Steve Buscemi is one of the most celebrated and versatile Boardwalk Empire.
Because he's been so prolific over the course of his career, he's also given a great number of great performances which are less ed by mainstream audiences. These range from cameos in big movies, to ing performances in low budget indies, to guest star appearances on popular TV shows. Here are ten great characters he portrayed that everyone forgot about.
Adolpho Rollo - In The Soup
Director Alexandre Rockwell made a big splash at the won the Grand Jury Prize. Steve Buscemi stars as Adolpho Rollo, a deluded aspiring filmmaker who can't sell his epic screenplay, and whose acting gigs don't pay nearly enough to cover his bills. He dreams of a life of romance with his next door neighbor, but knows it isn't to be unless he can find success in show business. He partners with a crook named Joe, played by the great Seymour Cassel, in order to make it happen.
Rockwell never was able to replicate the success of In The Soup and become a big name director, and so the film has been largely forgotten about. It's still well worth seeking out.
Buscemi - Desperado
Robert Rodriguez's 1995 action flick Desperado is best known for putting Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek on the map. Steve Buscemi also has a small but important role in the movie, as a character named "Buscemi." In the opening scene, he walks into a bar and tells the bartender a story about a massacre in another bar by a mysterious gunslinger.
This tense but oddly humorous scene sets the stage for the rest of the movie. Unfortunately, Buscemi is killed fairly early on, but he still leaves an impression.
Art Masterson - ER
Steve Buscemi appeared as a guest star in the Season 14 finale of the acclaimed series ER. He plays Art Masterson, who shows up drunk in a black suit and tie to the hospital. Police inform the doctors that they've just received instructions from their lieutenant to keep him there until further notice. Art expresses regret for having failed his family, and insists that there are people after him who want him dead.
Like many of Buscemi's characters, Art is quirky, mysterious, and a bit on the dangerous side. This episode earned rave reviews, largely thanks to his performance and his character's storyline, as well as the show's shocking final moments.
"Buddy Holly" - Pulp Fiction
Buscemi gave a fantastic and memorable performance as Mr. Pink in Pulp Fiction, is much smaller, and because the film has so many classic scenes, Buscemi's part as "Buddy Holly," the waiter at the 1950's theme restaurant Jack Rabbit Slim's, is mostly forgotten about nowadays.
Tarantino is a stickler when it comes to casting, and Buscemi's look and demeanor made him the perfect fit for this small but funny deadpan role.
Nikita Krushchev - The Death Of Stalin
Director Antonio Iannucci helmed the highly successful 2009 political comedy In The Loop. 2017's The Death Of Stalin is a satirical take on the power struggle in the U.S.S.R. after the sudden death of Joseph Stalin. Buscemi plays Nikita Krushchev, one of the many schemers who's angling for power while the government remains leaderless.
The film was a major hit with critics, but found only modest success at the box office despite its rave reviews. It's a clever and fast-paced satire with a terrific ensemble cast.
Johnny Flynn - Kansas City
Kansas City is a crime film directed by the great Robert Altman, which was released to mixed reviews in 1996. Like most of Altman's work, the film is thin on plot, focusing more on mood and atmosphere than anything else. Buscemi plays Johnny Flynn, a political fixer bent on winning votes for his candidate using the most unsavory of methods.
The film is perhaps best known for its musical performances. Altman filmed concert footage of modern day musicians recreating the great Kansas City jazz scene and integrated this material into the film, making Kansas City a rewarding, if perhaps a bit perplexing, moviegoing experience.
Various Roles - Portlandia
Buscemi appeared in five episodes of the sketch comedy series Portlandia, including the pilot in which he plays a confused customer at a feminist bookstore. Perhaps his best appearance was in Season Four, when he played Marty, a hapless celery salesman who takes desperate actions to boost his sales.
He pays a visit to the "Bacon guy," who he begs for help in making celery cool again, but his are less than favorable.
Eddie - Escape From L.A.
"How'd you get out of Beverly Hills? Nobody ever gets out of there alive?" says Buscemi's "Map to the Stars Eddie" in 1996's Escape From L.A., notorious box office flops of its decade. Nonetheless, Buscemi's performance as a crooked interactive tour salesman is one of the film's redeeming qualities.
His smarminess makes him a good foil to Kurt Russell's straightforward machismo, and so the two make for an entertaining duo in their scenes together.
Homeless Guy - Big Daddy
1999's Big Daddy, like most flop with critics but a major success with audiences. Sandler plays Sonny Koufax, who adopts a young boy by posing as his father. Buscemi plays a nameless homeless man who ends up testifying in of Sonny's parenting abilities at Sonny's trial.
This is one of many Buscemi-Sandler collaborations. Buscemi has played ing roles in numerous Sandler projects including Mr. Deeds, Billy Madison, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and others.
Ed - The Search For One-Eye Jimmy
The Search For One-Eye Jimmy is a low budget independent comedy about a young filmmaker who returns to his old neighborhood in Brooklyn to film a documentary. He ends up investigating the disappearance of a local resident and the mysterious characters who are looking for him.
Buscemi is part of a great ensemble cast including The Sopranos' Tony Sirico. The film was unnoticed upon its release, grossing less than $100,000 in total box office, but it's currently available to stream online.
