Veteran actor Steve Buscemi is one of Hollywood’s most versatile actors. Buscemi played several iconic characters across all super-genres, from Western, horror, and comedy to action. Known for his work as a character actor, Steve Buscemi is one of the hardest-working actors of his generation.
Yet, despite his decades-long career, Steve Buscemi is still listed among famous actors who have never been nominated for an Oscar. Making his acting debut in 1985, Buscemi has over 170 acting credits in film and television. In recognition of his contribution to the American film industry, here are 8 things you probably didn’t know about Steve Buscemi.
Steve Buscemi Has A Diverse European Ancestry
While this might not surprise several film and television audiences, Steve Buscemi has European ancestral roots that are as diverse as possible. For most television audiences, Buscemi’s role as Tony Blundetto on the popular HBO crime drama The Sopranos made many believe he was Italian. This is partly true as Steve Buscemi’s paternal ancestors were from Menfi, Sicily, Italy. However, from his mother’s side, Buscemi has both English, Irish, and Dutch ancestry. With this multi-ancestry, it’s easy to see how he blends into characters from the countries.
He Has An Early Passion For Acting
Born Steven Vincent Buscemi in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, on December 13, 1957, Buscemi had an active childhood. In High School (Valley Stream Central High School), Steve Buscemi was part of the wrestling and soccer teams, as well as the drama troupe. He joined the drama troupe in his last year in High School. By the end of his school year in 1975, Buscemi was certain he wanted to have a career in acting.
Steve Buscemi Attended Prestigious Lee Strasberg Institute
After graduating High School, Steve Buscemi left Nassau Community College, where he briefly attended, to enroll at Lee Strasberg Institute in New York City. With the acting school less than a decade old since it was founded in 1969, Buscemi studied under actor, director, and acting teacher Lee Strasberg. Lee Strasberg Institute has produced several notable names in the American film and entertainment industries. Some of its prominent alumni include Will Arnett, Alec Baldwin, Cary Elwes, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Angelina Jolie, Lady Gaga, Uma Thurman, and Christoph Waltz.
Steve Buscemi Was A Professional Firefighter
Like many actors before and after him, Steve Buscemi worked several other jobs to make ends meet before his big break in Hollywood. Buscemi drove an ice cream truck, was a bartender and stand-up comic, and worked at a gas station. However, while he was successful as a truck driver and bartender, Buscemi struggled as a comedian. His boss at the gas station was grooming him for a career as a mechanic. However, besides these odd jobs, Steve Buscemi was a professional firefighter with Manhattan Engine Company #55 from 1980 to 1984.
While working as a firefighter, Buscemi often participated in plays but initially hid it from his firefighting colleagues. When they found out, they supported him and ensured to attend his plays. Although he couldn’t remain a full-time firefighter because of his acting career, Buscemi remains a volunteer firefighter today. A day after the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, Buscemi returned to his former firehouse as a volunteer firefighter. He worked a 12-hour weekly shift to help pull survivors from under rubble. However, to avoid unnecessary media attention at such a time, Buscemi always wore a facemask and served anonymously.
He’s A Frequent Collaborator Of The Coen Brothers
Steve Buscemi has worked with the sibling filmmakers in over five of their movies. Besides John Goodman and Joel Coen’s wife, actress Frances McDormand, Buscemi has collaborated most with the brothers. Buscemi first worked with them in their neo-noir gangster movie Miller’s Crossing (1990). Buscemi played a supporting role as “Mink” Larouie. Other Coen brothers films Buscemi starred in include Barton Fink (1991), The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998), and Paris, I Love You (2006).
Steve Buscemi’s Work In Television
Steve Buscemi has starred in several iconic roles on television, just as he has on the big screen. The Sopranos was his first biggest project on television but was far from being his last. He appeared as Lenny Wosniak in 30 Rock (2007-2013) and Nucky Thompson in Boardwalk Empire (2010-2014), and he hosted his show, Park Bench with Steve Buscemi, from 2014 to 2015. On the TBS anthology series, Buscemi played four characters in all 4 seasons of Miracle Workers (2019-2023). He played God in season 1, Eddie Shitshoveler in season 2, Benny the Teen in season 3, and Morris ‘The Junkman’ Rubinstein in season 4.
He Lost His Wife In 2019
Steve Buscemi has only been married once. He married filmmaker and choreographer Jo Andres in 1987. The couple gave birth to their only child, Lucian Buscemi, in 1990. Diagnosed with a rare bowel disease, Jo Andres passed away at their home in Brooklyn from encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis on January 6, 2019.
Steve Buscemi’s Work As A Filmmaker
Besides being a fantastic actor, Steve Buscemi has worked on projects as a filmmaker. Buscemi’s first work as a director was in the 1992 short film What Happened to Pete. He then wrote the screenplay and made his feature film directorial debut in 1996 with Trees Lounge. Buscemi shot most of Trees Lounge scenes in Valley Stream, his childhood village.
Besides the 2010s, Steve Buscemi has directed at least one feature film in every decade, with his last film being The Listener (2022). Buscemi has also directed and produced works in television. He has directed episodes of prominent TV shows, including Oz, The Sopranos, Nurse Jackie, 30 Rock, Park Bench with Steve Buscemi, Portlandia, and Miracle Workers. While Steve Buscemi continues to thrill audiences with spectacular performances, read up on Woody Harrelson‘s most notable roles in movies and TV shows.
