Steve Buscemi was born in Brooklyn, New York. He discovered his passion for acting in high school and, after graduating, he moved to Manhattan to study acting with Lee Strasberg. There he and fellow actor/writer Mark Boone Junior began writing and performing their own theatre pieces in performance spaces and downtown theatres. This soon led to Steve being cast in his first lead role in Bill Sherwood’s PARTING GLANCES.
Since this breakout performance, Buscemi has become the actor of choice for some of the most respected directors in the business. Aficionados of American films know him from Jim Jarmusch’s MYSTERY TRAIN (1986); Quentin Tarantino’s RESERVOIR DOGS (1992); the Coen Brothers’ FARGO (1996) and THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998); and Terry Zwigoff’s GHOST WORLD (2001), for which Buscemi won the Independent Spirit Award, The New York Film Critics Award, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
In addition to his talents as an accomplished actor, Buscemi has proven to be a respected writer and director as well. His directing credits include TREES LOUNGE (1996), which he also wrote; ANIMAL FACTORY (2000); LONESOME JIM (2005); and INTERVIEW (2007), which he also co-wrote. Buscemi’s directing work also includes numerous television credits, including HBO’s “The Sopranos”, for which he was nominated for an Emmy and a DGA Award for directing the “Pine Barrens” episode during the third season.
Select Filmography
2009 JOHN RABE, directed by Florian Gallenberger
2009 YOUTH IN REVOLT, directed by Miguel Arteta
2009 RAGE, directed by Sally Potter
2009 THE MESSENGER, directed by Oren Moverman
2007 I THINK I LOVE MY WIFE, directed by Chris Rock
2007 INTERVIEW, directed by Steve Buscemi
2006 DELIRIOUS, directed by Tom DiCillo
2006 PARIS, JE T´AIME, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
2006 ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL, directed by Terry Zwigoff
2006 ROMANCE AND CIGARETTES, directed by John Turturro
2005 THE ISLAND, directed by Michael Bay
2003 BIG FISH, directed by Tim Burton
2003 COFFEE AND CIGARETTES, directed by Jim Jarmusch
2001 GHOST WORLD, directed by Terry Zwigoff
2000 28 DAYS, directed by Betty Thomas
1998 ARMAGEDDON, directed by Michael Bay
1998 THE BIG LEBOWSKI, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
1997 CON AIR, directed by Simon West
1996 KANSAS CITY, directed by Robert Altman
1996 TREES LOUNGE, directed by Steve Buscemi
1996 FARGO, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
1995 LIVING IN OBLIVION, directed by Tom DiCillo
1994 PULP FICTION, directed by Quentin Tarantino
1992 RESERVOIR DOGS, directed by Quentin Tarantino
1986 MYSTERY TRAIN, directed by Jim Jarmusch
1989 NEW YORK STORIES, directed by Martin Scorsese
1986 PARTING GLANCES, directed by Bill Sherwood
