Diehard New Yorker Steve Buscemi was an independent film icon, both as a perennial favorite actor of respected filmmakers like The Coen Brothers, and as a writer and director in his own right. Throughout the decades of prolific work that followed his rise from the East Village arts boon of the 1980s, Buscemi stayed close to his roots in avant-garde arts and film. He became one of the most recognizable actors at the art houses, but also made a dent at the multiplex in quirky character roles in big budget comedies and action films. Buscemi’s predilection for off-kilter criminal minds, inept underachievers, and sad sack loners was only boosted by his non-traditional looks – his skinny frame, bugged-out eyes, floppy hair and prominent snaggle teeth lending his characters an air of realism Hollywood A-listers only dream of. In addition to career-making roles in “Reservoir Dogs” (1992), “Fargo” (1996), “Con-Air” (1997) and “Ghost World” (2001), Buscemi gained prominence as a director following his feature debut, “Trees Lounge” (1997). From 2000-04, he was highly regarded for his work directing and acting in HBO’s “The Sopranos” and, following his demise on the show, he resumed his average of five film appearances a year.