Steve Buscemi

Actors/Filmmakers

Steven Vincent Buscemi (born December 13, 1957) is an American actor, director, writer, producer and former firefighter. He has starred in a number of successful movies, including Parting Glances (1986), New York Stories (1989), Jim Jarmusch‘s Mystery Train (1989), Quentin Tarantino‘s debut film Reservoir Dogs (1992), with Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, and Lawrence Tierney; Tom DiCillo‘s Living in Oblivion (1995), with Catherine Keener and Peter Dinklage (in his first film); Robert Rodriguez‘s Desperado (1995), with Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek; Con Air (1997), with Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, and John Malkovich; Armageddon (1998), with Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, and Billy Bob Thornton; Tim Blake Nelson‘s The Grey Zone (2002), with David Arquette, Keitel, Mira Sorvino, Daniel Benzali, and Natasha Lyonne: Ghost World (2001), with Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson; Tim Burton‘s Big Fish (2003), with Ewan McGregor; and The Death of Stalin (2017).

Buscemi is also known for his supporting roles in the films of Joel & Ethan Coen: Miller’s Crossing (1990), with Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, and Marcia Gay Harden; Barton Fink (1991), with John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis; The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), with Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Paul Newman, Fargo (1996), with Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Peter Stormare, and Harve Presnell; and The Big Lebowski (1998), with Jeff Bridges, Goodman, Julianne Moore, David Huddleston, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and their segment of the anthology film Paris, je t’aime (2006).

Buscemi has worked prominently in animation, including voice-work for Randall Boggs in the Monsters, Inc. film franchise (2001–2013), with Billy Crystal and Goodman; Wesley in Home on the Range (2004), Horace Nebbercracker in Monster House (2006), Templeton in Charlotte’s Web (2006), Scamper in Igor (2008), Bucky in G-Force (2009), Wayne the Werewolf in the Hotel Transylvania film franchise (2012–present) and Francis E. Francis in The Boss Baby (2017).

Buscemi has also appeared in a variety TV series including Miami Vice, The Equalizer, Mad About You, Tales from the Crypt,The Adventures of Pete & Pete, The Drew Carey Show, Homicide: Life on the Streets, The Simpsons, and Bob’s Burgers. He directed 4 episodes of the HBO crime drama, The Sopranos (receiving a directing Emmy nomination), and played the cousin of Tony Soprano (Janes Gandolfini) during the show’s 5th season (gaining another Emmy nomination for a supporting role).

From 2010 to 2014, Buscemi portrayed Enoch “Nucky” Thompson in the critically acclaimed television series Boardwalk Empire (executive produced by Martin Scorsese), which earned him two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe and two nominations for an Emmy Award. For his internet series, Park Bench with Steve Buscemi (where he interviewed a variety of celebrities and regular people on a New York City park bench), he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series. He also played the role of Pete Wittel in the tragicomedy web series Horace and Pete (2016), created by and co-starring Louis C.K. He’s currently part of the main cast of the sitcom Miracle Workers, which includes Daniel Radcliffe.

Buscemi made his directorial film debut with Trees Lounge (1996), in which he also starred, also featuring Chloë Sevigny, Mark Boone Junior, Anthony LaPaglia, Carol Kane, & Samuel L. Jackson. Other films he has directed include Animal Factory (2000), with Willem Dafoe, Edward Furlong, Danny Trejo, and Seymour Cassel; Lonesome Jim (2004), with Casey Affleck and Liv Tyler; (2005), Interview (2007), with Sienna Miller; and The Listener (2022), with Tessa Thompson.

Each review will be linked to the title below.

(*seen originally in theaters)

(**seen rereleased in theaters)

  • The Way it Is (1985) – directed by Eric Mitchell
  • Tommy’s (1985) – short
  • Sleepwalk (1986) – directed by Sara Driver
  • Parting Glances (1986) – directed by
  • Bill Sherwood
  • No Picnic (1986) – directed by Philip Hartman
  • Film House Fever (1986) –
  • Arena Brains (1987) – short
  • Kiss Daddy Goodnight (1987) – directed by Peter Ily Huemer
  • Heart (1987) – directed by James Lemmo
  • Call Me (1987) – directed by Sollace Mitchell
  • Heart of Midnight (1988) – directed by Matthew Chapman
  • Vibes (1988) – directed by Ken Kwapis
  • Twins (1989) – directed by Jim Jarmusch – short
  • Slaves of New York (1989) – directed by James Ivory
  • Mystery Train (1989) – directed by Jim Jarmusch
  • New York Stories (1989) – directed by Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, & Woody Allen – anthology
  • Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989) – directed by Howard Brookner
  • Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990) – directed by John Harrison anthology
  • King of New York (1990) – directed by Abel Ferrara
  • Miller’s Crossing (1990) – directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
  • Force of Circumstance (1990) –
  • Zandalee (1991) – directed by Sam Pillsbury
  • Barton Fink (1991) – directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
  • Life Is Nice (1991) –
  • Billy Bathgate (1991) – directed by Robert Benton
  • In the Soup (1992) – directed by Alexandre Rockwell
  • Reservoir Dogs (1992)** – directed by Quentin Tarantino
  • CrissCross (1992) – directed by Chris Menges
  • What Happens to Pete (1992) – short
  • Twenty Bucks (1993) – directed by Keva Rosenfield
  • Claude (1993) – directed by
  • Rising Sun (1993) – directed by Philip Kaufman
  • Ed and His Dead Mother (1993) – directed by Jonathan Wacks
  • The Search for One-eye Jimmy (1994) – directed by Sam Henry Kass
  • The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) – directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
  • Somebody to Love (1994) – directed by Alexandre Rockwell
  • Airheads (1994) – directed by Michael Lehmann
  • Pulp Fiction (1994)* – directed by Quentin Tarantino
  • Floundering (1994) – directed by Peter McCarthy
  • Who Do I Gotta Kill? (1994) – directed by Frank Rainone – uncredited
  • Billy Madison (1995) – directed by Tamra Davis – uncredited
  • Dead Man (1995) – directed by Jim Jarmusch – uncredited
  • Living in Oblivion (1995) – directed by Tom DiCillo
  • Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead (1995) – directed by Gary Fleder
  • Desperado (1995) – directed by Robert Rodriguez
  • Fargo (1996)** – directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
  • Escape from L.A. (1996) – directed by John Carpenter
  • Black Kites (1996) – short
  • Trees Lounge (1996) – also director, writer
  • Kansas City (1996) – directed by Robert Altman
  • Con Air (1997) – directed by Simon West
  • The Real Blonde (1997) – directed by Tom DiCillo
  • The Big Lebowski (1998) – directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
  • Divine Trash – directed by Steve Yeager – documentary
  • The Impostors (1998) – directed by Stanley Tucci
  • The Wedding Singer (1998) – directed by Frank Coraci – uncredited
  • Armageddon (1998) – directed by Michael Bay
  • Louis & Frank (1998) – directed by Alexandre Rockwell
  • Big Daddy (1999) – directed by Dennis Dugan
  • 28 Days (2000) – directed by Betty Thomas
  • In Bad Taste (2000) – directed by Steve Yeager – TV documentary
  • Animal Factory (2000) – also director, producer
  • Ghost World (2001) – directed by Terry Zwigoff
  • Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)* – directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi
  • Double Whammy (2001) – directed by Tom DiCillo
  • Domestic Disturbance (2001) – directed by Harold Becker
  • Monsters, Inc. (2001)* – directed by Pete Docter
  • Mr. Deeds (2002)* – directed by Steven Brill
  • 13 Moons (2002) – directed by Alexandre Rockwell
  • Love in the Time of Money (2002) – directed by Peter Mattei
  • The Grey Zone (2002) – directed by Tim Blake Nelson
  • Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (2002) – directed by Robert Rodriguez
  • Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)* – directed by Robert Rodriguez
  • Coffee & Cigarettes (2003) – directed by Jim Jarmusch
  • Big Fish (2003)* – directed by Tim Burton
  • Home on the Range (2004) – directed by Will Finn & John Sanford
  • Who’s the Top (2005) – short
  • The Island (2005) – directed by Michael Bay
  • Lonesome Jim (2005) – director only
  • Romance & Cigarettes (2005) – directed by John Turturro
  • Art School Confidential (2006) – directed by Terry Zwigoff – uncredited
  • Paris, je t’aime (2006) – directed by Emmanuel Benbihy, Joel & Ethan Coen, Nobuhiro Suwa, Olivier Assayas, Gus Van Sant, Gurinder Chadha, Frédéric Auburtin & Gérard Depardie, Sylvain Chomet, Vincenzo Natali, Richard LaGravenese, Tom Tykwer, Isabel Coixet Castillo, Christopher Doyle, Alexander Payne, Walter Salles & Daniela Thomas, Alfonso Cuarón, Bruno Podalydès, Oliver Schmitz, & Wes Craven
  • Monster House (2006) – directed by Gil Kenan
  • Charlotte’s Web (2006) – directed by Gary Winick
  • Delirious (2006) – directed by Tom DiCillo
  • I Think I Love My Wife (2007) – directed by Chris Rock
  • Interview (2007) – also director, co-writer
  • I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007) – directed by Dennis Dugan
  • I’m Dirty! (2007) – short
  • Igor (2008) – directed by Tony Leondis
  • Rage (2009) – directed by Sally Potter
  • John Rabe (2009) – directed by Florian Gallenberger
  • G-Force (2009) – directed by Hoyt Yeatman
  • The Messenger (2009) – directed by
  • Oren Moverman
  • Handsome Harry (2009) – directed by Bette Gordon
  • Saint John of Las Vegas (2009) – directed by Hue Rhodes – also executive producer
  • Youth in Revolt (2009)* – directed by Miguel Arteta
  • Grown Ups (2010) – directed by Dennis Dugan
  • Pete Smalls Is Dead (2010) – directed by Alexandre Rockwell
  • The Chosen One (2010) – directed by Rob Schneider
  • Fight for Your Right Revisited (2011) – short
  • Rampart (2011) – directed by Oren Moverman
  • On the Road (2012) – directed by Walter Salles
  • Hotel Transylvania (2012)* – directed by Genndy Tartakovsky
  • The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013) – directed by Don Scardino
  • Monsters University (2013)* – directed by Dan Scanlon
  • Grown Ups 2 (2013) – directed by Dennis Dugan
  • Khumba (2013) – directed by Anthony Silverston
  • Time Out of Mind (2014) – directed by Oren Moverman
  • My Depression (The Up and Down and Up of It) (2014) – directed by Elizabeth Swados, Robert Marianetti & David Wachtenheim – short
  • The Cobbler (2014) – directed by Tom McCarthy
  • Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)* – directed by Genndy Tartakovsky
  • The Ridiculous 6 (2015) – directed by Frank Coraci
  • Mildred & The Dying Parlor (2016) – short
  • Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer (2016) – directed by Joseph Cedar
  • The Boss Baby (2017) – directed by Tom McGrath
  • Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) – directed by Michael Bay
  • Lean on Pete (2017) – directed by Andrew Haigh
  • The Death of Stalin (2017) – directed by Armando Iannucci
  • Nancy (2018) – directed by Christina Choe
  • The Week Of (2018) – directed by Robert Smigel
  • Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018)* – directed by Genndy Tartakovsky
  • The Dead Don’t Die (2019)* – directed by Jim Jarmusch
  • The King of Staten Island (2020) – directed by Judd Apatow
  • Hubie Halloween (2020) – directed by Steven Brill
  • Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022) – directed by Derek Drymon & Jennifer Kluska
  • The Listener (2022) – director only
  • The Year Between (2022) – directed by Alex Heller
  • Vacation Friends 2 (2023) – directed by Clay Tarver
  • Day of the Fight (2023) – directed by Jack Huston