17. Steve Buscemi Was A NY Firefighter (And Worked 12 Hour Shifts After 9/11 Looking For Survivors)
Its not just Christopher Walken who worked elsewhere. In his youth, Steve Buscemi was a member of the New York Fire Department. He passed a civil test in 1976, before joining the New York City Firefighters in 1980, at age 22, and was based in the Little Italy area of Manhattan. Buscemi worked as a firefighter for four years before getting his film debut in 1985, beginning a truly unique film career. The day after the 9/11 attacks Buscemi appeared at his old fire house, some 17 years after leaving the squad, to volunteer with the cleanup. Along with the Little Italy team he worked 12-hour shifts for a week, digging through the rubble and searching for missing firefighters and other survivors. He refused to do any interviews during this time, and declined photographs whilst he was working. Buscemi may have always seemed a great guy, but these actions undoubtedly proved it.