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Biography
Buscemi was born in Brooklyn, New York to John Buscemi, an Italian American Korean War veteran and an Irish American mother. He was a New York City firefighter from 1980 to 1984.
Career
His first lead role was opposite Richard Ganoug in Parting Glances (1986). He is an associate member of the experimental theater company The Wooster Group.
Buscemi's memorable roles include Mr. Pink in Reservoir Dogs, Rockhound in Armageddon, Donny in The Big Lebowski, Carl Showalter in Fargo, and the voice of Randall in Monsters, Inc.. Although usually a supporting actor, he has had critical success as a lead actor, particularly his role as Seymour in Ghost World.
The characters that Buscemi normaly plays are generally neurotic and paranoid. Quentin Tarantino uses Buscemi (sometimes uncredited) in nearly all his movies. He often appears in films by the Coen Brothers, usually dying in a grisly or unexpected manner (such as being shot in the face with a handgun, not a shotgun, or dropping dead of a heart attack during a fistfight).
In April 2001, while shooting the film Domestic Disturbance in Wilmington, North Carolina, Buscemi got cut while intervening into a barfight between Vince Vaughn, screenwriter Scott Rosenberg, and a local man, Timothy Fogerty, who allegedly instigated the brawl.
Starting in 2003, he even made a celebrity guest appearance as himself on the long-running FOX television show The Simpsons.
In 2004, Buscemi joined the cast of The Sopranos as Tony Soprano's cousin and childhood friend, Tony Blundetto. Buscemi had previously been involved with the show, directing the third season episode "Pine Barrens", which is a fan favorite.
Buscemi also wrote, directed, and starred in the film Trees Lounge in 1996. He also directed Animal Factory (2000), Lonesome Jim (2005) and several episodes of The Sopranos.
Private life
The day after 9/11, Buscemi went to his old fire station to volunteer, working twelve hour shifts at "Ground Zero" for a week, searching for survivors. He avoided the cameras and worked anonymously.
Filmography
Parting Glances (1986)
Kiss Daddy Goodnight (1987)
Slaves of New York (1989)
Mystery Train (1989)
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
King of New York (1990)
Miller's Crossing (1990)
Barton Fink (1991)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Twenty Bucks (1993)
Rising Sun (1993)
The Adventures of Pete & Pete (TV) (1993)
Ed And His Dead Mother (1993)
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
Airheads (1994)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Billy Madison (uncredited) (1995)
Living in Oblivion (1995)
Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995)
Desperado (1995)
Fargo (1996)
Escape from L.A. (1996)
Trees Lounge (1996)
Con Air (1997)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Impostors (1998)
The Wedding Singer (uncredited) (1998)
Armageddon (1998)
Big Daddy (1999)
Ghost World (2000)
28 Days (2000)
Animal Factory (2000)
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (voice) (2001)
The Grey Zone (2001)
Monsters, Inc. (voice) (2001)
Mr. Deeds (2002)
The Laramie Project (2002)
Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams (2002)
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)
Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)
Big Fish (2003)
The Sopranos (TV) (2004)
Home on the Range (voice) (2004)
The Island (2005)
