Steve Buscemi

Steve Buscemi
Buscemi at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
Born	Steven Vincent Buscemi December 13, 1957 (1957-12-13) (age 53) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actor/Writer/Director
Years active	1985–present
Spouse	Jo Andres (1987-present) 1 child

Steven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi (pronounced /buːˈsɛmi/, boo-SEM-ee by the actor himself, but often /buːˈʃɛmi/, boo-SHEM-ee by others;^[1] born December 13, 1957) is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi is best known to the general public for his appearances in movies like Reservoir Dogs, Fargo, Con Air, and The Big Lebowski. Buscemi is also known for playing the violent but calculated Tony Blundetto in the hit drama series The Sopranos.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 Acting 2.2 Directing 3 Personal life 4 Filmography 5 References 6 External links

Early life

Steve Buscemi was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Dorothy, who worked as a hostess at Howard Johnson's, and John Buscemi, a sanitation worker and Korean War veteran. Buscemi's father was Sicilian American and his mother was Irish American.^[2][3][4] He has three brothers: Jon, Ken, and Michael. Buscemi was raised Roman Catholic.^[5]

He graduated in 1975 from Valley Stream Central High School in Valley Stream, New York, a school which he attended with actress Patricia Charbonneau and writer Edward Renehan.^[6] In high school, Buscemi wrestled for the varsity squad and participated in the drama troupe, at that time directed by Mr. Lynne C. Lappin. Buscemi's 1996 film Trees Lounge, in which he not only starred in but served as screenwriter and director, is set in and was largely shot in his childhood village of Valley Stream.^[7]

Buscemi briefly attended Nassau Community College before moving to Manhattan to enroll in the Lee Strasberg Institute. In the early 1980's Buscemi also served as a firefighter for four years on FDNY Engine 55.^[8]

Career

Acting

His first role in a major motion picture was in the 1987 film Parting Glances, for which his performance in the role of Nick received praise. Other early films include Slaves of New York in 1988, and Tales from the Darkside, a 1990 film with three segments. Buscemi starred in the first segment, playing Bellingham, a college student who orders a mummy and unleashes it on fellow college students played by Christian Slater and Julianne Moore.

During 1990, Buscemi had a couple of additional crime roles. He played the henchman of Laurence Fishburne named Test Tube in Abel Ferrara’s King of New York, and played Mink in the Coen Brothers Millers Crossing. This marked the first of six of the Coen Brothers' films in which Buscemi appeared.

In 1991, he played the bellboy, Chet, in the Coen Brothers film, Barton Fink. His first lead role was in 1992, where he played Adolpho Rollo in Alexandre Rockwell's In the Soup. Then he finally came to public attention for playing Mr. Pink in Quentin Tarantino’s 1992 film, Reservoir Dogs.

Buscemi's most notable character roles include Mr. Pink in Reservoir Dogs, Garland Greene in Con Air, Rockhound in Armageddon, Donny in The Big Lebowski, and Carl Showalter in Fargo. Arguably his most critically successful performance was for his role as Seymour in Ghost World, for which he won several awards. Buscemi often plays characters that are neurotic and paranoid. He has appeared in a number of films by the Coen Brothers, in which he tends to die in a grisly, prolonged or unexpected manner. He frequently provides comic relief in Adam Sandler films such as Airheads, Billy Madison, The Wedding Singer, Big Daddy, Mr. Deeds, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and Grown Ups. He also has worked with Tim Burton, Quentin Tarantino, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Jim Jarmusch, the Coen Brothers, Robert Rodriguez, and Michael Bay on various occasions.

In 2003, Buscemi made a brief celebrity guest appearance as himself on the long-running Fox animated television show The Simpsons in the episode "Brake My Wife, Please". Most recently, Buscemi provided the voice for Dwight, a bank robber whom Marge promises to visit in jail if he turns himself in to the authorities. This episode, entitled "I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", originally aired on October 14, 2007.

In 2004, Buscemi joined the cast of The Sopranos as Tony Soprano's cousin and childhood friend, Tony Blundetto, a role for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award. 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. He appeared in the third episode of season 6, as a doorman in Heaven, which is portrayed as a country club, in Tony Soprano's dream. He returned to direct the episodes "In Camelot", the seventh episode of season five, and "Mr. & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request...", the fifth episode of season 6.

In 1995, Buscemi played suspected cop-shooter Gordon Pratt in the episode "End Game" at the end of a three-episode arc of Homicide: Life on the Street. He also had a role as Phil Hickle, Ellen's father and older Pete's guidance counselor, in The Adventures of Pete and Pete, as well as guest-starring in Miami Vice in 1986. Buscemi was rumored to be considered for the role of The Scarecrow in Joel Schumacher's proposed fifth installment of the first Batman franchise, Batman Triumphant, before Warner Bros. cancelled the project.^[9]

In 2004, Buscemi appeared in the music video for Joe Strummer's cover of the Bob Marley track "Redemption Song". The video is shot after Strummer's death, and Buscemi appears alongside of a graffiti portrait of Strummer.

In 2002, Steve contributed to Lou Reed's concept album The Raven with the song "Broadway Song", and poems "Old Poe" and "The Cask".

Buscemi will star in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire.

Directing

Buscemi has worked extensively as a writer and director since making his debut feature during the 1990s. His directional credits include:

• Trees Lounge (1996)
• Animal Factory (2000)
• Lonesome Jim (2005)
• Interview (2007)

In addition to feature films, he directed episodes of the television shows Homicide: Life on the Street and The Sopranos episode Pine Barrens, as well as two episodes of HBO's prison-drama series Oz, entitled "U.S. Male" and "Cuts Like a Knife". He also directed an episode of 30 Rock, entitled "Retreat to Move Forward". He has also directed episodes four, five, seven and eight from season 1 of Showtime's Nurse Jackie. His brother Michael makes a small guest appearance in episode seven, playing 'God'.

Whilst scouting a location for a film, Buscemi visited the Philadelphia Eastern State Penitentiary. He found the building so interesting that he later provided the majority of the narration for the audio tour there.

Personal life

Steve was a New York City fireman from 1980 to 1984, with Engine Company #55 in the Little Italy section of New York.^[10]

On March 4, 2005, Buscemi returned to his old high school where he was presented the Distinguished Alumni Award as part of the school's 75th anniversary celebration.

In April 2001, while shooting the film Domestic Disturbance in Wilmington, North Carolina, Buscemi was stabbed three times while intervening in a bar fight at the Firebelly Lounge between his friend Vince Vaughn, screenwriter Scott Rosenberg and a local man, who allegedly instigated the brawl.^[11][12]

Buscemi has one son, Lucian, with his wife Jo Andres.^[13]

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Note
1986	Parting Glances	Nick
1987	Kiss Daddy Goodnight	Johnny
1988	Call Me	Switchblade
	Heart of Midnight	Eddy
1989	Slaves of New York	Wilfredo
	Mystery Train	Charlie the Barber	Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor
	Lonesome Dove	Luke	TV
	New York Stories	Gregory Stark
1990	Tales from the Darkside: The Movie	Bellingham	Segment: "Lot 249"
	King of New York	Test Tube
	Miller's Crossing	Mink
1991	Barton Fink	Chet
1992	In the Soup	Aldolpho Rollo
	Reservoir Dogs	Mr. Pink	Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor
	CrissCross	Drug Dealer
1993	Twenty Bucks	Frank
	Rising Sun	Willy 'the Weasel' Wilhelm
	The Adventures of Pete & Pete	Phil Hickle	TV
	Ed And His Dead Mother	Ed Chilton
	Tales from the Crypt	Ike	TV
1994	The Search for One-eye Jimmy	Ed Hoyt
	The Hudsucker Proxy	Beatnik Barman at Ann's 440
	Airheads	Rex
	Pulp Fiction	Buddy Holly
	The Last Outlaw	Former Confederate soldier and outlaw Philo	TV
1995	Billy Madison	Danny McGrath	Uncredited
	Living in Oblivion	Nick Reve
	Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead	Mister Shhh
	Desperado	Buscemi
1996	Fargo	Carl Showalter	Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture - Drama
	Escape from L.A.	Map to the Stars Eddie
	Trees Lounge	Tommy	Also writer and director Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature (shared with Chris Hanley and Brad Wyman) Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay
1997	Con Air	Garland 'The Marietta Mangler' Greene
1998	The Big Lebowski	Theodore Donald 'Donny' Kerabatsos
	Divine Trash	Himself
	The Impostors	Happy Franks
	The Wedding Singer	David 'Dave' Veltri	Uncredited
	Armageddon	Rockhound
1999	Big Daddy	Homeless Guy
2000	28 Days	Cornell Shaw
	Animal Factory	A.R. Hosspack	Also director
2001	Ghost World	Seymour	Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — American Film Institute Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
	Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within	Officer Neil	Voice
	The Grey Zone	'Hesch' Abramowics
	Love in the Time of Money	Martin Kunkle
	Domestic Disturbance	Ray Coleman
	Monsters, Inc.	Randall Boggs	Voice
2002	Mr. Deeds	Crazy Eyes
	13 Moons	Bananas The Clown
	The Laramie Project	Doc O'Conner
	Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams	Romero
2003	Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over	Romero
	Coffee and Cigarettes	Waiter (Segment "Twins")
	Big Fish	Norther Winslow
2002-2006	The Sopranos	Tony Blundetto / Man	TV (16 Episodes) Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (2001) Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor - Drama Series (2004)
2004	Home on the Range	Wesley	Voice
2005	Lonesome Jim		Director
	The Island	James McCord
2006	Art School Confidential	Broadway Bob D'Annunzio	Uncredited
	Monster House	Nebbercracker	Voice
	Charlotte's Web	Templeton the Rat	Voice
	Dust to Dust: The Health Effects of 9/11	Narrator	TV
2007	I Think I Love My Wife	George Sianidis
	Paris, je t'aime	The tourist (segment 'Tuileries')
	Interview	Pierre Peters	Also director
	I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry	Clint Fitzer
	The Simpsons	Dwight	Voice TV (Episode: I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings)
	Delirious	Les Galantine
	Romance & Cigarettes	Angelo
	30 Rock	Lenny Wosniak	TV (4 Episodes) Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor - Comedy Series (2008)
2008	ER	Mr. Masterson	TV (1 Episode)
	Igor	Scamper	Voice
2009	Rage	Frank
	John Rabe	Dr. Robert Wilson	Nominated — German Film Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (2008)
	G-Force	Bucky	Voice
	The Messenger	Dale Martin
	Handsome Harry	Thomas Kelley
2010	Saint John of Las Vegas	John Alighieri
	Youth in Revolt	George Twisp
	Grown Ups	Wiley
	The Chosen One	Neil
	Pete Smalls Is Dead	Bernie Lake	post-production
2011	On the Road

References

External links

• Steve Buscemi: Indie King
• Steve Buscemi at the Internet Movie Database
• Hear the song 'Steve Buscemi' by The Pale Corners on the Low Slung Podcast

Films directed by Steve Buscemi 1990s Trees Lounge (1996) 2000s Animal Factory (2000) • Lonesome Jim (2005) • Interview (2007)