About
| Birth Notes: | 13 December 1957, Brooklyn, New York, USA |
| Height: | 5' 9" |
| Nicknames: | Busc |
| Family: | * Jo Andres (1987 - present); 1 child |
| Biography: | Steve Buscemi was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He became interested in acting during his last year of high school. After graduating, he moved to Manhattan to study acting with John Strasberg. He began writing and performing original theatre pieces with fellow actor/writer Mark Boone Junior. This led to his being cast in his first lead role in Parting Glances (1986). Since then, he has worked with many of the top filmmakers in Hollywood, including Quentin Tarantino, Jerry Bruckheimer, and The Coen Brothers. He is a highly respected actor. |
Filmography
| 13 Moons (2002) as Bananas The Clown |
| 28 Days (2000) as Cornell |
| Airheads (1994) as Rex |
| Animal Factory (2000) as A.R. Hosspack |
| Armageddon (1998) as Rockhound |
| Art School Confidential (2006) as Broadway Bob D'Annunzio |
| Charlotte's Web (2006) as Templeton the Rat |
| Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) as Waiter (segment "Twins") |
| Con Air (1997) as Garland 'The Marietta Mangler' Greene |
| Ed and His Dead Mother (1993) as Ed Chilton |
| Escape from L.A. (1996) as Map to the Stars Eddie |
| Fargo (1996) as Carl Showalter |
| Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) as Neil |
| G-Force (2009) as Bucky |
| Ghost World (2001) as Seymour |
| Grown Ups (2010) as Wiley |
| Heart of Midnight (1988) as Eddy |
| Home on the Range (2004) as Wesley |
| I Think I Love My Wife (2007) as George |
| Igor (2008) as Scamper |
| Interview (2007) as Pierre Peders |
| John Rabe (2009) as Dr. Robert Wilson |
| King of New York (1990) as Test Tube |
| Kiss Daddy Goodnight (1987) as Johnny |
| Living in Oblivion (1995) as Nick Reve |
| Paris, je t'aime (2006) as Le touriste (segment "Tuileries") |
| Parting Glances (1986) as Nick |
| Pulp Fiction (1994) as Buddy Holly |
| Rage (2009) as Frank |
| Saint John of Las Vegas (2009) as John |
| Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002) as Romero |
| Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003) as Romero |
| Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990) as Bellingham (segment "Lot 249") |
| The Celluloid Closet (1995) as Nick |
| The Grey Zone (2001) as 'Hesch' Abramowics |
| The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) as Beatnik Barman |
| The Island (2005) as James McCord |
| The Laramie Project (2002) as Doc O'Connor |
| The Messenger (2009) as Dale Martin |
| Twenty Bucks (1993) as Frank |
| Vibes (1988) as Fred |
| Zandalee (1991) as OPP Man |
| Animal Factory (2000) |
| Interview (2007) |
| Lonesome Jim (2005) |
| ...So Goes the Nation (2006) as Himself |
| Arena Brains (1987) |
| Barton Fink (1991) as Chet |
| Big Daddy (1999) as Homeless Guy |
| Big Fish (2003) as Norther Winslow |
| Billy Bathgate (1991) as Irving |
| Billy Madison (1995) as Danny McGrath |
| Black Kites (1996) as The Father |
| Blank City (2009) |
| Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989) as Whining Willie |
| Call Me (1988) as Switchblade |
| Champion (2005) as Himself |
| Claude (1993) |
| Coffee and Cigarettes II (1989) as Waiter |
| CrissCross (1992) as Louis |
| Deadrockstar (2002) as Reverend Ely |
| Delirious (2006) as Les Galantine |
| Desperado (1995) as Buscemi |
| Divine Trash (1998) as Himself |
| Domestic Disturbance (2001) as Ray Coleman |
| Double Whammy (2001) as Jerry Cubbins |
| Edge of Outside (2006) as Himself |
| Excavating Taylor Mead (2005) as Narrator |
| Film House Fever (1986) as Tony |
| Floundering (1994) as Ned |
| Force of Circumstance (1990) |
| Franky Goes to Hollywood (1998) as Himself |
| Handsome Harry (2009) as Thomas Kelley |
| Heart (1987) as Nicky |
| I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale (2009) as Himself |
| I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007) as Clint Fitzer |
| In Search of Ted Demme (2005) as Himself |
| In Search of Ted Demme (2010) |
| In the Soup (1992) as Aldolpho Rollo |
| Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007) as Himself |
| Kansas City (1996) as Johnny Flynn |
| Keep Coming Back (2011) |
| Life Is Nice (1991) as Convienent Store Clerk |
| Louis & Frank (1998) as Drexel |
| Love in the Time of Money (2002) as Martin Kunkle |
| Megalomania (2011) |
| Miller's Crossing (1990) as Mink |
| Monster House (2006) as Nebbercracker |
| Monsters, Inc. (2001) as Randall Boggs |
| Mr. Deeds (2002) as Crazy Eyes |
| Mystery Train (1989) as Charlie the Barber (segment "Lost In Space") |
| New York Stories (1989) as Gregory Stark |
| No Picnic (1987) as Dead Pimp |
| Nobody Wants Your Film (2005) as Himself |
| On the Road (2011) |
| Pete Smalls Is Dead (2010) as Bernie Lake |
| President (2009) as Himself |
| Reservoir Dogs (1992) as Mr. Pink |
| Rising Sun (1993) as Willy 'the Weasel' Wilhelm |
| Road to Sundance (2000) as Himself |
| Rockets Redglare! (2003) as Himself |
| Romance & Cigarettes (2005) as Angelo |
| Schau mir in die Augen, Kleiner (2007) as Nick |
| Seymour Cassel Hollywood Reporter Acting Achievment Tribute (2009) as Himself |
| Slaves of New York (1989) as Wilfredo |
| Sleepwalk (1986) as Worker |
| Somebody to Love (1994) as Mickey |
| Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take 2 1/2 (2005) as Himself |
| The Big Lebowski (1998) as Theodore Donald 'Donny' Kerabatsos |
| The Chosen One (2010) as Neal |
| The Impostors (1998) as Happy Franks |
| The Real Blonde (1997) as Nick |
| The Search for One-eye Jimmy (1994) as Ed Hoyt |
| The Way It Is (1985) as Willy/Raphael |
| The Wedding Singer (1998) as David 'Dave' Veltri |
| Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995) as Mister Shhh |
| Tommy's (1985) as Tommy |
| Trees Lounge (1996) as Tommy |
| We're the Millers (2009) as David |
| Wednesdays at A's (2009) |
| What Happened to Pete (1992) as Stranger |
| Who Do I Gotta Kill? (1994) |
| Who's the Top? (2005) as Cymon |
| Youth in Revolt (2009) as George Twisp |
| Queer (2011) |
| The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas (2011) |
| Trees Lounge (1996) |
| What Happened to Pete (1992) |
Trivia
|
* Surname pronunced Buss-ehm-ee. Is of Italian and Irish-American ancestry. * (October 1997) Ranked #52 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. * Graduated in 1975 from Valley Stream Central High School, Valley Stream, NY. After graduation, he attended Nassau Community College and then moved to Manhattan to study acting at the famed Lee Strasberg Institute. * Brother of Michael Buscemi. * Was a New York City Fireman from 1980 to 1984, with Engine Company #55 in the Little Italy section of NY. * One son, Lucian Buscemi, born in 1990. * Has been cast in six movies by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, more appearances in Coen Brothers films than any other actor, exceeding by two films Frances McDormand, John Turturro and John Goodman . His character died in three of them: Miller's Crossing (1990), Fargo (1996), and The Big Lebowski (1998). * (12 April 2001) Stabbed in the throat, head and arm during a barroom brawl at the Firebelly Lounge in Wilmington, North Carolina. The brawl also involved Vince Vaughn, who was arrested for brutalizing one of Buscemi's attackers. He suffered a deep cut to the face and now has a noticeable scar on his cheek. Heavy make-up is used to hide it in movies. * (September 2001) Showed up at his old firehouse the day after the World Trade Center tragedy in New York to volunteer. Worked twelve hour shifts for a week after the terrorist act, digging through rubble with his old comrades looking for missing firefighters... anonymously. * Bears such a strong resemblance to writer-director John Waters that as a joke, Waters sent out cards with a photo of Buscemi made up to look like Waters. * Modelled for H&M (2000). * He went through a variety of interesting jobs before hitting it big as a character actor. He worked as a bartender, drove an ice-cream truck, attempted stand-up comedy, and (that which he is most proud of) was a firefighter (he continues to be a volunteer fire-fighter). He bombed so bad as a comic one night another comic took his place, Paul Reiser. Years later Buscemi and Reiser did an episode of "Mad About You" (1992) poking fun at the incident. * Frequently is typecast as sleazy or crazed characters, with his roles as Tommy in Trees Lounge (1996) and Seymour in Ghost World (2001) being the closest he has come to being the romantic lead. * Is one of the most prolific of today's actors, often starring in about 5 films a year. * In addition to his acting work, he has gained praise as a director, most notably for Trees Lounge (1996), Animal Factory (2000) and several episodes of "The Sopranos" (1999). * The band "Blessid Union of Souls" makes a reference to him in their hit song, "Hey Leonardo". They refer to him as "That guy who played in Fargo (1996). I think his name is Steve." * Auditioned for the part of George Costanza on "Seinfeld" (1990). * His mother is Irish-American. * In 2003, as part of a year-long tourist promotion at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he narrated the facility's audio tour. * His character in Reservoir Dogs (1992) refuses to tip waitresses. He later made a cameo as a waiter in Pulp Fiction (1994). * Was good enough to be a varsity wrestler (105 lb weight class) on the wrestling team in high school. He was also a soccer player, and was considered a "jock" rather than a scholar. Years later, while on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (1993), Buscemi challenged Andy Richter to a wrestling match when he found out Richter was on a high school wrestling team also. Much to Buscemi's embarrassment, Richter won, although Richter noted that fact the he is six inches taller and at least 100 pounds heavier might have given him an edge. * #21 on Tropopkin's Top 25 Most Intriguing People [Issue #100] * Played a character in Desperado (1995) whose character's name was his own last name. * Was suppose to attend the Kosmorama International Film Festival in Trondheim, Norway in 2007, but canceled two weeks before. * Was member of the dramatic jury at the Sundance Film Festival in 2003. * His father, John, had hoped to be a television cameraman, but he ended up clearing garbage for the sanitation department. His mother, Dorothy, worked as a hostess in the Howard Johnson hotels. * Has three brothers. * Was born on a Friday the 13th. * Went to a Catholic school. * Grandmother had 5 children. * Fractured his skull when he was hit by the bus when he was young. Some time later, he was hit by a car while chasing a ball which had rolled onto the street. He had cuts and bruises from this accident. * Grew up in Valley Stream, New York, as did actors Edward Burns , James Martin Kelly, and Larry Miller . * As of 2010, has appeared in six Coen Brothers films (Miller's Crossing (1990), The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), Barton Fink (1991), Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998), and Paris, je t'aime (2006)), more than any other actor. * Good friends with actor Stanley Tucci . |
Quotes
|
* 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. * In the beginning, it wasn't even a question of deciding I'm going to do independent film and not commercial films -- I wasn't being offered any commercial films, and there wasn't an independent scene. I did a lot of "so-called" independent films that were really low-budget films trying to be commercial. But you certainly make choices when you have a script written by Jim Jarmusch or the Coen brothers or Alexandre Rockwell; I think any actor would feel lucky to be able to work on projects like that. * It's weird; I was not a really tough guy in high school, but I end up playing all of these psychopaths and criminals. I don't really care who they are, as long as they are complicated and going through something that I can understand and put across. * As much as you tell yourself, 'We made the film and here it is and that is enough,' you would like to come away with something. * I don't tend to think of these characters as losers [I play]. I like the struggles that people have, people who are feeling like they don't fit into society, because I still sort of feel that way. * When I get cast, I always flip to the end of the script to see if my character gets beaten up or killed. I really thought that after getting killed on "The Sopranos" (1999) I should not accept scripts where I die. I mean, there's nowhere to go after getting killed by Tony Soprano. But then I got offered this great part in The Island (2005). I didn't even make it a third of the way through the movie. I have been surviving a lot more lately, though. * The only thing I can compare the feeling of going onstage to is the fear you feel before going into a burning building. Once you go in there, the fear goes away and you're operating on adrenaline. And when it's over, if you've done well, it's something you've shared with these people you automatically feel close to. * I admire any director who makes his living solely from directing. I'm fortunate enough to earn a decent wage by occasionally playing psychopaths in other people's movies, allowing me the luxury of not having to depend on the movies I direct to put food on the table. I especially admire independent directors like Tom DiCillo and Alexandre Rockwell, who never stop trying to create their own way. * (On working on The Sopranos) I feel really privileged to have been a part of it and to have worked that closely with it, as a director and as an actor. And as an audience member, I'm still in awe of the show. For me, it never lost that sense of, 'Holy shit... this is fucking great.' |
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