By Xavier Jackson
Steve Buscemi is one of the more notable names in Hollywood these days. With film credits ranging from Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs to what Adam Sandler has planned next, it’s hard to believe there was ever a time when he wasn’t hitting the big screen.
Yet back in the early 1980s, Buscemi was on a very different career path. Before Buscemi got his big break, he was a New York firefighter.
Assigned to Engine 55, Buscemi worked as a firefighter for four years before hanging his helmet up to begin his acting career full-time. But despite his Hollywood success, he hasn’t forgotten his roots. As a native of Brooklyn, he has always maintained an attachment to the city. It was this attachment that brought him back to Engine 55 (which lost four firefighters during the collapse of the World Trade Centers) in the wake of 9/11 to help assist with the cleanup and recovery of the twin towers. Together with his old unit, he worked 12-hour shifts for several days sifting through rubble and looking for survivors.
He did this with no media attention or intentions other than to simply assist his old comrades in their duty. The entire act of charity probably would have gone unnoticed had a photographer not caught the famed actor riding on a fire truck at the scene.
Even when he’s not acting as a firefighter, he’s still active in his support of the FDNY. Buscemi regularly stops by the old firehouse to say ‘hi’ and catch up with his old co-workers, often dropping off fresh baked goods from his wife in the process. And when he’s not surprising them with visits, he is often supporting them in protest marches for the FDNY, giving speeches during union meetings, or producing documentaries about their lives.
No matter how high Buscemi reaches into stardom, he has never forgotten his roots.
