# Steve Buscemi
**Steve Buscemi** (Steven Vincent Buscemi; born 1957 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director whose career spans more than a hundred films, from independent cinema landmarks such as *Reservoir Dogs*, *Fargo*, and *Ghost World* to television work including *The Sopranos* and HBO's *Boardwalk Empire*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000114/?showAllCredits=true) • [2](https://www.biography.com/actors/steve-buscemis) • [3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/oct/20/steve-buscemi-shutdown-elections-boardwalk-empire)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1957, Brooklyn, New York; parents Dorothy (Wilson), a restaurant hostess, and John Buscemi, a New York City sanitation worker[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000114/?showAllCredits=true) |
| Early job | FDNY firefighter at Engine Company 55 in Little Italy, 1980 to 1984[2](https://www.biography.com/actors/steve-buscemis) |
| Breakout | Mr. Pink in Quentin Tarantino's *Reservoir Dogs* (1992), after his first lead role in *Parting Glances* (1986)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000114/?showAllCredits=true) • [2](https://www.biography.com/actors/steve-buscemis) |
| Signature TV role | Enoch "Nucky" Thompson on HBO's Prohibition-era *Boardwalk Empire* (2010-14), produced by Martin Scorsese[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/steve_buscemi) |
| Directing | First feature *Trees Lounge* (1996), which he wrote and starred in; later features include *Animal Factory* (2000), *Lonesome Jim* (2005), and *Interview* (2007)[5](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filmtrackonline.com/mongrelmedia/starcm_vault_root/images%2Ffiles%2F0c%2F0cf5d14a-215b-4180-b584-1318825e3ece.pdf) |
| Awards | Won 1 Primetime Emmy, with 31 wins and 75 nominations in total across his career[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000114/?showAllCredits=true) |
| Recent work | Plays bureau chief MJ in Martin McDonagh's *Wild Horse Nine* (2026), which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and opens in US theaters November 6, 2026[6](https://press.searchlightpictures.com/wild-horse-nine) |
## Early life
Buscemi was born in Brooklyn to Dorothy Wilson, a restaurant hostess, and John Buscemi, a sanitation worker; his father was Italian and his mother of English, Dutch, and Irish descent.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000114/?showAllCredits=true) He became interested in acting during his last year of high school, then moved to Manhattan to study acting with John Strasberg.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000114/?showAllCredits=true)
Work did not come quickly. After leaving school he moved between part-time jobs as a cinema usher, ice-cream seller, and petrol station attendant, and has said he felt his life was going nowhere.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/sep/17/steve-buscemi-not-fulfilled-true-potential-interview-death-of-stalin-electric-dreams) His father pushed all four of his sons toward the civil service, and Buscemi entered the [New York City Fire Department](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-city-fire-department), working at Engine Company 55 in Little Italy from 1980 to 1984.[2](https://www.biography.com/actors/steve-buscemis) He left on a leave of absence when shifts became impossible to juggle with a movie and a play, expecting to return.[8](https://time.com/6095709/steve-buscemi-9-11-firefighter/)
During this period he also did stand-up comedy, influenced by comics such as [Freddie Prinze](https://www.edgepedia.org/freddie-prinze), George Carlin, and [Steve Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-martin), and was good enough to get a slot at the comedy club the Improv, where he watched [Jerry Seinfeld](https://www.edgepedia.org/jerry-seinfeld) and Larry David starting out; he decided he preferred acting to performing alone.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/oct/20/steve-buscemi-shutdown-elections-boardwalk-empire) • [9](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/steve-buscemi-the-face-of-indie-cinema-1933721.html) In the early 1980s he formed a surreal double act with the actor and writer Mark Boone Junior that lasted almost a decade, and through his future wife, the choreographer and film-maker Jo Andres, he entered the East Village performance-art and experimental-theater scene.[9](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/steve-buscemi-the-face-of-indie-cinema-1933721.html)
## Acting career
His first screen job came from Eric Mitchell, who cast him in *The Way It Is*; his third film, *Parting Glances* (1986), in which he played a dying HIV-positive rock musician, was the one that started his career, and it became a milestone of independent and gay cinema.[9](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/steve-buscemi-the-face-of-indie-cinema-1933721.html) • [10](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/steve-buscemi-an-off-beat-icon/) Supporting roles followed in [Jim Jarmusch](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-jarmusch)'s *Mystery Train* and Martin Scorsese's chapter of *New York Stories*.[11](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/steve-buscemi/1412/)
The watershed was Mr. Pink in *Reservoir Dogs* (1992), the querulous gangster in [Quentin Tarantino](https://www.edgepedia.org/quentin-tarantino)'s debut, a role that raised Buscemi's Hollywood profile considerably and helped make Tarantino and his ensemble touchstones of a new era of independent filmmaking.[2](https://www.biography.com/actors/steve-buscemis) • [7](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/sep/17/steve-buscemi-not-fulfilled-true-potential-interview-death-of-stalin-electric-dreams) Mainstream offers followed, mostly for criminals and eccentrics, in films such as *Billy Madison* (1995), *Con Air* (1997), and *Armageddon* (1997); he accepted them partly to finance his independent filmmaking.[12](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steve-buscemi/) With the [Coen brothers](https://www.edgepedia.org/coen-brothers) he appeared in *Miller's Crossing* (1990), *Barton Fink* (1991), *The Hudsucker Proxy* (1994), *Fargo* (1996), and *The Big Lebowski* (1998), and he also worked repeatedly with [Robert Rodriguez](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-rodriguez) and Jarmusch.[2](https://www.biography.com/actors/steve-buscemis)
Against type, he played the gentle record-shop owner Seymour as an unlikely romantic lead in *Ghost World* (2001), adapted from Daniel Clowes's graphic novel, and a Jewish prisoner forced to work in the gas chambers at Auschwitz in *The Grey Zone* (2001).[2](https://www.biography.com/actors/steve-buscemis) Voice work includes Randall Boggs in *Monsters, Inc.* (2001), Templeton the rat in *Charlotte's Web* (2006), and Wayne in the *Hotel Transylvania* films, and he co-starred with [Adam Sandler](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-sandler) in several comedies.[2](https://www.biography.com/actors/steve-buscemis) One director, Jim Jarmusch, joked in *The New Yorker* that Hollywood charged a "Steve Buscemi tax" to explain the actor's ubiquity from the mid-1990s onward.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/sep/17/steve-buscemi-not-fulfilled-true-potential-interview-death-of-stalin-electric-dreams)
On television, [David Chase](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-chase) asked Buscemi to direct an episode of *The Sopranos*; the result, the third-season episode "Pine Barrens", was Emmy-nominated and is often named among the series' finest, and Buscemi directed further episodes before joining the cast in the fifth season as Tony Blundetto, a cousin of [Tony Soprano](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-soprano).[2](https://www.biography.com/actors/steve-buscemis) • [3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/oct/20/steve-buscemi-shutdown-elections-boardwalk-empire) His television directing credits also include *Homicide: Life on the Street*, *30 Rock*, *Nurse Jackie*, and *Portlandia*.[5](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filmtrackonline.com/mongrelmedia/starcm_vault_root/images%2Ffiles%2F0c%2F0cf5d14a-215b-4180-b584-1318825e3ece.pdf)
**Boardwalk Empire.** In 2010 Buscemi took the lead as Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, the corrupt boss of Atlantic City, in HBO's Prohibition-era drama *Boardwalk Empire*, produced by Martin Scorsese. Casting the slender, reedy-voiced character actor in the alpha-dole role was an unorthodox decision that critics credited with making the series work; the role ran from 2010 to 2014 and brought him a range of industry honors.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/steve_buscemi) • [13](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-nov-14-la-ca-buscemi-20101114-story.html) • [14](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/steve-buscemi)
## Directing
Buscemi's first project as writer-director was the short *What Happened to Pete*, shown at festivals and aired on Bravo. His feature debut, *Trees Lounge* (1996), which he wrote, directed, and starred in alongside [Chloë Sevigny](https://www.edgepedia.org/chloe-sevigny), Samuel L. Jackson, and [Anthony LaPaglia](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthony-lapaglia), debuted in the Directors' Fortnight at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award; Sevigny has said the part was when she "became a real actress".[5](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filmtrackonline.com/mongrelmedia/starcm_vault_root/images%2Ffiles%2F0c%2F0cf5d14a-215b-4180-b584-1318825e3ece.pdf) • [15](https://time.com/5219721/chloe-sevigny-lean-on-pete/) He followed with *Animal Factory* (2000), based on [Edward Bunker](https://www.edgepedia.org/edward-bunker)'s book and premiering at Sundance; *Lonesome Jim* (2005), with Casey Affleck and Liv Tyler; and *Interview* (2007), a remake of a Theo van Gogh film in which he co-starred with Sienna Miller.[5](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filmtrackonline.com/mongrelmedia/starcm_vault_root/images%2Ffiles%2F0c%2F0cf5d14a-215b-4180-b584-1318825e3ece.pdf) Sources give the total differently: a 2013 Guardian profile counts four features, while the BFI counts five.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/oct/20/steve-buscemi-shutdown-elections-boardwalk-empire) • [16](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/steve-buscemi-10-essential-films)
## September 11, 2001
The day after the [September 11 attacks](https://www.edgepedia.org/september-11-attacks), Buscemi returned to his old firehouse, grabbed his gear, got a ride to the World Trade Center site, and joined a bucket brigade with his former Engine 55 colleagues, working on the rescue effort; he has rarely discussed it publicly.[8](https://time.com/6095709/steve-buscemi-9-11-firefighter/) • [17](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/news/steve-buscemi-9-11-firefighter-twin-towers-b2409173.html)
## Recent and upcoming work
Buscemi continues to work steadily in film and television. Recent credits include the voice of Starscream in *Transformers One* (2024), a role in the comedy *Psycho Therapy* (2024), and guest appearances such as the crossword-puzzle murderer Simon on CBS's *Elsbeth* in 2026, a part he asked for himself.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/steve_buscemi) • [18](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/carrie-preston-opens-up-about-steve-buscemi-flailing-around-after-he-asked-to-join-the-elsbeth-cast) In 2026 he plays bureau chief MJ in *Wild Horse Nine*, Martin McDonagh's dark comedy about CIA agents dispatched to Easter Island shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, co-starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell; the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and reaches US theaters on November 6, 2026.[6](https://press.searchlightpictures.com/wild-horse-nine) • [19](https://apnews.com/article/fda0337f8b8d595a54b230f48d33618f)
## References
1. [Steve Buscemi, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000114/?showAllCredits=true)
2. [Steve Buscemi Biography, Biography.com](https://www.biography.com/actors/steve-buscemis)
3. [Steve Buscemi: 'I hope people remember the shutdown in the next elections', The Guardian (2013)](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/oct/20/steve-buscemi-shutdown-elections-boardwalk-empire)
4. [Steve Buscemi Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/steve_buscemi)
5. [Steve Buscemi biography and credits, Mongrel Media press kit (FilmTrack)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filmtrackonline.com/mongrelmedia/starcm_vault_root/images%2Ffiles%2F0c%2F0cf5d14a-215b-4180-b584-1318825e3ece.pdf)
6. [WILD HORSE NINE, Searchlight Pictures Press](https://press.searchlightpictures.com/wild-horse-nine)
7. [Steve Buscemi: 'In some ways I feel I haven't fulfilled my true potential', The Guardian (2017)](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/sep/17/steve-buscemi-not-fulfilled-true-potential-interview-death-of-stalin-electric-dreams)
8. [Steve Buscemi: Everyone Said 'Never Forget' 9/11. Some Have No Choice, TIME (2021)](https://time.com/6095709/steve-buscemi-9-11-firefighter/)
9. [Steve Buscemi - The face of indie cinema, The Independent (2010)](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/steve-buscemi-the-face-of-indie-cinema-1933721.html)
10. [Steve Buscemi: An Off-Beat Icon, CBS News (2007)](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/steve-buscemi-an-off-beat-icon/)
11. [Steve Buscemi biography and filmography, Tribute.ca](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/steve-buscemi/1412/)
12. [Steve Buscemi - Actor, Writer, Director, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steve-buscemi/)
13. [Critic's notebook: Steve Buscemi is the surprise element that makes 'Boardwalk Empire' work, Los Angeles Times (2010)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-nov-14-la-ca-buscemi-20101114-story.html)
14. [Steve Buscemi, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/steve-buscemi)
15. [Chloë Sevigny on Her New Movie 'Lean on Pete', TIME (2018)](https://time.com/5219721/chloe-sevigny-lean-on-pete/)
16. [Steve Buscemi: 10 essential films, BFI](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/steve-buscemi-10-essential-films)
17. [On 9/11, Steve Buscemi returned to his old firefighter job, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/news/steve-buscemi-9-11-firefighter-twin-towers-b2409173.html)
18. [Carrie Preston Opens Up About Steve Buscemi 'Flailing Around' After He Asked To Join The Elsbeth Cast, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/carrie-preston-opens-up-about-steve-buscemi-flailing-around-after-he-asked-to-join-the-elsbeth-cast)
19. [Martin McDonagh's 'Wild Horse Nine' hits Venice Film Festival with a dark CIA tale, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/fda0337f8b8d595a54b230f48d33618f)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Br to B*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license