Steve Buscemi

"My favorite review described me as the cinematic equivalent of junk mail. I don't know what that means, but it sounds like a dig."

b. December 13 1957, Brooklyn, New York, USA

During senior year of high school, Buscemi became interested in acting, and went to study acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute; meanwhile, he drove an ice cream truck on Long Island, and was a fireman. He was a stand-up comic for four years, finally quit, and moved to Manhattan. He landed the role of a pop composer dying of AIDS in the film Parting Glances (1986). Since then, he has become one of the most under-appreciated actors in America.

He’s made many an appearance in the Coen Brothers films, particularly in Fargo, and is also well known for his role as Mr. Pink in Reservoir Dogs. Unfortunately, he has a habit of being very terrible films, and being the only bright spot.

In April of 2001, he was seriously hurt in a bar fight while shooting a film with Vince Vaughn; he was cut in the face, throat, and chest. He has since recovered.

Update: Since the September 11 attacks, Steve has gone back to firefighting in New York.

Filmography (courtesy IMDB):

Actor:
Deadrockstar (2002) .... Reverend Ely
Mr. Deeds (2002)
13 Moons (2001) .... Banana's The clown
The Grey Zone (2001)
The Laramie Project (2001) (TV)
Domestic Disturbance (2001)
Monsters, Inc. (2001) (voice) .... Randall Boggs
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) (voice) .... Neil
Ghost World (2001) .... Seymour
Double Whammy (2001) .... Jerry Cubbins
28 Days (2000) .... Cornell
Animal Factory (2000) .... A.R. Hosspack
Franky Goes to Hollywood (1999) .... Himself
Big Daddy (1999) .... Homeless Guy
The Impostors (1998) .... Happy Franks
Louis & Frank (1998)... aka Louis and Frank (1998)
Armageddon (1998) .... Rockhound
The Big Lebowski (1998) .... Donny
The Wedding Singer (1998) (uncredited) .... David 'Dave' Veltri
Divine Trash (1998) .... Himself (Interviewee)
The Real Blonde (1997) .... Nick
Con Air (1997) .... Garland 'The Marietta Mangler' Greene
Kansas City (1996) .... Johnny Flynn
Black Kites (1996) .... The Father
Escape from L.A. (1996) .... Map to the Stars Eddie
The Search for One-eye Jimmy (1996) .... Ed Hoyt
Trees Lounge (1996) .... Tommy
Fargo (1996) .... Carl Showalter
Desperado (1995) .... Buscemi
Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995) .... Mister Shhh
Dead Man (1995) (uncredited) .... Bartender
Billy Madison (1995) (uncredited) .... Danny McGrath
Living in Oblivion (1995) .... Nick Reve
Floundering (1994) .... Ned
Pulp Fiction (1994) .... Buddy Holly
Somebody to Love (1994) .... Mickey
The Last Outlaw (1994) (TV) .... Philo
Airheads (1994) .... Rex
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) .... Beatnik Barman
Ed and His Dead Mother (1993) .... Ed Chilton ... aka Bon Appetit, Mama (1993)
Twenty Bucks (1993) .... Frank
"The Adventures of Pete & Pete" (1993) TV Series .... Mr. Hickle
Rising Sun (1993) .... Willy "the Weasel" Wilhelm
Claude (1992)... aka Trusting Beatrice (1992)
CrissCross (1992) .... Louis ... aka Alone Together (1992)
What Happened to Pete (1992) .... Stranger
Who Do I Gotta Kill? (1992) ... aka Me and the Mob (1992)
Reservoir Dogs (1992) .... Mr. Pink
In the Soup (1992) .... Aldolpho Rollo
Barton Fink (1991) .... Chet
Billy Bathgate (1991) .... Irving
Zandalee (1991) .... OPP Man
Force of Circumstance (1990)
Miller's Crossing (1990) .... Mink
King of New York (1990) .... Test Tube
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990) .... Bellingham ("Lot 249")
Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989) .... Whining Willie
Slaves of New York (1989) .... Wilfredo
Mystery Train (1989) .... Charlie
New York Stories (1989) .... Gregory Stark
"Lonesome Dove" (1989) (mini) TV Series .... Luke Arena Brains (1988)
Call Me (1988) .... Switchblade
Heart of Midnight (1988) .... Eddy
Vibes (1988) .... Fred
Heart (1987) .... Nicky
Kiss Daddy Goodnight (1987) .... Johnny
Coffee and Cigarettes II (1986) .... Waiter
Film House Fever (1986) .... Tony
No Picnic (1986)
Parting Glances (1986) .... Nick
Sleepwalk (1986) .... Worker
Tommy's (1985) .... Daniel
The Way It Is (1984)

Filmography courtesty of you know where

Steve Buscemi is perhaps the greatest character actor of our time. He has appeared in over 80 films in only twenty years and is frequently used by Quentin Tarantino, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Jim Jarmusch, Robert Rodriguez, The Coen Brothers and Adam Sandler. And while Buscemi is obviously best known as an actor, its worth noting that he's also quite a fascinating person offscreen and offstage.

While many see Buscemi's performances and see an odd, squirrelly and perhaps even creepy man that could never get a girl, Buscemi has been happily married to a beautiful woman for years. He wed Jo Andres in 1987 and in 1990 Jo gave birth to Lucian, their only child. Jo directed, wrote, produced, edited, acted in and designed the special effects for "Black Kites," which won Best Short Film at the 1996 New York Film Festival. The film also starred Lucian, Steve and Steve's brother Michael Buscemi, who is an established performer as well.

In March 2003, while scouting for film locations, Steve visited the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, Steve was offered a chance to narrate the tour of the former prison. He agreed, and you can still hear his voice on the tour to this day. It is quite fitting that a prison tour features a voice over from Steve Buscemi.

In 1999 and 2000, Steve took on another odd task when he modeled for the exclusive European fashion brand Hennes & Mauritz. In that same time Patricia Arquette, Johnny Depp, Gary Oldman and Isabella Rosselini also modeled for that company. Obviously, Steve was a bit out of place, but when is he ever not?

In 1999 the Cincinnati, Ohio based folk/pop quintet Blessid Union of Souls released their third album Walking Off The Buzz. The album featured what would go on to be the band's biggest hit, "Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me For Me)." The song included the following lyrics:

She likes me for me
Not because I
Hang with Leonardo
Or that guy who played in Fargo
I think his name is Steve

In 2003 when singer/songwriter Lou Reed (of "Walk On The Wild Side" fame) released an album titled The Raven, Steve provided dramatic readings from Edgar Allan Poe's work and provided the vocals on the album's eleventh track "Broadway Song."

In 2001, while filming the film Domestic Disturbance, co-star Vince Vaughn, screenwriter Scott Rosenberg and Buscemi were enjoying some drinks at the Firebelly Lounge in Wilmington, North Carolina when Vaughn and Rosenberg got into an argument, and eventually, a fight with a local resident Timothy Fogerty. Buscemi stepped in to try to break up the altercation and was stabbed in the throat, head and arm by Fogerty. Buscemi now has a scar on his face that requires heavy amounts of make up to conceal in films.

From 1980 to 1984, prior to becoming a professional performer, Steve was a fire fighter in New York City with Engine Company #55 in the Little Italy section of town. On September 12th, 2001, Steve showed up to his old firehouse. He spent the next week working twelve hour shifts at Ground Zero working anonymously as to not attract any attention to himself. Also in response to the attacks, he spoke at The Concert for New York City held in October 2001 at Madison Square Garden, at the 2002 Memorial Day celebration on the U.S Capitol lawn and provided an introduction for the Emmy winning 2002 documentary 9/11.

In 2003, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that in an effort to close a $3.4 billion budget deficit the city should eliminate eight firehouses and that if the city didn't receive state or federal financial assistance that at least 30 more may have to be closed. Buscemi actively protested the closings, and in May 2003, was arrested at a protest.

In May 2004, Buscemi visited his very proud fire fighter past one last time. During production of John Turturro's film Romance & Cigarettes in which Buscemi appears, a fantasy sequence scene was being filmed in which Kate Winslet dreams her love interest is a fire fighter and rescues her from a burning building. Yet when a spark started an out of control fire, the crew panicked and the local FDNY station in New York City was called. Buscemi, who was on the set that day, came out and worked with the fire fighters in their effort to help dampen the fire. Nobody was hurt and the fire was put out within an hour.

Onscreen and off, Steve Buscemi is one hell of an interesting character.

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