Steve Buscemi

Steve Buscemi (born December 13, 1957, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.) is an American actor, director, and screenwriter who is especially known for his portrayals of oddballs and fast-talking criminals in such films as The Big Lebowski (1998) and Fargo (1996). Adept at both comedy and drama and comfortable in independent films and more mainstream fare, Buscemi is one of Hollywood’s busiest—and most sought-after—actors.

Early life and career

He is one of four sons born to working-class parents. His mother, Dorothy (Wilson) Buscemi, was a hostess at a Howard Johnson’s restaurant, and his father, John Buscemi, worked for the sanitation department. When Steve Buscemi was eight years old, the family moved from Brooklyn to a suburb on Long Island. A natural performer, he entertained family and friends from an early age, telling jokes and performing magic tricks. He occasionally appeared in school productions but lacked the confidence to consider a career in acting. At the encouragement of his father, Buscemi took the civil service exam after graduating from high school. While waiting for an opening with the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), he worked a series of jobs—including gas station attendant, ice-cream truck driver, and theater usher—and spent much of his free time at the local bar.

In 1977 an aimless Buscemi began taking classes at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. During this time he began appearing in small theatrical productions and performing stand-up comedy. In 1980 he landed a job as a firefighter with the FDNY, though he continued to act. He later created the comedy duo Steve & Mark with Mark Boone Junior. They performed for some eight years and developed a loyal following. In 1984 Buscemi left the FDNY to devote himself to acting.

Film career: Reservoir Dogs, Fargo, and The Big Lebowski

In 1985 Buscemi made his feature film debut in the comedy The Way It Is. He subsequently began to find consistent, though largely forgettable, work. An exception was Parting Glances (1986), one of the first movies to address the AIDS crisis. Both the film and Buscemi’s performance were praised. Then in 1990 he was cast in the small but memorable role of Mink in Miller’s Crossing, a gangster drama set during Prohibition and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It was something of a turning point in Buscemi’s career. He subsequently began to land more prominent roles, and the movie was the start of a long and successful collaboration between the actor and the Coen brothers. In addition, Mink was killed in the movie, and many of Buscemi’s later characters became known for their unfortunate ends. The actor once said, “When I get cast, I always flip to the end of the script to see if my character gets beaten up or killed.”

After appearing in the Coens’ Barton Fink (1991), Buscemi played the mysterious Mr. Pink in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs (1992), a violent drama about a failed jewelry store robbery. The independent film became a cult classic and added more momentum to Buscemi’s career. He later appeared as a waiter dressed as Buddy Holly in Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994), another hugely influential movie. Buscemi’s other credits from 1994 include the Coens’ The Hudsucker Proxy, about a business scam, and the comedy Airheads, in which he starred with Brendan Fraser and Adam Sandler as struggling musicians. Buscemi subsequently appeared in a number of Sandler’s hit comedies, notably Billy Madison (1995), The Wedding Singer (1998), and Big Daddy (1999). While many of these roles were minor, Buscemi’s scenes were often among the films’ funniest moments.

In 1995 Buscemi starred in Living in Oblivion, a behind-the-scenes look at a low-budget, trouble-plagued movie shoot. The indie comedy and Buscemi’s performance as a neurotic director were highly praised. The following year he reteamed with the Coen brothers on the cult classic Fargo. Buscemi was cast as Carl Showalter, a loudmouthed small-time criminal who is involved in a bungled kidnapping. In one of the dark comedy’s most memorable scenes, Showalter’s dismembered body is fed into a wood chipper. The actor then turned to action films, portraying a serial killer in Con Air (1997). In 1998 Buscemi appeared in another Coen brothers’ classic, The Big Lebowski, starring with Jeff Bridges and John Goodman. Buscemi portrayed Donny, a downtrodden bowler who is repeatedly told to shut up by one of his friends.

After a supporting role in the blockbuster Armageddon (1998), Buscemi took a lead part in Terry Zwigoff’s Ghost World (2001). The acclaimed dramedy focuses on a cynical 18-year-old woman (Thora Birch) who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a lonely album collector (Buscemi). His later notable films include Coffee and Cigarettes (2003), featuring vignettes of people talking, and The Dead Don’t Die (2019), a horror-comedy in which a small town is attacked by zombies. Both were written and directed by independent filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, a frequent collaborator who once said of Buscemi, “He portrays humanity.” In 2017 Buscemi appeared as Nikita Khrushchev in The Death of Stalin, a satire about a power struggle following the death of Joseph Stalin. Buscemi also lent his voice to numerous movies, including Monsters, Inc. (2001) and the 2013 sequel, Monsters University; Charlotte’s Web (2006); and the Hotel Transylvania franchise (2012, 2015, 2018, and 2022).

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TV credits: The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire

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In addition to films, Buscemi acted on television. In 1986 he made his TV debut, appearing on episodes of Not Necessarily the News and Miami Vice. Over the next two decades, Buscemi largely focused on film. In 2004, however, he began appearing in a number of notable TV roles. That year he was cast as Tony Blundetto in the fifth season of HBO’s hugely popular series The Sopranos, about mobsters in New Jersey. His character is a trigger-happy gangster who makes a series of bad decisions that leads to his death. From 2007 to 2013 Buscemi also had a recurring role on the sitcom 30 Rock, playing Lenny Wosniak, an inept private investigator. During this time he also starred in Boardwalk Empire (2010–14), an HBO drama based on real-life gangsters in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during Prohibition; Martin Scorsese directed an episode and served as an executive producer. Buscemi portrayed Nucky Thompson, a character based on Nucky Johnson, a politician who also oversaw the city’s organized crime.

Buscemi’s other notable TV credits include Miracle Workers (2019– ), a comedy anthology series about angels who try to avert an apocalypse; he appeared as various characters, including God in season one. In addition, Buscemi had guest roles on such other shows as Portlandia and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Directing and other activities

In 1996 Buscemi directed, wrote, and starred in his first feature film, Trees Lounge, about an unemployed car mechanic who spends his days at a local bar. Inspired by his own life at age 19, the dramedy received largely positive reviews and was especially noted for its depiction of blue-collar workers. He later helmed Animal Factory (2000), a prison drama based on Edward Bunker’s novel about a convict (Willem Dafoe) who becomes a mentor to a new inmate (Edward Furlong). In Lonesome Jim (2005) a 27-year-old failed writer (Casey Affleck) returns to his hometown, where he struggles to rebuild his life. Buscemi later directed, cowrote, and starred in Interview (2007), a remake of a Dutch film (2003) by Theo van Gogh. The drama centers on a journalist (Buscemi) and an actress (Sienna Miller) who develop an unlikely bond during an interview. In 2022 Buscemi helmed his fifth movie, The Listener, about a volunteer at a telephone hotline.

Buscemi also directed episodes of numerous TV shows, including Oz, Nurse Jackie, 30 Rock, Portlandia, and Miracle Workers. For The Sopranos, he helmed one of the show’s most memorable episodes, “Pine Barrens” (2001) from season three. His other work includes hosting the Web series Park Bench with Steve Buscemi (2014–15), which features interviews with celebrities. As one of the executive producers, Buscemi earned an Emmy Award when the show was named best short form variety series.

Personal life

In 1987 Buscemi married Jo Andres, an artist, filmmaker, and choreographer. The couple later had a son, Lucian. In 2019 Andres died from complications of ovarian cancer.

Although he left the FDNY in 1984, Buscemi continued to be involved in causes and issues that affected firefighters. Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, he temporarily rejoined his old firehouse to help search for survivors at Ground Zero.