William "Steve" Applegate

Steve Applegate, a chef and maitre d’ who was the face of the iconic Studio One
nightclub and other swanky hotspots in Hollywood and Los Angeles, died December 20,
2025, comforted by his partner of nearly a half century, Manny Slali, at St. Joseph’s
Medical Center in Burbank. He was 80.

Steve’s career in the food and entertainment industry spanned decades at some of
California’s most exclusive clubs, hotels, and restaurants. He rubbed shoulders with
celebrities, had legions of friends and made a loving home with Manny, complete with
cats and dogs and the aroma of a roast coming from his kitchen.

He kept track of his many friends in an old fashioned address book — he never quite
mastered the digital age — and frequently hosted parties and celebrations at home.

Steve’s Thanksgiving feasts were legendary. Friends and family looked forward all year
to his Christmas Day prime rib with horseradish sauce and Yorkshire pudding based on a recipe culled from his British-born grandmother’s cookbook.

Steve’s career began by chance at a party in the mid-1970s.

His striking good looks and natural charm caught the attention of a businessman who was opening a nightclub behind the Studio One disco in West Hollywood. The nightclub,
known as the Backlot, debuted in 1974 with Steve as maitre d’, a position he held for
nearly a decade.

Studio One proudly catered to a male, gay audience and drew a lively crowd. It played a
major role in the area’s burgeoning gay rights movement and heralded the enormous
popularity of disco.

The Backlot nightclub appealed to a wider audience and attracted top-notch entertainers
as well as a star-studded crowd. “Excellent entertainment is always featured at the
Backlot,” the Advocate, a publication focused on the gay community, noted in 1979.
“The disco is without equal in California.”

Everyone from actors Maureen O’Hara, Madeline Kahn and Sammy Davis Jr., to Nancy
and Ronald Reagan lined up to get into the Backlot — often pressing bills into Steve’s
hand to assure a seat.

Headline performers included Chita Rivera, Joan Rivers, Ike and Tina Turner, Bernadette
Peters and many others. Photos of celebrity attendees were displayed in the hallway
between the cabaret and the disco.

As the tuxedo-clad maitre d’, Steve was in the middle of it all. With his hazel eyes and
salt-and-pepper hair coupled with his calm demeanor, he made a distinctive impression.

Eartha Kitt had a regular bit where she would summon Steve — resplendent in his white
tux — to the stage with a bottle of Dom Perignon on a silver tray with a flute. She would
hold the glass of bubbly to his lips, while seductively urging him to sip. He reluctantly
complied. The crowd roared.

One evening in 1976, Steve was annoyed because the bass at the nightclub was too loud. He angrily stomped through the crowded dance floor to the DJ booth. Then he climbed a ladder to the perch where the DJ was working, stuck his head through the hole in the floor and demanded that the bass be lowered.

The DJ was Manny Slali. Though it was far from love at first sight, Steve soon asked
Manny out on a date.

They became inseparable — partners in life and in business. The couple settled first in
West Hollywood, then North Hollywood.

It was a life Steve could not have imagined when he was a young boy growing up near
Pasadena.

William Steven “Steve” Applegate was born in San Francisco on January 20, 1945, to
Richard V. and Anne (Armstrong) Applegate. He entered the world along with his
identical twin brother, James, always known as Jim.

The family moved to Altadena when the twins and their older brother, Nick, were young.
Steve fondly recalled summer vacations at Carpinteria beach and other family outings.

He and Jim raised chickens and pigeons in backyard coops. They entered the pigeons in
contests at the annual Los Angeles County Fair and were proud of the ribbons they won.

Decades later, however, both were diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. Doctors
speculated that exposure to bird droppings in their youth was a factor in the illness that
led to the deaths of both brothers.

Steve graduated from John Muir High School in Pasadena in 1964. He took a job selling
sewing notions — snaps, buttons, zippers — and tried to figure out what he was going to
do with his life.

The job at the Studio One nightclub set him on the path to a remarkable career in the food and entertainment industries.

In addition to being a charming host and talented chef, Steve was also a savvy
businessman. Customers hardly noticed as he skillfully upsold additional services.

After leaving the Backlot, Steve later managed Bernard’s, a gourmet restaurant at the
Biltmore Hotel. He and Manny owned and operated the St. Moritz Restaurant for a time.
Steve was also food and beverage director at The West Lake Village Inn, then at The
Sunset Marquis and catering director at McCormick & Schmick’s in Beverly Hills.

It was a whirlwind career that left little time for anything else. When he wasn’t working,
he was happy to be at home with Manny.

One Valentine's Day, he surprised Manny with a black Lab mix puppy they named
Pepper. Manny was initially less than thrilled but Pepper soon became a cherished
member of the family. A portrait of the dog still hangs over the fireplace.

After Pepper’s long and loving life, they welcomed two miniature dachshunds Daisey
and Dolly, whom they treasured for almost twenty years.

The couple’s many friends and relatives always knew they were welcome and if Steve
was cooking they were in for a treat.

Manny comes from a family of 13 children — “a party and drama every day,” Manny
frequently said — and Steve was very close to his in-laws. They visited frequently,
bringing their growing broods of children who were always happy to see their Uncle
Steve.

Many of those relatives and friends will come from all over the country on January 24,
2026 to honor the life of a remarkable man at a graveside service at Riverview Cemetery
in Brawley, California. Following the ceremony they will share a meal and raise a glass
in Steve’s memory.

Frye Chapel Mortuary in Brawley is handling arrangements.

In addition to his partner, Manny Slali, Steve is survived by his brother, Nick Applegate,
and sister-in-law, Cheryl Sue Applegate, of Tucson and his nephews, Jeffrey Brent
Applegate of Tucson and Peter Kendall Applegate of New River, California. He is also
survived by the daughters of his late brother, James, and late sister-in-law, Nancy
Applegate, nieces Shelley Applegate Franks, Robyn Applegate Russell and Nancy
Mendez Cervantes, all of Fountain Valley, California.

Steve will also be missed by Manny’s six surviving sisters: Teresa A. Robison, Saida S.
Atzenhofer, Coni Slali Stokely, Sara Slali Burnette, Elizabeth Carrizalez and Linda Slali
Salcido.

He is also survived by their children, nephews Michael Paul Arredondo, Brian James Van
Tassel, Ariz Avari Slali, Ralph George Burnette, George Abdo Slali, David Benjamin
Cervantes, Ian J. Atzenhofer, Daniel Martin Ruiz and nieces Ginah Elizabeth Peckio,
Lynda Michelle Waggoner, Roshni Avari Slali, Eliza A. Archambo, Audrey Elizabeth
Camacho, Jennifer Gloetzner, Priscella Danko, Autumn Breeze Burnett, Saida Hannah
Prins, Desi Rae Burnette, Marjorie B. Smith, Corina Slali Sandor, Jordyn Ashlee Sanchez
and Kasey Elizabeth Allen.