The blue-collar, Brooklyn-born Steve Buscemi, with his trademark wiry frame and bulging eyes, became interested in acting in his Long Island high school, and upon graduation, attended Community College before moving across the bridge to Manhattan to learn his craft.
The actor, now starring in Pete Davidson's The King of Staten Island, wrote and performed original pieces (way) off-Broadway which served as showcases that led to his being cast in his first movie role in 1986. The well-respected actor has gone on to work with top filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, Jerry Bruckheimer, and The Coen Brothers and has spent a lifetime playing lunatics and weirdos, outcasts and oddballs.
Fans of this prolific actor can reel off his cultish indie films like Barton Fink, Fargo, and The Big Lebowski to name a few.
But he’s not the type of actor who ends up on the cover of glossy magazines or many talk shows so few people know much about his personal life.
15 He’s A Widow
The Miller’s Crossing actor was married to downtown New York performance artist, choreographer, and filmmaker Jo Andres from 1987 until her passing in 2019. Andres drew acclaim and awards for the 1996 film, Black Kites. She directed videos, as well as her own films. Andres was a dance' consultant as well as an artist in residence at leading universities, museums, and art colonies.
14 A Dad
His Los Angeles musician son Lucian was born in 1990 and has also appeared on screen in Trees Lounge, and The Sopranos, and assisted in the sound department on the films Interview, and 4:44 Last Day on Earth. At 15 he formed the band Fiasco which toured until 2012 when the young Buscemi decided to diversify into acting.
13 And A Brother
The Ghost World actor has three brothers—Jon, Ken, and Michael, who shared his Catholic upbringing on Long Island with Michael following in his older sibling's footsteps as a writer and actor best known for the Spike Lee film BlacKkKlansman, Blended starring Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler, and most recently Smothered by Mothers.
12 He’s A Director
The Island star gained recognition as a director, most notably for Trees Lounge, Animal Factory, and several episodes of The Sopranos. "I admire any director who makes his living solely from directing. I'm fortunate enough to earn a decent wage by occasionally playing psychopaths, allowing me the luxury of not having to depend on the movies I direct to put food on the table."
11 He Was A FDNY
For four years beginning in 1980, the I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry actor served in Engine Co. 55 in Manhattan's Little Italy. After 9/11, he returned for several days and worked 12-hour shifts sifting through the rubble of the World Trade Center looking for missing firefighters. In 2014 he was appointed an Honorary Battalion Chief of the FDNY.
10 And Other Day Jobs
Before the Boardwalk Empire leading man could quit his day jobs, he drove an ice cream truck, tended bar, and even tried his hand at stand-up comedy, at which he did not excel (as in bombed) and another comedian named Paul Reiser had to take the stage and substitute. When Made About You became a hit Steve made a guest appearance.
9 He's An Activist
In 2003, at an FDNY union rally, the Grown Ups actor gave an impassioned speech supporting higher wages for firefighters. Then in 2011, he joined rallies in support of eight Brooklyn firehouses in danger of closing. Three years later he starred in and narrated the HBO documentary A Good Job: Stories of the FDNY, where he recalled his former career.
8 He Has A Deep Facial Scar
When the 30 Rock guest star makes a film, heavy make-up is used to hide the scar on his cheek he incurred in 2001 when he and actor friend Vince Vaughn got in a bar brawl in North Carolina. He was stabbed in the throat, head, and arm, then arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault.
7 He's Often Mistaken For John Waters
There is definitely a separated-at-birth thing going on between The Airheads actor and the director of Hairspray. Because of the strong resemblance Waters sent out Christmas cards with a photo of Buscemi dressed like him. "When I told Steve Buscemi everybody thinks I'm him, he said, 'They think I'm Don Knotts.'"
6 He’s In A Song
Usually, women end up as the muse for musicians, either as song lyrics (Bruno Mar's "Michelle Pfeiffer that white gold") or having whole tunes dedicated to them (Toto's "Rosanna" is about Rosanna Arquette), so The Cobbler actor is the exception thanks to the band Blessid Union of Souls song Hey Leonardo: "That guy who played in Fargo. I think his name is Steve."
5 He Was A High School Jock
At 105 pounds, the On The Road actor was a varsity wrestler. To prove it, he challenged sidekick Andy Richter to a wrestling match on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Much to the indie actor's embarrassment, Richter won, graciously pointing out that having six inches and at least one hundred pounds on Buscemi might have given him an edge.
4 And Not At All Tough
Art does not always imitate art. According to the Pete Smalls Is Dead actor: "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."
3 His BFF Is Stanley Tucci
Good friends and business partners, the I Think I Love My Wife actor and The Devil Wears Prada star have acted together and even created Olive Productions in 2008. Tucci is no longer a part of the company since moving to London after marrying Emily Blunt's sister, Emily, where Steve served as the best man.
2 Drank Too Much When He Was Young
The Coffee and Cigarettes actor confessed: “At 19, I was truly directionless, living with my parents. But my boss at the gas station was grooming me to be a mechanic, and that's not what I wanted. The drinking age was 18 then, so I spent every night hanging out with my friends in bars, drinking.” Luckily, his talent was recognized and he found more productive ways to spend his time.
1 He Has An Unpronounceable Name
Unlike some people in show business who change (simplify) their names, the Park Bench with Steve Buscemi host kept his even though he has to educate just about everyone on how to say it even himself, who grew up pronouncing it boo-SEM-ee until he went to Sicily where they say boo-SHEM-ee. "I had to go to Sicily to find out I pronounce my name wrong."
Sources: Answers Africa, The New York Times, GQ, Reddit, Deadline, IMBD