HOLLYWOOD HERO

Who is Steve Buscemi? Director, writer and Boardwalk Empire Actor who served as a New York firefighter and helped during the 9/11 rescue

He is best known for his wide ranging film career in Hollywood but has a surprising past

Kathy Giddins

Published: 13:02, 11 Sep 2018
Updated: 13:03, 11 Sep 2018

STEVE Buscemi is known for playing eccentric characters and oddballs in Hollywood films.

But he is also a trained fireman and helped out in the salvage operation following the 9/11 terror attacks - here's everything you need to know...

Steve Buscemi is a Hollywood screen star and former firefighterCredit: Getty - Contributor

Who is Steve Buscemi? What's his background?

Steve Buscemi, 60, is an actor and director from Brooklyn, New York.

His father John was a Korean War veteran of Italian descent and his mother Dorothy worked at a hotel.

From 1980-1984 he served as a firefighter in Little Italy Manhattan.

In 1985 he made his screen debut in Eric Mitchell's The Way It Is.

In 1987 he married filmmaker Jo Andres and they have one son.

Steve Buscemi was a firefighter before he became an actorCredit: Getty - Contributor

What is Steve Buscemi's connection to 9/11?

Steve served with the FDNY for four years in Engine Co. 55.

In the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Centre he returned to his old station to assist his former colleagues with the salvage operation.

For a week he worked 12 hour shifts, helping his colleagues to search for missing bodies in the rubble - he refused autographs and interviews at this time.

Some time after he said: "It was a privilege to be able to do it...

"It wasn't until I stopped that I really felt the full impact of what had happened. It would have been much harder for me to get through it if I hadn't been able to do that."

In 2014 he was appointed an Honorary Battalion Chief of the FDNY.