Steve Buscemi: Unrecognized 9/11 Firefighter, Hero

A decade ago, the world changed when terrorists slammed planes into the towers of the World Trade Center. As the 10th anniversary approaches (can you believe it’s been that long), untold stories are emerging of heroics performed on 9/11/01 and beyond. One you may not know is the story of famous actor Steve Buscemi. On 9/12/01, Buscemi returned to his previous job as a firefighter to search for bodies working 12 hour shifts. And all unbeknownst to most of the world mostly because he refused to have his photo taken or do any interviews. Very un-Hollywood, very cool.

In the 1980s, Buscemi worked as a firefighter for four years on FDNY Engine No. 55 in the Little Italy section of New York.  The day after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Buscemi returned to Engine 55 and worked alongside other firefighters in 12-hour shifts for the next week to sift through the rubble from the World Trade Center.

“It was a privilege to be able to do it,” the 45-year-old actor said. “It was great to connect with the firehouse I used to work with and with some of the guys I worked alongside. And it was enormously helpful for me because while I was working, I didn’t really think about it as much, feel it as much.

“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.”

Thank you Steve Buscemi. You’re cool in movies but certainly you’re cooler in real life.