Stephanie Kurtzuba: Actress from Annie and Wolf of Wall Street Who Co-Owns an Omaha Bowling Alley—What’s She Up to Now?
Stephanie Kurtzuba may not be a household name, but she’s appeared with some big names on the screen.
Her career has been about bold choices, from sharing a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio to landing a role in two of Martin Scorsese’s films.
Stephanie’s passion for appearing on the screen started on a dance floor in Omaha, leading her to Broadway and significant Hollywood roles. Let’s see what her life looks like behind the scenes and what helped shape her career:
A Biography of Stephanie Kurtzuba
Here’s all the essential information about Stephanie Kurtzuba:
| Full Name | Stephanie Kurtzuba Coakley |
| Age | 52 years old |
| Date of Birth | 20th of March, 1972 |
| Zodiac | Pisces |
| Place of Birth | Omaha, Nebraska, USA |
| Height | 5′ 10″ (1.63 m) |
| Nationality | American |
| Parents | Ray Kurtzuba (father) and Connie Pirruccello (late mother) |
| Siblings | Michael Pirruccello, Kimberly Kurtzuba Borner, Serena Kurtzuba, and Adrianna Kurtzuba |
| Spouse | Joshua Coakley |
| Children | Two sons |
| Years Active | 2003 – present |
| Net Worth | $1.6 million to $10 million |
Having been born in Omaha, Nebraska, Stephanie attended the Omaha Central High School and then the University of Nebraske-Lincoln. However, her time at the university was broken short when she got accepted into New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
From there, she earned her acting degree and started pursuing her passion. She’d been reportedly interested in acting from a young age, performing theater roles when she was as young as 10 years old.
The Kickstart of Stephanie Kurtzuba’s Career
Stephanie Kurtzuba’s career started right after she graduated. At first, she joined a couple of off-Broadway productions; then, she began broadening her portfolio to include commercial theater work.
Because of her talent for dancing and singing, she kept booking musicals, going all over South Carolina, Wisconsin, Texas, and other states for filming.
She joined her first Broadway show in 2003 as a backup trio to Hugh Jackman, and then she became a member of the original Broadway casts of Mary Poppins and Billy Elliot the Musical.
From then on, it was only a series of successes for Stephanie Kurtzuba. She performed at the Tony Awards of 2007 and 2009, and by the mid-2010s, she’d moved on from theater to movies.
Film and Television Career of Stephanie Kurtzuba
Stephanie Kurtzuba doesn’t have an extensive film career, but she landed some significant roles during her journey.
Her breakthrough came in 2013 when she was hired for Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street. It was her first time playing a role in such a significant project, and it was the first of many.
Years later, Scorsese hired her again for his Netflix hit, The Irishman.
She also appeared in the 2014 film adaptation of Annie, playing the role of Mrs. Kovacevic, and Away We Go by Sam Mendes.
On top of that, Stephanie made some considerable strides in TV shows. She made her TV debut in The Good Wife, where she played Olivia Suconik in a recurring role. After that, she appeared on shows like Blue Bloods, The Leftovers, Law & Order: Special Victims, and Elementary.
Honorable Mentions
In a private interview, Stephanie talked about her role in The Wolf of Wall Street and how it helped shape the rest of her career. She said she showed up daily to do her role successfully, even when she wasn’t needed.
She also said that she had it ingrained in her mind that she’s her character and living her life, which helped her improvise some lines that added to the character.
According to her, the director would catch her improvising stuff and ask that the camera film her because she was acting so within her role.
Her line when she was getting arrested, “This is Chanel!” was improvised.
Personal Life and Relationships
Stephanie Kurtzuba hides an exciting background behind her acting career. Her maternal grandparents, Tony and Nellie Pirruccello, built a bowling center in Omaha, and her mother had spent her childhood there.
Likewise, Stephanie grew up working in the center and spending countless hours there. She once spoke about the center, calling it her second home, and she said she’d use the dance floor in the lounge to rehearse her dance recital moves.
Befalling Tragedy
Unfortunately, Stephanie lost her mother before going to college. She said they were incredibly close, and the loss almost had her throwing her potential career down the drain.
It’s evident that Connie, Stephanie’s mother, passed away due to illness, but we’re not sure what she was suffering from. In her own words, Stephanie mentioned that with her mother gone, she realized that pursuing her dream was now or never, and that’s when she auditioned for the Tisch School of the Arts.
Marriage and Relationships
Contrary to most celebrities with complicated marriages, Stephanie Kurtzuba has had one husband for most of her life. In 2005, she married Joshua Coakley, and she’s been his wife since then.
The couple met when Stephanie was performing at the Alley Theatre in Houston. Coakley worked on the same show but was behind the scenes in the props department.
Their marriage is still going strong with two sons.
What’s Next for Stephanie Kutzuba?
Stephanie has been the spokesperson for Red Baron Pizzas since 2017, and her next project seems to be related to production.
She reportedly has a couple of projects and is working on creating a TV series loosely based on her own life. The series will be set in Omaha and start filming toward the end of 2024.
Will that project ever see the light? Who knows! We’ll be waiting for it either way.
