From playing a lovable young football player on Reba to becoming one of the most recognizable characters on Shameless, Steve Howey has built a television career that spans comedy, drama, and action. But long before he became a familiar face on American television, his story began in San Antonio, Texas.
Born on July 12, 1977, Howey spent an unconventional childhood traveling along the Pacific Coast with his family. He later pursued college basketball in Colorado before discovering that acting offered a different kind of challenge.
Today, the San Antonio-born actor is best known for his roles as Van Montgomery on Reba and Kevin Ball on Shameless. His career has also taken him into action films, romantic comedies, and more recent television projects, including True Lies and High Potential.
Early Life: From San Antonio to the Basketball Court
Steve Howey was born in San Antonio to Bill Howey, a U.S. Navy veteran who later worked as an acting coach and director, and Carla Novinger.
His childhood was anything but ordinary. Howey spent part of his early years living aboard a boat with his parents as they traveled along the Pacific Coast. His family eventually settled in the Los Angeles area before moving to Colorado during his teenage years.
Howey attended Green Mountain High School in Lakewood, Colorado, where he developed his basketball skills. His athletic ability earned him a scholarship to Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado.
He played basketball at the college for two years, but his interests gradually shifted toward acting.
His father played an important role in that transition. Bill Howey taught acting, and Steve began studying the craft through his father's workshops. What started as an interest eventually became a career ambition.
Howey's early screen credits included the 1998 independent film Class, directed by his father, followed by television appearances in shows such as Pacific Blue, ER, and The Drew Carey Show.
Those early experiences helped prepare him for the role that would bring him national recognition.
Breakout Role: Playing Van Montgomery on Reba
Steve Howey's breakthrough came in 2001 when he joined the cast of Reba, the popular family sitcom starring country music singer and actress Reba McEntire.
Howey played Van Montgomery, a high school football player who marries Cheyenne Hart, the teenage daughter of McEntire's character, Reba Hart.
Van quickly became one of the show's most memorable characters. Initially portrayed as an immature but well-meaning young athlete, he gradually developed into a devoted husband and father.
Howey's energetic performance and comedic timing made Van a fan favorite. His scenes with Reba McEntire, JoAnna García Swisher, and the rest of the ensemble helped establish the show's distinctive mix of family humor and heartfelt moments.
Reba aired for six seasons, from 2001 to 2007, first on The WB and later on The CW.
For Howey, the series provided years of experience working in front of a studio audience and established his reputation as a talented television comedian.
It also demonstrated his ability to make a character funny without losing the emotional side of the story, a quality that would become especially important in his next major television role.
Kevin Ball: His Defining Role on Shameless
In 2011, Howey took on a very different character when he joined Showtime's Shameless as Kevin "Kev" Ball.
The series followed the chaotic lives of the Gallagher family in Chicago, blending dark comedy with stories about poverty, relationships, addiction, and family responsibility.
Kev was the friendly, sometimes clueless bartender and neighbor who became a steady presence in the Gallagher family's unpredictable world.
Alongside Shanola Hampton, who played Veronica Fisher, Howey formed one of the show's most popular on-screen partnerships.
Kevin and Veronica's relationship brought humor and warmth to a series often filled with difficult situations. Their storylines explored marriage, parenting, financial struggles, and the challenges of raising a family.
Howey's performance was particularly effective because Kev could be ridiculous one moment and deeply caring the next. Beneath the character's jokes and questionable decisions was someone who genuinely loved his family and friends.
As the series progressed, Kev also became a father, giving Howey opportunities to explore a more emotional side of the character.
Shameless ran for 11 seasons, from 2011 to 2021, making it one of the longest-running scripted original series in Showtime's history.
For many viewers, Kevin Ball remains Howey's most recognizable role and a major reason the actor continues to attract fans years after the series ended.
Film Career: From Supercross to Day Shift
Although television brought Howey widespread recognition, he has also appeared in films across several genres.
In 2005, he starred alongside Mike Vogel in Supercross, a sports drama centered on two brothers pursuing careers in professional motorcycle racing. The film gave Howey an opportunity to draw on his athletic background in a physically demanding role.
He later appeared in the action film DOA: Dead or Alive (2006), followed by the romantic comedies Bride Wars (2009) and Something Borrowed (2011).
In Bride Wars, he played Daniel, the fiancé of Anne Hathaway's character, Emma. The film, which also starred Kate Hudson, introduced him to audiences beyond his television work.
Howey continued exploring comedy with Game Over, Man! (2018), an action-comedy featuring Adam Devine, Anders Holm, and Blake Anderson.
In 2022, he appeared in Netflix's Day Shift, starring Jamie Foxx as a vampire hunter working in Los Angeles. Howey played Mike Nazarian, one of two brothers involved in the film's supernatural action.
His screen career has also included appearances on New Girl, Sons of Anarchy, and Dead to Me. He expanded into audio storytelling with a voice role in the 2019 fictional podcast Carrier.
Together, these projects demonstrate Howey's ability to move between physical comedy, action sequences, and more dramatic performances.
Taking the Lead in True Lies
In 2023, Howey returned to network television as the lead in CBS's action-comedy series True Lies.
Inspired by the 1994 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis, the series followed Harry Tasker, a seemingly ordinary family man secretly working as an international spy.
Howey played Harry opposite Ginger Gonzaga, who portrayed his wife, Helen.
The series combined espionage missions, action sequences, family comedy, and the complications of keeping a secret identity from loved ones.
For Howey, the role represented a significant change from the characters that made him famous. Instead of playing a supporting character in an ensemble comedy, he took center stage as an action hero.
His athletic background and experience with physical comedy suited a character who needed to handle both demanding stunts and humorous family situations.
True Lies premiered in March 2023 and concluded in May of that year after 13 episodes. CBS canceled the series after one season.
Although short-lived, the show gave Howey another opportunity to demonstrate his versatility as a leading actor.
Personal Life and Fatherhood
Away from the screen, Howey is a father of three children.
He married actress Sarah Shahi in 2009. The couple welcomed their first child, a son, that same year, followed by twins in 2015.
Howey and Shahi divorced in 2021.
His experience as a parent has been an important part of his life during a career that often involves demanding filming schedules and extended periods on set.
Fatherhood also became a significant part of his work on Shameless, where his character Kevin Ball navigated the responsibilities and unexpected challenges of raising children.
While Howey occasionally shares glimpses of his personal life through interviews and social media, he remains best known publicly for his performances and his long-running television roles.
Steve Howey's Latest Roles in 2025 and 2026
More than two decades after his breakthrough on Reba, Howey continues to take on new television projects.
One of his most notable recent roles came in ABC's crime drama High Potential, starring Kaitlin Olson as Morgan Gillory, a gifted consultant who helps the Los Angeles Police Department solve complex cases.
Howey joined the series during its second season, playing Captain Nick Wagner, a police official whose arrival introduces new dynamics within the department.
The role gave him an opportunity to work in a procedural drama while retaining some of the confidence and humor familiar to longtime fans.
In 2026, Howey also appeared in Prime Video's romantic drama Off Campus, based on Elle Kennedy's popular book series. He plays Phil Graham, the father of college hockey player Garrett Graham, portrayed by Belmont Cameli.
The series follows college relationships, friendships, and personal challenges against the backdrop of a university hockey program. Howey's role adds a family dimension to the story.
Another 2026 project brought him back to a Texas-inspired setting.
Howey joined the second season of Netflix's Ransom Canyon, a romantic Western drama starring Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly. He portrays Levi, the estranged half-brother of Duhamel's character, rancher Staten Kirkland.
Set in a fictional Texas community, Ransom Canyon explores family rivalries, romance, and the complicated relationships between ranching families. Howey's character adds another layer to the Kirkland family's history.
His appearances in High Potential, Off Campus, and Ransom Canyon show that his career continues to extend beyond the sitcom and comedy roles that first made him famous.
Steve Howey's San Antonio Connection
Although Steve Howey spent much of his childhood outside Texas, San Antonio remains an important part of his biography as his birthplace.
His family moved frequently during his early years, and his upbringing along the Pacific Coast and in Colorado shaped much of his personal and professional journey.
Unlike entertainers whose careers began in Texas theaters or local music venues, Howey developed his acting skills after leaving the state.
His path from San Antonio to college basketball in Colorado and eventually Hollywood is a reminder that Texas-born talent can emerge from many different backgrounds.
For San Antonio residents, Howey is one of the city's connections to some of television's most recognizable modern comedies and dramas.
Final Thoughts
Steve Howey's career has taken him from college basketball courts to some of television's most memorable roles.
His performance as Van Montgomery on Reba introduced him to audiences as a gifted comedian, while his decade-long portrayal of Kevin Ball on Shameless demonstrated his ability to combine humor with emotional depth.
Since then, films such as Day Shift and television projects including True Lies, High Potential, Off Campus, and Ransom Canyon have allowed him to explore new characters and genres.
Born in San Antonio and raised across several states, Howey followed an unconventional path into acting. Nearly three decades after his early screen appearances, he remains a familiar presence on television, with a career that continues to evolve.
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