#2. Steve Buscemi

Photo Credit: Twitter,molbowes

Before Steve Buscemi appeared in dozens of films and TV shows, he started out as a 22-year-old firefighter in New York City. He was with Engine Co. 55 in Little Italy starting in 1980. He talked about it with a Salon interviewer:

…I had gone to school for acting and had done some stand-up comedy before I took the job. But after I had been on the job for about a year, I started going back to acting classes. I was constantly doing theater, and the first couple of films I did, I was still with the fire department.

Not only that, but after 9/11 he showed up at his old firehouse and assisted with the rescue efforts, working 12 hour shifts for days on end. He refused all interviews and photo ops during that time, and later said that he was glad to have been busy so that he had time to fully process the enormity of what had just happened.

Buscemi is one of the most recognizable character actors in the business. His credits include Reservoir Dogs, Fargo, The Big Lebowksi, and Ghost World. Buscemi is also a talented director and has helmed such films as Trees Lounge and Animal Factory.