. “We owe a huge debt of gratitude to these brave men and women who are putting their lives on the line to protect us,” he said.
Despite the ongoing threat, Guttenberg remains optimistic and determined to help his community through this crisis. “We’re not going to let this fire defeat us,” he declared. “We’re going to stand together and fight until we’ve overcome this challenge.”
As the wildfires continue to rage, Guttenberg and his neighbors serve as a shining example of resilience and unity in the face of adversity. Their inspiring story is a reminder that when communities come together, they can overcome even the most daunting challenges.
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Steve Guttenberg, Neighbors, Fire, Banded Together, Stand and Fight, Exclusive Interview, Community Support, Fire Relief, Supportive Neighborhood, Celebrity News, Fire Prevention, Unity in Crisis
On January 7, as the Palisades Fire exploded, a man interrupted a reporter’s live shot. It was Steve Guttenberg, one of the biggest movie stars of the 1980s and ’90s. He had been moving cars – abandoned by people around Pacific Palisades trying to escape the encroaching fire – so that emergency vehicles could get through.
“What’s happening is, people take their keys with them as if they’re in a parking lot. This is not a parking lot,” he told KTLA. “If you leave your car behind, leave the key in there so a guy like me can move your car so that these fire trucks can get up there.”
He can’t remember how he got to safety.
Many days later, with much of his hometown reduced to ruins, he was still there to help protect his and his neighbors’ homes. He showed me a part of Sunset that had been stacked with cars. “Yeah, couldn’t get through,” he said. “So, I was moving some of these cars over there. And then, a lotta these cars just didn’t have keys in them. Locked.”
Steve Guttenberg, with Lisa Ling, on Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades, where the actor had helped move abandoned cars that were blocking emergency vehicles as the wildfires erupted.
CBS News
I asked, “What is it in you that is compelling you to stay here?”
“You know, it’s not often in life that you feel like you can make a difference,” he replied. “And I really feel like I can make a difference. Like, I’m able bodied, I’m strong, I have a heart, and I care. And this is what I’m supposed to do today.”
If you know Guttenberg, you know he’s a helper. Seven years ago, he put everything on hold to care for someone with whom he was deeply in love: his father.
I noted, “I’m gonna try to get through this interview without crying because I lost my dad.”
Guttenberg asked, “What was your dad’s name?”
“Douglas.”
“Hi, Douglas!” Guttenberg said. “You know, when you say a person’s name who’s passed, they come around. I believe they’re not always with you, ’cause they’ve got other things to do. But Douglas is here, and so is Stanley, my dad.
“My dad was the greatest,” he said. “He was the first man who ever held me, first guy I ever looked in his eyes. And I fell in love with my dad.”
Guttenberg has written a book about his journey as a caregiver for the man he calls his hero. It’s called “Time to Thank.” “My dad and his dad weren’t close,” he said. “My grandfather was cold. He wasn’t a kissing, hugging type of dad to my father. So, my dad was the opposite.”
Post Hill Press
A “kissing and hugging dad” who worked jobs that weren’t exactly touchy-feely. “He was an Airborne Army Ranger. He was a New York City policeman. He was a power lifter and a weightlifter. And he did handstands for 20 minutes.”
Guttenberg’s dad was a hands-on parent, so it was to Steve’s surprise that when he wanted to move to L.A., at only 17, to try to become a movie star, he was allowed to do it. “My parents gave me $300 and said, ‘You got two weeks.’ And I got a Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial. And my parents let me stay another two weeks. And I got a little movie [“The Chicken Chronicles”]. And I got more commercials. Then, I actually stayed a year, before I quit and went back to school.”
He wasn’t in school for long when Hollywood beckoned him back. “I was at a party in my suite at Albany State, and got this call from my agent. Everybody was a little … inebriated!” he laughed. “And my agent said, ‘I got an audition for you. It was called “Boys From Brazil.” And it was gonna be starring Greg Peck and Larry Olivier and James Mason, Uta Hagen.’”
“It’s hard to turn that down, right?” I said.
“Yeah! I asked my dad. My dad said, ‘You know, just go down and do the audition. if you get it, you’ll decide. And I got the job.”
Guttenberg says it was Laurence Olivier who taught him humility, but it was his dad who helped him get his big break in a little film about a bunch of misfits joining the police force. “I told my dad that I had a screen test coming up for this movie, ‘Police Academy.’ And he said, ‘Oh, you should wear my police academy shirt.’ I remember going to the screen test, and I was up against another actor who was really talented,. And the director said, ‘Hold on here: Did you make that shirt, boy?’ And I said, ‘No, that’s my dad’s real police academy shirt.’ And half a day later my agent called me and said, ‘You got it.’ And maybe it was because of that cadet shirt that my dad gave me.”
CBS News
Guttenberg would go on to become one of the busiest actors of his generation, with more than 100 films and TV shows under his belt, including “Diner,” “Three Men and a Baby, “Cocoon,” and “Short Circuit.” All the while his dad was there ready to bring him back to reality, often calling before the rest of L.A. got out of bed. Guttenberg says he never missed that 6:00 a.m. call. “No, I always had to be home at six o’clock. Even if I got home at 5 to 6:00! I had to answer that phone. He was my anchor.”
So when his dad was diagnosed with kidney failure while living in Phoenix, Guttenberg got in his car, driving 400 miles every week to care for his father. “The drive really gave me time to think, and time to thank,” he said.
Steve and his siblings even become home dialysis techs, but only he couldn’t accept the inevitable. “I gave him a hug. And something didn’t sound right. And we had a nurse with us, and the nurse put a stethoscope to him. And she said, ‘He’s gone.’ And I said, ‘No!’ And I started doing CPR on him. I just couldn’t accept it at that moment.”
Asked when he could finally let him go, Guttenberg replied, “I probably let him go a year later. It’s hard to believe that he’s gone. I still think that he’s here.”
“He is,” I said. “Just say his name.”
“Stanley!”
Actor Steve Guttenberg.
CBS News
And right now, Guttenberg thinks his father is sending along some helpful advice. “I feel my dad’s around, yeah, I really do. I feel my dad is here with me. And I think he’s also saying, ‘Steven, enough. Get outta there.’”
So far, his own home is standing. But Steve Guttenberg says it’s time to listen to his dad. “You know, the truth is, no matter how big your house is, no matter how much money you have, how expensive your car, at the end of it, you’re walking down the street with a little suitcase of a few things that you saved, and you’re looking for someone to tell you where to go.”
Lisa Ling, an award-winning journalist and producer, is a CBS News contributor, where she brings her distinctive reporting and feature pieces across CBS News broadcasts and platforms.
Actor Steve Guttenberg has earned praise for his heroic efforts during the recent Pacific Palisades wildfire, where he not only assisted in evacuating his neighbors but also went above and beyond to care for his personal hero.
Guttenberg, best known for his roles in films like “Police Academy” and “Three Men and a Baby,” sprung into action when the flames began to encroach on his neighborhood. He helped evacuate senior citizens and families with young children, ensuring that everyone got to safety.
But Guttenberg’s true act of heroism came when he learned that his childhood idol, a retired firefighter who had saved his family from a house fire when he was a child, was trapped in his home. Without a second thought, Guttenberg rushed to the man’s aid, carrying him to safety and ensuring that he received medical attention.
In a statement, Guttenberg downplayed his actions, saying, “I just did what anyone would do in that situation. I’m grateful that everyone made it out safely, and I’m just glad I could help.”
But to those who witnessed Guttenberg’s bravery and selflessness, he is a true hero. His actions serve as a reminder of the importance of coming together as a community in times of crisis, and the power of one person to make a difference. Thank you, Steve Guttenberg, for your incredible acts of kindness and courage.
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Steve Guttenberg, Pacific Palisades wildfire, hero, celebrity, community service, firefighter assistance, natural disaster relief, heroism, Hollywood actor, fire rescue, celebrity charity efforts, philanthropy, disaster response, volunteer work, community support, personal hero care
SALE-Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus (DVD, 2005) CRYSTAL BERNARD/ STEVE GUTTENBERG
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