Steve Bannon: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

American media executive and filmmaker Steve Bannon served as senior counselor and chief White House strategist for U.S. Pres. Donald Trump in 2017. He had previously gained attention as the executive chairman of the provocative, antiestablishment, conservative Web site Breitbart.com. Bannon took an active hand in directing Breitbart News's editorial vision, providing a platform for the "alt-right" movement.

Facts

Also Known As	Stephen Kevin Bannon
Born	November 27, 1953 (age 70) • Norfolk • Virginia • (Birthday tomorrow)
Title/Office	senior counselor and chief White House strategist (2017) • executive chairman of Breitbart.com (2012–2016, 2017–2018)
Founder	Government Accountability Institute
Political Party	Republican Party
Notable Family Members	son of Martin ("Marty") Bannon • son of Doris Bannon • married to Diane Clohesy (2006–2009) • married to Mary Louise Piccard (1995–1997) • married to Cathleen Houff Jordan (1979–?) • brother of Mike Bannon • brother of Chris Bannon • brother of Mary Beth Meredith
Education	Benedictine College Preparatory (Richmond, Virginia) • Virginia Tech (B.A., 1976) • Georgetown University (M.A.) • Harvard Business School (M.B.A., 1985)
Founder Of	Bannon & Co. • Government Accountability Institute
Movies/Tv Shows (Directed)	"Trump @War" (2018) • "Torchbearer" (2016) • "The Hope & the Change" (2012) • "District of Corruption" (2012) • "Occupy Unmasked" (2012) • "The Undefeated" (2011) • "Battle for America" (2010) • "Fire from the Heartland" (2010) • "Generation Zero" (2010) • "In the Face of Evil: Reagan's War in Word and Deed" (2004)
Movies/Tv Shows (Writing/Creator)	"Torchbearer" (2016) • "Clinton Cash" (2016) • "The Hope & the Change" (2012) • "Occupy Unmasked" (2012) • "The Undefeated" (2011) • "Battle for America" (2010) • "Fire from the Heartland" (2010) • "Generation Zero" (2010) • "In the Face of Evil: Reagan's War in Word and Deed" (2004)

Top Questions

Where was Steve Bannon born?

Bannon was born in Norfolk, Virginia, on November 27, 1953.

Where did Steve Bannon go to school?

Bannon attended Benedictine College Preparatory, an all-male Catholic military school in Richmond, before matriculating at Virginia Tech, where he earned a B.A. in urban affairs (1976) and served as student government president. He later earned an M.A. in national security studies at Georgetown University and attended the Harvard Business School (M.B.A., 1985).

What did Steve Bannon do before Breitbart?

After earning a B.A. in urban affairs (1976) at Virginia Tech, Bannon joined the U.S. Navy, becoming an officer, serving on a destroyer, and receiving a post as a special assistant to the chief of naval operations at the Pentagon. After leaving the navy in 1983, Bannon received a position in mergers and acquisitions at Goldman Sachs, where he specialized in media and entertainment. After three-plus years with Goldman Sachs, he cofounded a financial firm, Bannon & Co., which focused on the entertainment industry. After Bannon & Co. was sold to Société Générale in 1998, Bannon continued to work in entertainment-related finance. In 2004 he began a career as a writer, director, and producer of conservative-slanted documentaries. In 2012 Bannon and Peter Schweizer founded the Government Accountability Institute, a nonprofit organization that mounted investigations of prominent politicians with the intention of exposing wrongdoing, and distributed the results of its investigations through mainstream publishers and other media outlets. That same year, Bannon assumed the role of executive chairman of Breitbart.com.

What role did Steve Bannon play in the Trump administration?

Bannon served (2017) as senior counselor and chief White House strategist for Pres. Donald Trump.

Did You Know?

Before he joined Breitbart.com, Bannon worked as a Hollywood producer; he once conceived of a rap musical set during the L.A. riots and based on Shakespeare's "Coriolanus," though the project never came to fruition.
In the process of negotiating the sale of Castle Rock Entertainment in 1993, Bannon’s financial firm, Bannon & Co., received a stake in five television shows, including the still relatively new "Seinfeld," which would eventually bring it a huge financial payoff.
While Bannon was growing up, his family had been oriented toward the Democratic Party, but his disenchantment with the presidency of Jimmy Carter led him to embrace Ronald Reagan and conservatism.