Steve Buscemi Biography

STEVE BUSCEMI

Date of Birth: December 13, 1957

Steve Buscemi may be one weird looking dude — but he's one seriously talented actor, too.

The man the New York Post described as "a strange mix of Don Knotts, Peter Lorre and David Carradine" has also been called "The Most Important Actor in American Independent Film." About his own looks, he's said: "I have crooked teeth and a skinny face and I look like I'm on drugs. I've never played a vampire, but I think I kind of look like that." Looks aside, he's certainly a favorite of Hollywood's more independent-minded directors. He's worked twice with Quentin Tarantino, three times with Jim Jarmusch, and in five films by the Coen Brothers - not to mention his own directorial debut, Trees Lounge.

The Brooklyn-born Buscemi hit the New York theater scene shortly after finishing high school. He studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute and, together with acting buddy Mark Boone Jr., created a series of performance art pieces for off-off-off-Broadway stages. He also briefly tried being a stand-up comedian but, he said, "All comics borrow from each other. In the end, I couldn't figure out who to borrow from, so I stopped."

Steve first struck a chord with moviegoers as a dying AIDS victim in Bill Sherwood's Parting Glances. His career began to steadily build after that galvanizing performance, with impressive supporting roles in Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train and Martin Scorsese's chapter of New York Stories.

Generally cast as sleazy weasels, he took that persona to the extreme in Quentin Tarantino's 1992 directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs. His slimy, paranoid and ultra-hyper Mr. Pink won Buscemi the year's Independent Spirit Award.

One of Hollywood's most prolific actors, Buscemi has made over 50 films in the past dozen years, including Pulp Fiction (1994), Living In Oblivion (1995), Fargo (1996), the Nicolas Cage mega-hit Con Air (1997), The Wedding Singer (1998) with Adam Sandler, The Big Lebowski (1998) and the blockbuster Armageddon (1998). Buscemi once again teamed up with Sandler in 2007 for I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, in 2010 for Grown Ups and in 2012, when he provided the voice of Wayne for the animated feature Hotel Transylvania(2012) and its sequels, Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015) and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018). He also voiced characters in the animated feature Monsters, Inc. 3D (2012) — a re-release of the original 2001 film, and the film's prequel, Monsters University (2013).

Onscreen, he worked with Richard Gere in Norman (2016), alongside Alec Baldwin in the animated comedy The Boss Baby (2017) and with Jason Isaacs in the dark comedy The Death of Stalin (2018). He played veteran firefighter Papa in Pete Davidson's semi-biographical film, The King of Staten Island (2020).

He's also made a mark on television with recurring roles in two popular series, the NBC comedy 30 Rock and the HBO drama Boardwalk Empire.

Steve has also turned to filmmaking, directing Sienna Miller in Interview (2007), in which he also co-stars. He also directed several episodes of the television series The Sopranos, Nurse Jackie and 30 Rock.

He has one child, Lucien, with his wife, choreographer Jo Andres. While filming Domestic Disturbance in Wilmington, North Carolina in 2001, Steve was stabbed in the throat, head and arm during a barroom brawl. He now has a scar on his cheek which is hidden by makeup for films.

Filmography (Actor):

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018) (voice)
The Death of Stalin (2018)
The Boss Baby (2017)
Norman (2016)
The Cobbler (2015)
Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)
Khumba (2014)
Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Third Season (2013)
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013)
Grown Ups 2 (2013)
Monsters University (2013) (voice)
Monsters, Inc. 3D (2012) (voice)
Hotel Transylvania (2012) (voice)
Rampart (2011)
Grown Ups (2010)
Pete Smalls Is Dead (2010)
Saint John of Las Vegas (2010)
Youth in Revolt (2010)
G-Force (2009) (voice)
Keep Coming Back (2008)
Igor (2008) (voice)
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007)
I Think I Love My Wife (2007)
Interview (2007)
Charlotte's Web (2006) (voice)
Delirious (2006)
Paris, je t'aime (2006)
Monster House (2006)
The Island (2005)
Art School Confidential (2005)
Romance & Cigarettes (2005)
Who's the Top? (2005)
The Sky Is Green (2004)
Coffee and Cigarettes (2004)
Home on the Range (2004) (voice)
Big Fish (2003)
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)
Deaddrockstar (2002)
Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (2002)
The Grey Zone (2002)
Mr. Deeds (2002)
Love in the Time of Money (2002)
Monsters, Inc. (2001) (voice)
The Laramie Project (2002)
Domestic Disturbance (2001)
Final Fantasy: The Spirits WIthin (2001)(voice)
Ghost World (2001)
Double Whammy (2001)
In Bad Taste (2000)
28 Days (2000)
Animal Factory (2000)
Franky Goes to Hollywood (1999)
Big Daddy (1999)
The Imposters (1998)
Louis & Frank (19980
Armageddon (1998)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Wedding Singer (1998) (uncredited)
Divine Trash (1998)
The Real Blonde (1997)
Con Air (1997)
Fargo (1997)
John Carpenter's Escape From L.A. (1996)
Kansas City (1996)
Somebody To Love (1996)
The Search For One-Eye Jimmy (1996)
Trees Lounge (Also Director And Screenplay) (1996)
Billy Madison (1995)
Desperado (1995)
Living In Oblivion (1995)
Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead (1995)
Airheads (1994)
Even Cowgirls Get The Blues (1994)
Floundering (1994)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Scene Six, Take One (1994)
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
The Last Outlaw (1994)
Ed And His Dead Mother (1993)
Rising Sun (1993)
Twenty Bucks (1993)
Crisscross (1992)
In The Soup (1992)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Who Do I Gotta Kill? (1992)
Barton Fink (1991)
Billy Bathgate (1991)
Trusting Beatrice (1991)
Zandalee (1991)
Miller's Crossing (1990)
Tales From The Darkside: The Movie (1990)
The Grifters (1990)
Bloodhounds Of Broadway (1989)
Borders (1989)
Heart Of Midnight (1989)
King Of New York (1989)
Mystery Train (1989)
New York Stories (1989)
Slaves Of New York (1989)
Call Me (1988)
Vibes (1988)
Force Of Circumstance (1987)
Heart (1987)
Kiss Daddy Goodnight (1987)
Coffee And Cigarettes II (1986)
No Picnic (1986)
Parting Glances (1986)
Sleepwalk (1986)
The Way It Is (1984)

Filmography (Director):

Interview (2007)
Lonesome Jim (2006)
Animal Factory (2000)
Trees Lounge (1996)