Steve Buscemi
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Steven Vincent Buscemi (,As stated in interviews by Buscemi himself. It is not uncommon for people to pronounce his name or instead. ; born December 13, 1957) is an American actor. He is known for his work as an acclaimed
character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...
. Multiple film critics and media outlets have cited Buscemi as one of the best actors never to have received an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
nomination. His early credits consist of major roles in
independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...
productions such as '' Parting Glances'' (1986), '' Mystery Train'' (1989), '' In the Soup'' (1992), and his breakthrough role as Mr. Pink in
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
's '' Reservoir Dogs'' (1992). Buscemi continues to appear in independent and mainstream films including '' Living in Oblivion'' (1995), '' Desperado'' (1995), ''
Con Air ''Con Air'' is a 1997 American action thriller film directed by Simon West and starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich in the lead roles. Written by Scott Rosenberg and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the film centers on a pr ...
'' (1997), ''
Armageddon Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...
'' (1998), '' Ghost World'' (2001), '' Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams'' (2002), '' Big Fish'' (2003), and '' The Death of Stalin'' (2017). Buscemi has often collaborated with the
Coen brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, together known as the Coen brothers (), are an American filmmaking duo. Their films span many genres and styles, which they frequently subvert or parody. Among their most acclaimed works are '' Blood Simple'' (198 ...
, appearing in, among other films, '' Fargo'' (1996) and '' The Big Lebowski'' (1998). He has also appeared in supporting or cameo roles in many films with
Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, List of awards and nominations received by Adam Sandler, his accolades include an Independent Sp ...
, such as '' Airheads'' (1994), '' Billy Madison'' (1995), ''
The Wedding Singer ''The Wedding Singer'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, written by Tim Herlihy, and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, and Christine Taylor, and tells th ...
'' (1998), '' Mr. Deeds'' (2002), ''Grown Ups'' (2010), and '' Hubie Halloween'' (2020). His voice acting credits in animated films include the ''Monsters, Inc.'' film series (2001, 2013), the ''Hotel Transylvania'' film series (2012–2022), and '' The Boss Baby'' (2017). Buscemi has had an extensive career in television, notably starring in the lead role of Enoch "Nucky" Thompson in the
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
series '' Boardwalk Empire'' (2010–2014). His performance earned him two
Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
s, a
Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...
and two nominations for a
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
. His other television roles include '' Lonesome Dove'' (1989), ''
The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...
'' (2004, 2006), ''
30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satire, satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live' ...
'' (2007–2013), '' Horace and Pete'' (2016), and '' Miracle Workers'' (2019–2023). Buscemi also directed the films ''
Trees Lounge ''Trees Lounge'' is a 1996 American comedy-drama film and the debut of Steve Buscemi as writer and director. It was produced by Brad Wyman and Chris Hanley and features a large ensemble cast of actors, including Buscemi, Anthony LaPaglia, Chlo ...
'' (1996), '' Animal Factory'' (2000), and ''
Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...
'' (2007).


Early life and education

Steven Vincent Buscemi was born on December 13, 1957, in the borough of
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
in New York City, to Dorothy (née Wilson) and John Buscemi. His father was a sanitation worker and served in the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
, and his mother was a hostess at
Howard Johnson's Howard Johnson by Wyndham, still commonly referred to as Howard Johnson's, is an American hotel brand with over 200 hotels in 15 countries. It was also formerly a Chain store, restaurant chain, which at one time was the largest in the U.S., wit ...
. Buscemi's paternal ancestors were from the town of
Menfi Menfi is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Agrigento in the Italian region Sicily, located about southwest of Palermo and about northwest of Agrigento. The town lies some from the south coast of Sicily, between the rivers Belic ...
in
Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
, Italy and his mother is of English and Dutch ancestry. He has three brothers: Jon, Ken and Michael. Michael is also an actor, whose most notable role to date was as Officer Jimmy in ''
BlacKkKlansman ''BlacKkKlansman'' is a 2018 American biographical film, biographical Crime film, crime comedy-drama film directed by Spike Lee and written by Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and Lee, loosely based on the 2014 memoir ''Black K ...
'' (2018). Buscemi was raised
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. When Buscemi was ten years old, the family moved from East New York to Valley Stream in Nassau County. Buscemi graduated in 1975 from Valley Stream Central High School along with future writer Edward J. Renehan Jr. and future actress Patricia Charbonneau. In high school, Buscemi wrestled for the varsity squad and participated in the drama troupe. (Buscemi's 1996 film ''
Trees Lounge ''Trees Lounge'' is a 1996 American comedy-drama film and the debut of Steve Buscemi as writer and director. It was produced by Brad Wyman and Chris Hanley and features a large ensemble cast of actors, including Buscemi, Anthony LaPaglia, Chlo ...
'', in which he starred and served as screenwriter and director, is set in and was largely shot in his childhood village of Valley Stream). In 1977, Buscemi took the New York City Firefighter’s exam and joined Engine Company 55, fighting fires for four years. Following the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
, he temporarily rejoined Engine Company 55 to serve at the site of the World Trade Center. Buscemi briefly attended
Nassau Community College Nassau Community College (NCC) is a Public college, public community college in the East Garden City, New York, East Garden City section of Uniondale, New York, Uniondale, Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, New York (state), N ...
before moving to
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
to enroll in the Lee Strasberg Institute.


Career


1985–1989: Early roles

Before making his film debut, Buscemi was a regular live
performer The performing arts are The arts, arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art ob ...
at the Pyramid Cocktail Lounge and other downtown
no wave No wave was an avant-garde music genre and visual art scene that emerged in the late 1970s in Downtown New York City. The term was a pun based on the rejection of commercial new wave music. Reacting against punk rock's recycling of rock and r ...
venues; for many years performing comic skits with Mark Boone Junior. In 1988 they presented as a duo called Buscemi and Boone an evening of original
black comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club that they called ''In Your Mind'', with one extended playlet titled ''Two Americans in Paris''. ''Two Americans in Paris'' was set in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
in the 1960s and portrayed manipulative confrontations between two young American men in a bistro. Prominent solo performances were given in John Jesurun's ''Chang in a Void Moon'' series, as well as appearing in an adaptation of
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's play ''
Titus Andronicus ''The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus'', often shortened to ''Titus Andronicus'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first t ...
'', directed by Kęstutis Nakas. Buscemi made his film debut in the 1985 film '' The Way It Is or Eurydice in the Avenues'', directed by Eric Mitchell, which was part of the no wave cinema movement. Other early performances include a role in the Christine Vachon-directed short ''Days Are Numbered'' (1986), '' Parting Glances'' (1986) as well as an appearance in an episode of the
television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
''
Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo Tubbs, Ricardo "Rico" Tub ...
'' in 1986. In 1989, he appeared in four films, including James Ivory's comedy '' Slaves of New York'',
Howard Brookner Howard Brookner (April 30, 1954 – April 27, 1989) was an American film director. He produced and directed the documentary ''Burroughs (film), Burroughs'' about William S. Burroughs (1983), ''Robert Wilson and the Civil Wars'' on theatre direct ...
's ensemble period film '' Bloodhounds of Broadway'' and the ''
New York Stories ''New York Stories'' is a 1989 American anthology film consisting of three segments with the central theme being New York City. The first is ''Life Lessons'', directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Richard Price and starring Nick Nolte. The ...
'' segment directed by
Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...
entitled, "Life Lessons" starring alongside
Nick Nolte Nicholas King Nolte (; born February 8, 1941) is an American actor. Known for his leading man roles in both dramas and romances, he has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award. Nol ...
and
Rosanna Arquette Rosanna Lisa Arquette (; born August 10, 1959) is an American actress. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance in the TV film '' The Executioner's Song'' (1982) and won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for th ...
. The film screened out of competition at the
1989 Cannes Film Festival The 42nd Cannes Film Festival took place from 11 to 23 May 1989. West German filmmaker Wim Wenders served as jury president for the main competition. American filmmaker Steven Soderbergh won the '' Palme d'Or'', the festival's top prize, for his ...
to mixed reviews with the Scorsese segment being hailed as the standout by
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
. Buscemi also appeared in
Jim Jarmusch James Robert Jarmusch ( ; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director, screenwriter and musician. He has been a major proponent of independent film, independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films such as ''Stranger Than Paradise'' ...
's independent film '' Mystery Train'' (1989) as Charlie the Barber, and was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male.


1990–1998: Rise to prominence

In 1990, he played Mink Larouie in the
Coen Brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, together known as the Coen brothers (), are an American filmmaking duo. Their films span many genres and styles, which they frequently subvert or parody. Among their most acclaimed works are '' Blood Simple'' (198 ...
' neo-noir gangster film '' Millers Crossing'' starring opposite
Gabriel Byrne Gabriel James Byrne (born 12 May 1950) is an Irish actor. He has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for a Grammy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards. Byrne was awarded the Irish Film and Television Academy L ...
, Marcia Gay Harden, and John Turturro. This was the first of five of the Coen Brothers' films in which Buscemi performed. Critic
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
described the film as one that "is likely to be most appreciated by movie lovers who will enjoy its resonance with films of the past." Also that year, he starred as Test Tube, a henchman of
Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has gained recognition for his roles on stage and screen as militant and authoritative characters. List of awards and nominations received by Laur ...
's character Jimmy Jump in Abel Ferrara's
crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...
'' King of New York'', as well as Edward in the
anthology film An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film or a portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of three or more shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme, premise ...
'' Tales from the Darkside: The Movie'', the
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...
of the "Lot 249" segment of the film. In 1991, he played a bellboy, Chet, in the Coen Brothers film
black comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
''
Barton Fink ''Barton Fink'' is a 1991 American black comedy thriller film written, produced, edited and directed by the Coen brothers. Set in 1941, it stars John Turturro in the title role as a young New York City playwright who is hired to write scripts f ...
'' starring John Turturro and
John Goodman John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He rose to prominence in television before becoming an acclaimed and popular film actor. Goodman has received List of awards and nominations received by John Goodman, various acc ...
. His first lead role was as Adolpho Rollo in Alexandre Rockwell's '' In the Soup'' (1992). He gained wider attention for his supporting part as
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
ous criminal Mr. Pink in
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
's crime film '' Reservoir Dogs'' (1992), a role that Tarantino originally wrote for himself, and one that earned Buscemi the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male in his second nomination. Also in 1992, he had a guest role as Phil Hickle, Ellen's father and older Pete's guidance counselor, in '' The Adventures of Pete and Pete''. The following year, he starred as the eponymous character in the horror comedy film '' Ed and His Dead Mother'' (1993). He also appeared in a
cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
in Tarantino's next film, ''
Pulp Fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence ...
'', where he portrays a waiter dressed as
Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was a central and pioneering figure of rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texa ...
who serves Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega. In 1994, he appeared in the 1994 comedy '' Airheads a''s Rex, bass player of The Lone Rangers. In 1995, Buscemi guest-starred as suspected murderer Gordon Pratt in " End Game", an episode of the television series '' Homicide: Life on the Street''. Buscemi was rumored to be considered for the role of The Scarecrow in
Joel Schumacher Joel T. Schumacher (; August 29, 1939 – June 22, 2020) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Raised in New York City by his mother, Schumacher graduated from Parsons School of Design and originally became a fashion designe ...
's proposed fifth installment of the first ''
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
'' franchise, '' Batman Unchained'', before
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
cancelled the project. In 1995 he also starred alongside Tarantino and Antonio Banderas in '' Desperado'', and played the lead role in the independent satire film '' Living in Oblivion''. The next year, Buscemi again collaborated with the Coen Brothers, starring as kidnapper Carl Showalter in the black comedy crime film '' Fargo'' starring
Frances McDormand Frances Louise McDormand (born Cynthia Ann Smith; June 23, 1957) is an American actress and film producer. In a career spanning over four decades, McDormand has received numerous accolades, including four Academy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awa ...
and
William H. Macy William Hall Macy Jr. (born March 13, 1950) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. He is a two-time Emmy Award and four-time Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award winner, and has been nominated for an Acade ...
. The film was a critical and commercial success debuting at the
1996 Cannes Film Festival The 49th Cannes Film Festival took place from 9 to 20 May 1996. American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola served as jury president for the main competition. Sabine Azéma hosted the opening and closing ceremonies. British filmmaker Mike Leigh wo ...
where it competed for the
Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...
. Subsequently, he gained a reputation as
character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...
, with supporting roles in blockbuster action films: as Garland Greene in
Simon West Simon Alexander West (born 17 July 1961) is an English film director and producer. He has primarily worked in the action genre, most notably as the director of the films ''Con Air'', ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'', ''The Mechanic (2011 film), Th ...
's ''
Con Air ''Con Air'' is a 1997 American action thriller film directed by Simon West and starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich in the lead roles. Written by Scott Rosenberg and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the film centers on a pr ...
'' (1997) and Rockhound in
Michael Bay Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget high-concept action films with fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use of special eff ...
's ''
Armageddon Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...
'' (1998). Buscemi also appeared as Donny in the Coen's
cult classic A cult following is a group of Fan (person), fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some List of art media, medium. The latter is often cal ...
black comedy film '' The Big Lebowski'' (1998) starring
Jeff Bridges Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He is known for his Leading actor, leading man roles in film and television. In a career spanning over seven decades, he has received List of awards and nominations received by ...
and
John Goodman John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He rose to prominence in television before becoming an acclaimed and popular film actor. Goodman has received List of awards and nominations received by John Goodman, various acc ...
. Also in 1998 he played a supporting role in the romantic comedy ''
The Wedding Singer ''The Wedding Singer'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, written by Tim Herlihy, and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, and Christine Taylor, and tells th ...
'' starring
Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, List of awards and nominations received by Adam Sandler, his accolades include an Independent Sp ...
and
Drew Barrymore Drew Blythe Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an American actress, talk show host, and businesswoman. A member of the Barrymore family of actors, she has received multiple List of awards and nominations received by Drew Barrymore, awards a ...
. During this time he also made his directing debut the episode: "Finnegan's Wake" (1998) of the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
drama '' Homicide: Life on the Street''. From 1999 to 2001 he also directed two episodes of
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
prison drama '' Oz''.


1999–2009: ''The Sopranos''

In 1999 he acted alongside
Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, List of awards and nominations received by Adam Sandler, his accolades include an Independent Sp ...
in the comedy '' Big Daddy'' (1999). Going into the 2000s, Buscemi continued to co-star in supporting roles. He played Seymour in the black comedy '' Ghost World'' (2001) opposite
Scarlett Johansson Scarlett Ingrid Johansson (; born November 22, 1984) is an American actress and singer. The List of highest-paid film actors, world's highest-paid actress in 2018 and 2019, she has been featured multiple times on the Forbes Celebrity 100, ''F ...
and Thora Birch. The film received critical acclaim with critic
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
declaring, "The Buscemi role is one he's been pointing toward during his entire career". Buscemi received numerous nominations for his performance including for the
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture is a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Award that was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance in a motion picture released in the previ ...
. In 2001 he voiced Randall Boggs in the
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...
animated film '' Monsters, Inc.'' (2001). The film was a critical and financial success and earned a nomination for the
Academy Award for Best Animated Feature The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is an Academy Awards, Academy Award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for the best animation, animated feature film. An animated feature is defined by the a ...
. He also extensively performed voice-over work for animated films reprising the role of Randall in its prequel ''
Monsters University ''Monsters University'' is a 2013 American animated Coming-of-age film, coming-of-age comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. A prequel to ''Monsters, Inc.'' (2001), it was directed by Dan Scanlon (in his fea ...
'' (2013), Mr. Wesley in '' Home on the Range'' (2004), Nebbercracker in '' Monster House'' (2006) and Templeton the Rat in ''
Charlotte's Web ''Charlotte's Web'' is a book of children's literature by American author E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams. It was published on October 15, 1952, by Harper & Brothers. It tells the story of a livestock pig named Wilbur and his frie ...
''. During this time he also took the supporting role as Romero in the children's action adventure film '' Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams'' (2002), as well as its sequel '' Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over'' (2003). In 2004, Buscemi joined the cast of the acclaimed
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
crime television series ''
The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...
'' as
Tony Soprano Anthony John Soprano, portrayed by James Gandolfini, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the HBO crime drama television series ''The Sopranos''. He is a member of the American Mafia, Italian-American Mafia and, later in the series, ...
's cousin and childhood friend, Tony Blundetto, a role that earned him an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
nomination. Buscemi had previously contributed to the show as director of the third-season episode " Pine Barrens", which was one of the most critically acclaimed episodes of the series, and the fourth-season episode "
Everybody Hurts "Everybody Hurts" is a song by American rock band R.E.M. from their eighth studio album, '' Automatic for the People'' (1992), and released as a single in April 1993 by Warner Bros. Records. It was written by the band and produced by them with ...
". He appeared in episode three of season 6 as a doorman in the
afterlife The afterlife or life after death is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's Stream of consciousness (psychology), stream of consciousness or Personal identity, identity continues to exist after the death of their ...
, which is portrayed as a country club in Tony Soprano's dream. He also directed the episodes " In Camelot", the seventh episode of season 5, and " Mr. & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request...", the fifth episode of season 6. Buscemi appeared in the music video for
Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British musician. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist, and lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, formed in 1976. The Clash' ...
's cover version of
Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...
's " Redemption Song". During this time Buscemi acted in several comedy films often starring
Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, List of awards and nominations received by Adam Sandler, his accolades include an Independent Sp ...
in films such as '' Mr. Deeds'' (2002), '' I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry'' (2007), '' Grown Ups'' (2010), and opposite Chris Rock '' I Think I Love My Wife'' (2007). He also starred in numerous critically acclaimed independent drama films such as the
Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and producer. Known for popularizing Goth subculture, Goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his Gothic film, gothic horror and dark fantasy films. ...
fantasy drama '' Big Fish'' (2003), the
Jim Jarmusch James Robert Jarmusch ( ; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director, screenwriter and musician. He has been a major proponent of independent film, independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films such as ''Stranger Than Paradise'' ...
film '' Coffee and Cigarettes'' (2003), the John Turturro romantic drama '' Romance & Cigarettes'' (2005), the anthology film ''
Paris, je t'aime ''Paris, je t'aime'' (; ) is a 2006 anthology film starring an ensemble cast of actors of various nationalities. The two-hour film consists of eighteen short films set in different '' arrondissements'' (districts). The 22 directors include Guri ...
'' (2006), the war drama '' The Messenger'' (2009), and the romantic comedy '' Youth in Revolt'' (2009). He also directed the comedy drama films '' Lonesome Jim'' (2005), and ''
Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...
'' (2007), while also serving as an executive producer for the film '' Saint John of Las Vegas'' (2009). During this time he continued to voice roles in films such as '' Monster House'' (2006), '' Igor'' (2008), ''
G-Force The g-force or gravitational force equivalent is a Specific force, mass-specific force (force per unit mass), expressed in Unit of measurement, units of standard gravity (symbol ''g'' or ''g''0, not to be confused with "g", the symbol for ...
'' (2009), and '' Hotel Transylvania'' (2012).


2010–2015: ''Boardwalk Empire''

Buscemi continued directing for television including for the Showtime series '' Nurse Jackie'' (2009–2011) starring Edie Falco, the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
sitcom ''
30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satire, satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live' ...
'' (2009–2011) starring
Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. Known for her comedic roles in sketch comedy, television and film, Fey has received List of awards and nominations received by Tina Fe ...
and
Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his leading and supporting roles in a variety of genres, from comedy to drama. He has received List of awards and nominations received by A ...
and '' Portlandia'' from 2014 to 2015. He also directed 27 episodes of his web series ''
Park Bench with Steve Buscemi ''Park Bench with Steve Buscemi'' was an American web series talk show created, directed and hosted by actor Steve Buscemi, distributed by digital network AOL. The series premiered on May 15, 2014. In each episode, Buscemi interviews a famous frie ...
'' (from 2014 to 2015). Buscemi starred in the
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
drama series '' Boardwalk Empire'' created by
Terence Winter Terence Patrick Winter (born October 2, 1960) is an American writer and producer of television and film. He was the creator, writer, and executive producer of the HBO television series '' Boardwalk Empire'' (2010–2014). Before creating ''Boar ...
. The series started in 2010, where Buscemi assumed the role as Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (based on Enoch L. Johnson), a corrupt
Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...
politician who rules the town during the
Prohibition era Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacturing, manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption ...
. Buscemi's performance garnered him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama; he later received two more nominations for his work on the same show. In 2011 he hosted
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
's ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
''. Buscemi had a recurring role as Lenny Wosniak in the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
sitcom ''
30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satire, satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live' ...
'' from 2007 to 2013. During this time he appeared as a guest star in numerous shows such as the IFC sketch series '' Portlandia'' (2014–2017), the
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
sketch series '' Inside Amy Schumer'' (2016), the
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
comedy series '' Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'' (2016), and the Comedy Central comedy series ''
Broad City ''Broad City'' is an American television sitcom created by and starring Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. It was developed from their independent web series of the same name, which was produced between 2009 and 2011. The sitcom, like the web serie ...
'' (2017). He also acted alongside
Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, List of awards and nominations received by Adam Sandler, his accolades include an Independent Sp ...
in the animated film ''
Hotel Transylvania 2 ''Hotel Transylvania 2'' is a 2015 American animated monster comedy film produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation in association with LStar Capital, animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks, and distributed by Sony Pictures Relea ...
'' and '' The Ridiculous 6'', (both in 2015). He hosts, directs, and produces his own web series talk show, ''
Park Bench with Steve Buscemi ''Park Bench with Steve Buscemi'' was an American web series talk show created, directed and hosted by actor Steve Buscemi, distributed by digital network AOL. The series premiered on May 15, 2014. In each episode, Buscemi interviews a famous frie ...
'', which ran from 2014 to 2015. Buscemi won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series for the series in 2016. Also that year, Buscemi co-starred alongside Louis C.K. and
Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner and a three-time Tony Award nominee, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pier ...
in C.K.'s acclaimed comedy-drama web series '' Horace and Pete''. In an interview with ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'', Buscemi was the first actor to sign on to the project; with ''Boardwalk Empire'' over he was available to star in the series. The two reportedly "met up in New York City where C.K. pitched the still evolving series idea to Buscemi. He signed on, on the spot, to play C.K.'s brother, Pete".


2016–present

In 2016, Buscemi acted in the political drama '' Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer'' starring
Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began appearing in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in ''Looking for Mr. Goodbar (film), Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Hea ...
. The film premiered at the
Telluride Film Festival The Telluride Film Festival (TFF) is a film festival held annually in Telluride, Colorado, during Labor Day, Labor Day weekend (the first Monday in September). The 51st Telluride Film Festival, 51st edition took place on August 30–September ...
. The following year he starred as Del Montgomery in the British coming of age drama '' Lean on Pete'' (2017) directed by Andrew Haigh. The film premiered at the
74th Venice International Film Festival The 74th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 30 August to 9 September 2017, at Venice Lido in Italy. American actress Annette Bening was the jury president for the main competition. Italian actor Alessandro Borghi hosted ...
. The performance earned him a BIFA for Best Supporting Actor. In 2017 Buscemi starred in
Armando Iannucci Armando Giovanni Iannucci (; born 28 November 1963) is a Scottish satirist, writer, director, producer and performer. Born in Glasgow to Italian parents, Iannucci studied at the University of Glasgow followed by the University of Oxford. St ...
's
dark comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
and
satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...
film '' The Death of Stalin''. Buscemi portrayed
Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...
. He received critical acclaim from critics with Manohla Dargis describing his performance as "superb". The role earned him a BIFA for Best Supporting Actor nomination. During this time Buscemi continued taking roles in comedy films such as '' The Week Of'' (2018), '' The Dead Don't Die'' (2019), '' The King of Staten Island'' (2020), and '' Hubie Halloween'' (2020) as well as voicing roles in '' The Boss Baby'' (2017), '' Transformers: The Last Knight'' (2017), '' Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation'' (2018), and '' Hotel Transylvania: Transformania'' (2022). In February 2020, Buscemi was cast as Chebutykin in a New York Theatre Workshop revival of
Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...
's '' Three Sisters'' alongside Greta Gerwig,
Oscar Isaac Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada (born March 9, 1979) is an American actor. Recognized for his versatility, he has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Hispanic and Latino Americans, Latino characters in Cinema of the United States, H ...
, and Chris Messina. The production was supposed to begin May 13, but was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
with no return date set.


Directing

Buscemi has also worked as a director, making his directing debut in the 1990s. His directorial credits include: * ''What Happened to Pete'' (1992) (short film) * ''
Trees Lounge ''Trees Lounge'' is a 1996 American comedy-drama film and the debut of Steve Buscemi as writer and director. It was produced by Brad Wyman and Chris Hanley and features a large ensemble cast of actors, including Buscemi, Anthony LaPaglia, Chlo ...
'' (1996) * '' Animal Factory'' (2000) * '' Lonesome Jim'' (2005) * ''
Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...
'' (2007) * '' The Listener'' (2022) In addition to feature films, he directed episodes of the television shows ''Love'', '' Homicide: Life on the Street,'' ''
The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...
'', '' Oz'', ''
30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satire, satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live' ...
, Portlandia,'' and '' Nurse Jackie''. In the latter, his brother Michael played the character ''God'' in several episodes. While scouting a location for a film, Buscemi visited the Philadelphia
Eastern State Penitentiary The Eastern State Penitentiary (ESP) is a former American prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Fairmount, Philadelphia, Fairmount section of the city, and was operational from 1829 until 1971. The penitentiary refined the r ...
and found the building so interesting that he later provided the majority of the narration for the audio tour there.


Reception and image

In an interview with ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'', Buscemi was adamant about not altering his misaligned teeth, saying, "I've had dentists who have wanted to help me out, but I say, 'You know, I won't work again if you fix my teeth. Buscemi is noted for wrinkles around his eyes, giving them an aged appearance. "Buscemi eyes" describes the result when his eyes are photo-edited onto others' faces. He has stated that although he did not find this amusing, his wife Jo Andres did. The author Eiichiro Oda was inspired by Mr. Pink, Buscemi's character in '' Reservoir Dogs'' (1992), when creating one of the primary characters ( Vinsmoke Sanji) for his manga ''
One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as he explores the Grand Line in search of the myt ...
''. Buscemi guest-starred in season 6 episode 8 of ''
30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satire, satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live' ...
'' as a private investigator. Playing against his image, during a flashback he appears to be disguised as a teenager as he says that he was "part of a special task force of very young-looking cops who infiltrated high schools". His character's disguise and quote of "how do you do, fellow kids?" became an
internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...
.


Personal life

Buscemi grew up pronouncing his name as , in an anglicised way. In Sicily, where his ancestors are from, it is pronounced as . He once quipped, "I had to go to Sicily to find out I pronounce my name wrong." Buscemi married Jo Andres in 1987; they were married until her death on January 6, 2019. They had one son named Lucian (b. 1990). Buscemi was stabbed multiple times in April 2001 at the Firebelly Lounge in
Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...
, while shooting the film '' Domestic Disturbance''. He had intervened in a bar fight between
Vince Vaughn Vincent Anthony Vaughn (born March 28, 1970) is an American actor. He is known for starring as a leading man in numerous comedy films during the late 1990s and 2000s. He was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award ...
, Scott Rosenberg, and two local men. He was released from the hospital after treatment. Buscemi is a noted fan of the musical group
Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...
. He appears in the music video for the band's 2011 song " Make Some Noise", which was nominated for MTV Video of the Year. He also has a post-credit scene in the
Spike Jonze Adam Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze (), is an American Filmmaking, filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes films, commercials, music videos, skateboard videos and television. Jonze ...
–directed documentary '' Beastie Boys Story'' in which he pokes fun at the commercial failure of the group's second studio album, '' Paul's Boutique''; "When the tree fell in the forest, nobody heard that shit", jokes Buscemi. Buscemi sang in "The Broadway Song" for
Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...
's 2003 album ''
The Raven "The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a visit ...
''. Buscemi currently resides in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where he was given the key to the city in 2021. He previously resided in Sunset Strip, Los Angeles. On May 8, 2024, Buscemi was the victim of an unprovoked attack in
Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...
, New York, when he was punched in the face. The 66-year-old was taken to a nearby hospital with bruising, swelling and bleeding to his left eye. His publicist said later in a statement that Buscemi had recovered from the attack. On May 17, 2024, the suspect was arrested.


Firefighter

Buscemi was a
firefighter A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...
from 1980 to 1984, with the
New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for providing Fi ...
's Engine Company No. 55, in
Little Italy, Manhattan Little Italy () is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City, once known for its Italian American population. It is bounded on the west by Tribeca and Soho, on the south by Chinatown, on the east by the Bowery and Lower East Side, a ...
, while secretly taking acting classes and dabbling in
stand-up Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage (theatre), stage and delivers humour, humorous and satire, satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical comedy, physical acts. These ...
on the side. The day after the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
in New York, he returned to his old firehouse to volunteer; he worked twelve-hour shifts for a week, digging through rubble to search for missing
firefighter A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...
s. On May 25, 2003, Buscemi was arrested with nineteen other people while protesting the closing of a number of firehouses, including Engine 55. In the middle of 2011, Buscemi joined rallies against the threat of closing eight Brooklyn firehouses during the administration of Mayor
Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman and politician. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P., and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001 and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the 108th mayo ...
. He argued that closing these firehouses "is no way to protect New York." In 2014, Buscemi starred in and narrated the HBO documentary ''A Good Job: Stories of the FDNY'', in which he revisited his work with fellow firefighters, sharing their stories, including those from September 11. In 2021, Buscemi spoke to
podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...
host
Marc Maron Marc David Maron (born September 27, 1963) is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, writer, actor, and musician. In the 1990s and 2000s, Maron was a frequent guest on the ''Late Show with David Letterman'' and appeared more than forty times ...
about his issues with
PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster, traffic collision, ...
, a consequence of the five days he spent volunteering in the aftermath of 9/11. He served as
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
of the documentary ''Dust: The Lingering Legacy of 9/11'', which discussed the continuing toxic health effects of dust from the collapsed towers that many people, especially firefighters, have experienced.


Filmography

Buscemi has an extensive body of work in both film and television, dating back to the 1980s.


Awards and honors

Buscemi has received numerous awards and nominations for his performances in film and television. This includes a
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture is a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Award that was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance in a motion picture released in the previ ...
nomination for his performance in '' Ghost World'' (2003). He also received five Independent Spirit Award nominations, winning twice for Best Supporting Male for his roles in '' Reservoir Dogs'' (1992) and ''Ghost World'' (2003). For his role as Enoch 'Nucky' Thompson in the critically acclaimed
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
drama series Boardwalk Empire created by Terrence Winter, he received two
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
nominations, three
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
nominations, and ten
Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
(SAG) nominations. He received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 2011, and four SAG awards, two consecutive Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series awards (2011, 2012), and two consecutive Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2011, 2012). Buscemi won a
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series for ''
Park Bench with Steve Buscemi ''Park Bench with Steve Buscemi'' was an American web series talk show created, directed and hosted by actor Steve Buscemi, distributed by digital network AOL. The series premiered on May 15, 2014. In each episode, Buscemi interviews a famous frie ...
'' (2016). In 2014, Buscemi was named Honorary battalion chief by the
New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for providing Fi ...
after his early career serving as a fireman, and for his return to the service during 9/11. He worked 12-hour shifts for several days alongside other firefighters, searching for survivors in the rubble from the World Trade Center.


Notes


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Buscemi, Steve 1957 births Living people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male voice actors American people of Dutch descent American people of English descent American people of Italian descent American television directors Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Film directors from New York City Film producers from New York (state) Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male winners Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni Nassau Community College alumni New York City firefighters Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners People associated with the September 11 attacks People of Sicilian descent People with post-traumatic stress disorder Male actors from Brooklyn People from Valley Stream, New York Primetime Emmy Award winners Valley Stream Central High School alumni