Steve Buscemi Biography: Films, Child, Wife, Height, Ethnicity, Age, Net Worth, Siblings, Parents, Awards

Steven Vincent Buscemi is an Actor, director, producer, writer, and former firefighter.

He first drew notice in the early 1990s in his portrayal of Mr. Pink in Quentin Tarantino’s crime drama Reservoir Dogs (1992).

Before this breakthrough, Buscemi balanced nights as a New York City firefighter with minor roles in independent films, and his vulnerability and intensity on-screen quickly earned him acclaim as a character actor rather than a conventional leading man.

Profile

• Full name: Steven Vincent Buscemi
• Date of birth: December 13, 1957
• Age: 68 years old
• Gender: Male
• Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
• State of origin: New York
• Nationality: American
• Profession: Actor, director, producer, writer, former firefighter
• Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.75 m)
• Parents: John Buscemi and Dorothy (née Wilson) Buscemi
• Siblings: Three brothers: Jon Buscemi, Ken Buscemi, and Michael Buscemi
• Spouse: Jo Andres (m. 1987; died January 6, 2019)
• Children: Lucian Buscemi
• Relationship status: Widowed
• Religion: Catholic (raised Catholic)
• Ethnicity: Sicilian Italian (paternal), English and Dutch (maternal)
• Net worth: $35 million

Early Life and Education

Steven Vincent Buscemi is now 68 years old, having been born on December 13, 1957, in Brooklyn, New York City, to Dorothy (née Wilson) and John Buscemi.  

His father worked for the New York City Sanitation Department and was a Korean War veteran, while his mother was a hostess at a Howard Johnson’s restaurant.

Buscemi was raised in a Catholic household and spent his early childhood in the East New York neighbourhood of Brooklyn. At the age of 10, the family relocated to the suburb of Valley Stream in Nassau County, Long Island.

He attended Valley Stream Central High School, graduating in 1975 alongside peers such as writer Edward J. Renehan Jr. and actress Patricia Charbonneau. During his time there, he participated on the varsity wrestling team and in the drama troupe.

After high school, Buscemi briefly attended Nassau Community College before moving to Manhattan to study acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, where he began taking classes in 1977.

Personal Life

Buscemi married multimedia artist Jo Andres in 1987; their marriage lasted until her passing on January 6, 2019, at age 65. The couple had one son, Lucian Buscemi, born in 1990, whom they raised in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighbourhood, where Buscemi currently resides.

Following Jo Andres’s death, Buscemi has maintained a lower public profile regarding romantic relationships, and his status remains widowed as of 2025.

Career

Buscemi’s professional career began with minor theatrical roles and stand-up comedy in the New York downtown scene, frequently collaborating with Mark Boone Junior under the duo name Steve & Mark from 1982 to 1984.

He made his screen debut in Eric Mitchell’s no-wave film The Way It Is or Eurydice in the Avenues (1985). He followed with a supporting role in Gregory Nava’s Parting Glances (1986), a film considered seminal within the emerging independent film movement.

Throughout the late 1980s, Buscemi appeared in independent productions, such as Jim Jarmusch’s Mystery Train (1989), gradually building a reputation for playing idiosyncratic characters in offbeat comedies and dramas.

His first significant recognition came with Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs (1992), in which he portrayed Mr. Pink, a professional thief whose clipped accent and sardonic observations left a lasting impression on critics and audiences, effectively launching Buscemi into wider prominence.

Throughout the 1990s, Buscemi collaborated frequently with the Coen brothers, appearing in Miller’s Crossing (1990) as Mink Larouie, Barton Fink (1991) as a bellboy named Chet, Fargo (1996) in a supporting ensemble role, and The Big Lebowski (1998) as Donny’s bowling buddy with memorable deadpan line delivery.

He also took on dramatic roles in films like In the Soup (1992) (his first lead), Desperado (1995), Con Air (1997), and Armageddon (1998), demonstrating his range from crime dramas to big-budget action pictures.

Awards and Nominations

• Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama for Boardwalk Empire (2011) – Winner
• Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series for Boardwalk Empire (2011) – Winner
• Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for 30 Rock (2011) – Winner
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series for Park Bench with Steve Buscemi (2016) – Winner
• Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for Reservoir Dogs (1992) – Winner
• Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for Ghost World (2003) – Winner
• Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for Ghost World (2003) – Nominee
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Drama Series for Boardwalk Empire (2011; 2012) – Nominee
• Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series for Boardwalk Empire (2012) – Winner
• Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for 30 Rock (2012) – Winner

Net Worth

Steve Buscemi’s net worth is estimated at approximately $35 million, accumulated primarily through his extensive work as an actor in both independent and mainstream films, voice acting in major animated franchises, directing, and producing television and film projects.

Controversy

In April 2001, during the filming of Domestic Disturbance in Wilmington, North Carolina, Buscemi intervened in an altercation at the Firebelly Lounge that involved fellow actor Vince Vaughn, screenwriter Scott Rosenberg, and local patrons.

While attempting to de-escalate the conflict, Buscemi was stabbed multiple times, requiring medical treatment but fortunately resulting in non-life-threatening injuries.

Following the incident, Vaughn and Rosenberg faced misdemeanour charges related to assault and affray; Buscemi’s involvement was portrayed as a peacekeeping effort rather than a source of controversy about his conduct.

In May 2003, Buscemi was arrested alongside nineteen others for participating in a protest against the closing of Engine Company 55 and other firehouses in Brooklyn.

Some critics, including public officials at the time, suggested that his involvement was a publicity stunt, given his celebrity status, and one which risked overshadowing the legitimate grievances of community members.

Social Media

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Filmography

• The Way It Is or Eurydice in the Avenues (1985)
• Parting Glances (1986)
• Mystery Train (1989)
• Miller’s Crossing (1990)
• King of New York (1990)
• Barton Fink (1991)
• In the Soup (1992)
• Reservoir Dogs (1992)
• Desperado (1995)
• Living in Oblivion (1995)
• Fargo (1996)
• Trees Lounge (1996)
• Con Air (1997)
• The Big Lebowski (1998)
• Armageddon (1998)
• The Wedding Singer (1998)
• Big Daddy (1999)
• Animal Factory (2000)
• Ghost World (2001)
• Monsters, Inc. (2001)
• Home on the Range (2004)
• Monster House (2006)
• Interview (2007)
• The Death of Stalin (2017)
• Lean on Pete (2017)
• The Week Of (2018)
• The Dead Don’t Die (2019)
• The King of Staten Island (2020)
• Hubie Halloween (2020)
• Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018)
• Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
• Hotel Transylvania: Transformation (2022)
• Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (2002)
• Big Fish (2003)