Steve Buscemi is an American
actor, director, screenwriter, and producer, known for his roles in
the films Reservoir Dogs, Con Air, and Boardwalk Empire. He won the audience
not only with his outstanding talent, but also with his extraordinary appearance. In
this video we will tell you about the creative and personal life of the charismatic actor.
How Steve Buscemi lives and how much he earns
Stephen Vincent Buscemi was born on December
13, 1957 in Brooklyn, New York. The father of the future actor, John, a Korean War veteran,
dreamed all his life to become a cameraman, but worked as a sanitation worker, and his mother,
Dorothy worked as a hostess at Howard Johnson's. Steve has a diverse bloodline. Ancestors on
his father's side were Italian, originally from Sicily, and his mother's ancestors were Dutch,
Irish and English. Buscemi got help finding his mother's lineage roots through the popular
TV project Who Do You Think You Are? in 2011. Steve grew up in a large family. He has three
brothers: Jon, Ken and Michael. The latter also became an actor later on, though
not as successful as Steve. The Buscemi family lived modestly, but the children
were never ashamed of their situation and helped their parents with the household chores.
When Steve was 10 years old, the family moved to Valley Stream on Long Island, where he graduated
from Valley Stream Central High School in 1975. That's where Buscemi developed his passion for
acting. In high school, he participated in drama club and often performed on stage. Steve
was also a member of the wrestling team. After high school, the guy entered Nassau
Community College in Garden City, New York, but the money saved was enough only for the
first term, after which Buscemi dropped out and moved to Manhattan, where he began to study
at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. There Buscemi finally realized he was in the
right place. The student not only enjoyed acting on stage, but also wrote scripts and even
self-staged plays in small New York theaters. It's worth noting that Steve has tried his
hand at standup comedy as well. Together with actor Mark Boone Jr. they formed a
duo and began performing together. The New York Times called their performance
"theater works in the absurdist vein." To support himself while studying, Steve worked at
quite a number of jobs. He was a loader, waiter, newspaper delivery man, and even an ice cream man.
At the same time, at his father's urging, Steve took the civil service
exam as a firefighter. By 1980, he got a job at the busiest fire station
in the city, where he served for 4 years. While working as a firefighter, Steve never
abandoned his dream of becoming an actor. Therefore, having saved enough money by 1984, he
went to conquer Hollywood. A year later Buscemi debuted in cinema, starring in the comedy The
Way It Is, but this role did not bring him fame. In 1986, the young man appeared in episodes of the
series Not Necessarily the News and Miami Vice, and also starred in the dramas Sleepwalk and
Parting Glances. In the latter he played a rock musician dying of AIDS, and the actor himself
considers this role to be the start of his career. Notably, this movie was the first Hollywood
project that spoke openly about the plague of the twentieth century. The director of the film,
Bill Sherwood, died of this disease 5 years later. In 1987, Steve appeared in an episode
of the TV series The Equalizer, and also starred in the drama Heart
and the thriller Kiss Daddy Goodnight. That same year, the man married
director and producer Mary Jo Andres, whom he had met back in the early 1980s. At the
time they met, Buscemi and Andres were neighbors, and Steve was so in love with the girl that
every day he tried to time his dog walking with her leaving for work or coming home. This strategy
worked and soon Jo herself fell in love with Steve and at that point she had no idea that he was an
up-and-coming star. Three years after the wedding, the couple had a son Lucian. Later on, the
guy also tried his hand at acting, but didn't achieve the same success as his father. Lucian
is currently the vocalist in the band Fiasco. In 1988, Steve appeared in an
episode of the series Crossbow, and also starred in the melodrama Vibes and in
the thrillers Call Me and Heart of Midnight. The following year, the actor could be
seen in the mini-series Lonesome Dove, and the short film Coffee and Cigarettes
II, and the dramas Mystery Train, Bloodhounds of Broadway, Slaves of New
York, and New York Stories. In the latter, he played comedian Gregory
Stark, a nightclub performer. In the early 1990s, Steve starred in the TV
series Monsters, in the horror film Tales from the Darkside: The Movie and crime thrillers King
of New York as a member of a criminal gang and Miller's Crossing, portraying Mink, a subordinate
of the Italian mafia godfather. Notably, Buscemi had to audition twice for the role
of Mink, but his persistence was justified, and eventually it became one of the most
outstanding works of the actor. Critics from Time magazine named the film one of the 100 best
movies ever made since the magazine's inception. In 1991, Steve could be seen in the
thrillers Zandalee and Billy Bathgate, an episode of the series L.A. Law,
as well as in the drama Barton Fink, in which he played Chet the bellhop. Notably,
the creators of the project, the Coen brothers, with whom the actor had previously
worked in the movie Miller's Crossing, wrote this role specifically for him.
In 1992, Buscemi appeared in the TV series Mad About You and also starred
in the dramas CrissCross, Claude, and In the Soup. In the latter, he played the
quiet and insecure screenwriter Adolfo Rollo. In the same year, Quentin Tarantino's
crime thriller Reservoir Dogs was released, in which Steve played one of the
participants of the robbery - Mr. Pink. By the way, the director of the movie
originally wrote this role for himself, but in the end he preferred to play Mr.
Brown, after which the part went to Steve. Amusingly, Mr. Pink's behavior regarding
tipping the waitress is entirely lifted from young Tarantino. Quentin admitted that
he used to behave similarly to Buscemi's character when he was struggling financially.
Steve himself said that after the premiere of the movie he was very afraid that
people would point at him and say: "That's the greedy guy!". And to somehow protect
himself from scornful looks from other people, the man now over-tips, and forgetting to
tip someone is now one of his phobias. The film received many positive reviews and
brought fame not only to the director, but also to the actors of the project. Interestingly enough,
singer Alecia Beth Moore started using her alias P!nk after seeing this movie. She was watching
it with friends and at one point the young people started parodying the characters and realized that
Alecia resembled Buscemi's character the most. In 1993, the man appeared in the TV series Tales
from the Crypt and The Adventures of Pete & Pete, and also starred in the action film Rising
Sun, the comedy Ed and His Dead Mother, the drama Twenty Bucks and the
TV western The Last Outlaw. Then Steve's filmography expanded with the
comedies The Hudsucker Proxy, Floundering, The Search for One-eye Jimmy, and Airheads,
as well as the drama Somebody to Love and the cult film Pulp Fiction. Interestingly enough,
Steve was originally supposed to play Jimmy, a character that Quentin Tarantino ended up
portraying. However, due to employment in other projects, Buscemi was unable to accept the offer.
Instead, he played an episodic role of a waiter. In 1995, the actor appeared in an episode
of the series Homicide: Life on the Street, in which he also acted as a director. He
also starred in the drama Living in Oblivion, the thriller Things to Do in Denver When You're
Dead and in the action film Desperado, playing a friend of the main character performed by Antonio
Banderas. This role was written specifically for Steve, and the creators could not find a suitable
name for the character, so they decided to call him just that, Buscemi. At that time Steve was
involved in other projects, so the filming was held in a tight schedule, and all the scenes with
his participation were filmed in just 7 days. The following year, the actor could
be seen in the drama Trees Lounge, in which he not only played the lead role, but
also acted as a writer and director. The movie is about a slacker, Tommy, who spends most of
his time in his hometown. According to Buscemi, this script is based in part on his real
life in his younger years. Moreover, the shooting of the film took place
in the village where Steve grew up. The actor also starred in the sci-fi
action film Escape from L.A., as well as in the thrillers Kansas City and Fargo. In the
latter, he portrayed the chatty criminal Carl, a role that was written specifically for
him. The film received astounding reviews, and many critics called it one of the
best movies of all time. Steve and his movie partner Peter Stormare were also nominated
for the MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo. In 1997, Buscemi starred in the drama
The Real Blonde and the action film Con Air. The role of a psychotic maniac in the
latter earned him a Saturn Award nomination. In the same year, the magazine Empire included the actor in their The Top 100
Movie Stars of All Time list. In 1998, Steve was featured in the sitcom The Drew
Carey Show, the drama Louis & Frank and the sci-fi action film Armageddon. According to Buscemi,
he was supposed to play a heroic geologist and was very happy about it, as the actor is pretty
tired of playing scumbags and villains. But in the process of filming, the script was changed,
making his character look much less noble. Interestingly enough, when Steve's
character goes off the rails in the movie, the rest of the crew immobilizes
him with duct tape, which is what NASA's guidelines for astronauts
actually require in such cases. In the same period, the man starred in the
comedies The Impostors and The Big Lebowski. In the latter, he played Donny, a bowling
team member who dies of a heart attack. Funnily enough, Buscemi often plays characters
who don't make it to the end of the movie. He even admitted that when he receives a script
for a new project, he immediately asks how long his character lives. However, he considers his
death in The Big Lebowski to be his favorite. The film received mostly positive reviews from
critics and eventually gained cult status, and the principles professed by the main character became
the basis for the philosophical movement Dudeism. In 1999, Steve starred in the comedy drama
Big Daddy, starring Adam Sandler. Notably, Buscemi co-stars with him very often, and they are good friends in real life.
The guys worked on 14 projects together. In the early 2000s, Steve's filmography
was expanded with the dramas 28 Days, Animal Factory, in which he also acted
as producer and director, The Grey Zone, Double Whammy and Ghost World. In the latter, the
actor played a shy single loser who becomes the crush of a high school graduate. For this role,
Steve was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. In addition, Buscemi took part in the
voiceover of animated projects Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and Monsters, Inc.,
and also starred in the crime thriller Domestic Disturbance. During the filming of this
project, Steve experienced a terrible incident. He and fellow cast members Vince Vaughn and
Scott Rosenberg were hanging out after work at a local bar when a fight broke out between
them and two other customers. This resulted in Buscemi suffering several stab wounds. The actor
was hospitalized, but luckily the wounds were superficial and he quickly returned to work.
However, he will always be reminded of this experience by the scar on his cheek. In subsequent
movies, they had to use heavy makeup to hide it. Similar misfortunes had happened
to Steve before. As a young boy, he was hit by a bus and suffered a skull
fracture. And a short time later, Buscemi found himself under the wheels of a car trying
to catch a ball that rolled into the driveway. That time he got away with cuts and bruises.
Steve jokes that trouble keeps following him because he was born on Friday the 13th. However,
there is a positive side to these stories. He used the money he received from settlements after
accidents to attend the Lee Strasberg Institute. In 2002, Steve starred in the drama
The Laramie Project and Love in the Time of Money, the comedies 13 Moons and
Mr. Deeds, spy action comedy Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams, portraying
the scientist-geneticist Romero. The following year, he reprised the
role in the sequel to the franchise, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, and also starred in
the fantasy drama Big Fish, in the anthology film Coffee and Cigarettes and took part in the
voiceover of the animated sitcom The Simpsons. In 2004, the actor voiced one of the characters
in the animated film Home on the Range, and also played Tony Blundetto, cousin
of the main character in the series The Sopranos. He also directed
four episodes of the project. Curiously enough, in the scene where
Tony fights with Gloria Trillo, it was Steve who successfully threw a steak at
the main character's head after numerous failed attempts by the actress and the set designers.
The series was extremely popular with viewers and was aired for 6 seasons. It subsequently
achieved cult status and won 122 movie awards during its run. Buscemi himself has
been nominated for SAG and Emmy awards. Then Steve starred in the musical comedy Romance
& Cigarettes, sci-fi thriller The Island, the anthology film Paris, I Love You and comedy
drama Delirious, and also took part in the voice-over of the animated film Monster House
and the fantasy comedy-drama Charlotte's Web. In 2007, Steve appeared in the buddy
comedy I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, the romantic comedy I Think I Love My Wife and
the drama Interview, in which he not only played the lead role, journalist Pierre, but also
wrote and directed the movie. By the way, the role of his on-screen brother was played
by his real-life brother, Michael Buscemi. He also appeared in the show 30 Rock,
where he also acted as a director. For his role in the project, the actor
was nominated for an Emmy Award. In 2008, Steve appeared in
an episode of the series ER, and also took part in the voiceover
of the animated film Igor. A year later, he gave his voice to a character
in the animated movie G-Force. At that time, his filmography was expanded with the dramas
Youth in Revolt, The Messenger, John Rabe, Rage, Handsome Harry and Saint John of
Las Vegas, which he also co-produced. In 2010, Buscemi starred in the comedies
Pete Smalls Is Dead, The Chosen One, and Grown Ups. He also starred in the TV series
Boardwalk Empire, portraying a corrupt Atlantic County treasurer. The character was based on the
real-life politician and criminal Enoch Nucky Johnson. By the way, Steve looks nothing like him.
When Steve was first offered the role he thought it was a joke. The actor was so used to playing
minor characters that he couldn't believe it. The series was extremely popular with viewers
and was aired for 5 seasons. During this time, Buscemi received numerous nominations and
film awards, including: 4 Screen Actors Guild Awards and one Golden Globe. Steve's
fee for shooting one episode was $75,000, totaling $4.2 million for the entire project. Then Buscemi's filmography was
expanded with the thriller Rampart, the drama On the Road and the series
Portlandia, in which he also acted as a director. For his role in the series,
Steve was nominated for an Emmy Award. He also voiced a character in the
animated film Hotel Transylvania. In 2013, the actor starred in the comedies The
Incredible Burt Wonderstone and Grown Ups 2, and also took part in the voiceover of the
animated films Khumba and Monsters University. A year later, Steve appeared in the fantasy
comedy The Cobbler and the drama Time Out of Mind. In 2015, Steve took part in the voiceover
of the animated film Hotel Transylvania 2, and also appeared on The Jim Gaffigan
Show and in the comedy The Ridiculous 6. That same year, Buscemi hosted his own
comedy talk show, Park Bench, which was visited by quite a few famous faces of Hollywood.
In the following years, he voiced characters in the animated projects: Bob's Burgers, The
Boss Baby, Transformers: The Last Knight, SpongeBob SquarePants, Neo Yokio, Elena of
Avalor, and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation. In addition, the actor appeared in the TV series
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, also co-directing it, Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams, Horace and Pete,
and Broad City. He also starred in the drama Lean on Pete, the thrillers Norman and Nancy, and the
comedies The Death of Stalin and The Week Of. In 2019, Buscemi starred in the horror film The
Dead Don't Die and the TV series Miracle Workers, portraying God who is tired of caring for Earth's inhabitants. He also acted as one
of the producers of the project. In the same year, a tragedy occurred in Steve's
life: his wife passed away from a serious illness. The celebrities were very happy together
and their marriage was an example to follow. The actor then took part in the voiceover of
the animated series Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? and Rick and Morty, and also starred
in the comedy Hubie Halloween and the drama The King of Staten Island, where he
played the familiar role of a firefighter. In 2021, Buscemi was spotted taking a walk
with a new love interest named Karen Ho, and they were recently seen
shopping for engagement rings. In 2022, the actor again voiced his character
in the animated film Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, and also played the lead
role in the drama The Year Between. A year later, he starred in the TV series
Bupkis, the comedy Vacation Friends 2, and also took part in the voiceover of the animated
series Krapopolis and Digman!. In January 2024, the comedy Carole & Grey starring Buscemi was
released, and the comedy drama The Shallow Tale of a Writer who Decided to Write about a
Serial Killer is in the post-production stage. Steve has played many colorful, distinctive
roles over the years of his career. It is rumored that the publishers of the Guinness Book
of World Records were going to dedicate a separate page for it, and his colleagues described him
as "the cinematic equivalent of junk mail." As of today, the celebrity's net worth
is estimated at $35 million dollars. The actor receives an average of $1-2 million
dollars for his movie roles. He also makes money through advertising contracts. At one
time, the actor was featured in commercials for New York clothing brand Kith, wireless
headphones Beats Audio, and Michelob Ultra beer. The actor is also engaged in social activism. He
regularly speaks at rallies against the closing of fire stations. In 2003, Steve was even
arrested along with others during a protest. For the past decade, the man has worked with the
Friends of Firefighters, a charity that provides free mental health services and counseling to
active or retired firefighters and their families. Interestingly enough, Buscemi once visited
Philadelphia's Eastern State Penitentiary, believed to be one of the
most haunted places in the US, while scouting locations for a new
movie. He became so interested in the history of the institution that he
even voiced an audio tour of the prison. Steve now resides in a brownstone
home on 5th Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn. He previously owned
real estate in Los Angeles. The 4,300-square-foot home was listed
for sale in 2009 for $6.25 million. To date, his filmography includes about 150 films of various genres. What is your
favorite movie starring Steve Buscemi?
