You're the man, Steve Buscemi

Of all the people in the world of entertainment, I would have to subjectively say that Steve Buscemi is one of the best. (Right up there with my all time favorite Liev Schreiber.) His very unique features, voice and mannerisms are known to everyone who has seen a movie or TV show in the past couple decades. This may sound like a love letter to some. To those some, I say yes, you are correct. I love Steve Buscemi. Love the fact that he can play lowbrow characters in Adam Sandler films and yet also, the brooding, sad figure in others. Calling an actor versatile in this day and age is as common as hearing Kanye West freak out at someone. Apparently, there are Disney kids who are "versatile" for acting like a psycho patient in an episode of "Grey's Anatomy." Hmmm, I disagree. Buscemi, however, is, in true form, an actor with versatility. I mean seriously. From Reservoir Dogs and Con Air to Big Daddy and The Wedding Singer. Complete psychotic messes to drunken, silly fools. And, even though he's almost always a supporting character or bit part in a film, he always comes away as one of the more memorable moments in a show or film. He's one of those foils that either directly or indirectly spurs some leading character into action. Like a Rosencrantz or Guildenstern with a hint of Horatio in the mix. Unfortunately, like R&G, he usually ends up dead.

Below are a number of personal favorite moments in cinematic history that were made better by the addition of a Mr. Steve Buscemi:

1. Con Air (Garland "The Marietta Mangler" Greene) - First off, hooray! He lives at the end of the film! And, he's apparently a reformed psychotic serial killer. Aside from Nicholas Cage's flowing locks and semi-authentic Southern accent, this movie was a fun Bruckheimer film that made you believe that there are only 2 kinds of people who go to prison. The misunderstood "I was just protecting my pregnant wife from hecklers" ex-soldier, and the "I really am a bad guy, so bad I'm going to hijack this plane of other prisoners and then call it Con Air." With his Silence of the Lambs-esque entrance into the film and his comic relief ending (once you forget that he was sent to jail for extreme murders), Buscemi really helps flesh out this wild action romp that was pretty much the heyday of "Nicholas Cage super action superstar"-mania.
2. Armageddon (Rockhound) - Another Bruckheimer film? And he lives again!? Apparently Jerry's got some lovin' for Steve. As a perv, hypersexual drilling expert (for offshore oil rigs that is), Buscemi is again the comedic outlet to this doomsday via asteroid film that was notable for a few things: Bruce Willis bad assery and bad one-liners, Aerosmith theme music, it came out the same time as Deep Impact (which was less fun) and it marked the start of a very promising career for Ben Affleck as an actor... or did it? All in all, a good film for Steve and very enjoyable.
3. Living In Oblivion (Nick Reve) - A film school favorite that pretty much represents all the angst and frustration that any director is going to have with a film on any budget. As the beleaguered director, Buscemi gives a great performance as that "I'm going slightly mad" character that wants to throttle you with his bare hands while also trying to get the job done as nicely as he can. Everything about this film stands out from its excellent cast including Dermot Mulroney and Kevin Corrigan as DP and AC to the shooting style. A must for everyone. And, of course, Steve Buscemi is the lead!
4. The Big Lebowski (Donny Kerabatsos) - Talk about giving an amazing performance with the least amount of screen time. His role is minute in this film, but the way that Jeff Bridges and John Goodman's characters play off of Buscemi are hilarious. From Goodman's rants on just about everything to the quintessential "Shut the f*** up, Donny," Buscemi's character is probably one of the greatest (mostly silent) observers of human nature as he attempts to follow the combinations of his two cohorts. Fun fact: Buscemi has appeared in more Coen Brother's films than any other actor and has died in about half of them... this being one of them (spoiler alert)
5. Boardwalk Empire (Enoch 'Nucky' Thompson) - The fact that I pay over the internet to watch this show instead of biding my time for it to come out on DVD kind of says a lot. In it's first season on HBO, this show has really got something going. If you haven't seen the show yet, do it now. Maybe it's because I have a thing for period dramas/shows, but nothing says amazing like prohibition-era violence and power. At first I was a little skeptical that Buscemi could pull off leading man in a series. Especially a character that seems so corrupt and yet morally divided. But, after the first couple episodes I was hooked. He broods, he gets down and dirty and at the same time tries to fill a personal void with children and love. It seems cut and dry, but this show has its complexities that keep it stellar through each episode. Also, Steve's getting to show off a range of acting that one rarely sees from someone who played "Lazy Eyes" in Mr. Deeds.

I know I've left out a lot of good films and shows that Steve Buscemi was in like Reservoir Dogs, Fargo, 30 Rock, The Sopranos, Ghost World, The Hudsucker Proxy, Airheads... but if I did that then this would seem a little bit stalker-ish on my part.

Speaking of stalker-ish, I'll leave you with some random tidbits about Mr. Pink Steve Buscemi:

• He grew up in Valley Stream, NY
• Was a fireman of the NYFD. After the WTC Towers fell, he worked as a volunteer with the NYFD to sift through rubble and look for missing firefighters. He is still a volunteer fireman today.
• He originally auditioned for the part of George Costanza on "Seinfeld"
• In April of 2001, he was stabbed in the head, throat and arm at the Firebelly Lounge in Wilmington, NC. Actor Vince Vaughn was arrested for fighting back one of the attackers.
• In his youth, he was struck by a bus and also a car.

You'd think he was more taciturn in his early days.

What were some of your best moments of Steve Buscemi? Private Investigator from 30 Rock? Poor wood chipped criminal in Fargo?