Burr Steers: About Gore Vidal's Actor Nephew

Actor Burr Steers, the nephew of writer Gore Vidal, was in the news Wednesday when he confirmed to reporters that his father had passed away of pneumonia.

Vidal died Tuesday night in Los Angeles at the age of 86, leaving behind a long legacy of writings, cultural commentary and contributions to the discourse, as well as a nephew, Burr Gore Steers.

Burr Steers, as he is known to most, comes from American royalty, but he has proven to be a worthy creator in his own right, attending New York University and writing, directing and acting in a number of major motion pictures.

Steers, 56, wrote and directed the movies "17 Again," with Zac Efron, "Igby Goes Down," a critically-acclaimed coming-of-age tale starring Kieran Culkin and Susan Sarandon, "Charlie St. Cloud" with Efron, and wrote the screenplay for the hit comedy "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" with Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey.

Steers has also written episodes of TV dramas "Weeds," "The L Word" and "Big Love" and is on track to direct the forthcoming "Emperor: Young Caesar," according to Deadline.com, which printed the following quote from Steers after he was chosen to work on "Emperor":

"I've always had an interest in Julius Caesar and his formative years and am thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of this project," Steers said. "There has never been a film that focuses on Caesar as a young man, and Conn Iggulden, Bill Broyles and Stephen Harrigan have a completely fresh, timely, and exciting take on one of the greatest historical figures of all time. I look forward to working with Conn, Bill and Stephen, Exclusive Media, Atmosphere's Mark Canton and Hollywood Gang's Gianni Nunnari and Craig Flores."

And he has been an actor, as well, appearing in Quentin Tarantino films, including the seminal "Pulp Fiction," in which he played the part of Roger, aka Flock of Seagulls.

Burr Gore Steers was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in the suburban D.C. outpost of Bethesda, Md. with his parents U.S. Congressman Newton Ivan Steers, Jr. and Nina Gore Auchincloss, who was a stepsister to Jackie Onassis and a half-sister of Gore Vidal. That makes him both a nephew to Jackie O and to Vidal himself.

Burr Steers is a part of the D.C.-area American pantheon where power, politics, money and writing collide, and he continues to live the dream in the absence of his beloved uncle.