Steve Buscemi Net Worth 2026: $35 Million

November 10, 2026

Daniel Reed

Steve Buscemi net worth: Steve Buscemi’s net worth is estimated at $35 million as of November 2026, according to Celebrity Net Worth, whose figure was last updated in August 2024. No Forbes, Bloomberg or Hurun estimate of the actor’s fortune has been published. The estimate reflects more than four decades of film and prestige television work, voice acting, directing and producing — a career built on character roles rather than leading-man paydays.

Last updated: November 2026

Who is Steve Buscemi?

Steve Buscemi is an American actor, director and former New York City firefighter, born on 13 December 1957 in Brooklyn. He broke through as Mr. Pink in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs (1992), became a Coen brothers regular in Fargo (1996) and The Big Lebowski (1998), and won a Golden Globe as Prohibition-era boss Nucky Thompson in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014). In November 2026 he stars in Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine. Read his full story in Steve Buscemi’s biography.

Steve Buscemi net worth: how the estimate is made

The $35 million figure comes from Celebrity Net Worth, the only named estimator to have published a figure for Buscemi. The page was first published in May 2020 and last updated on 17 August 2024, which means the estimate is more than two years old and has not been refreshed to reflect his 2025–2026 work, including Wednesday season 2, Klara and the Sun and Wild Horse Nine. Celebrity Net Worth says its figures are estimates drawn from public sources.

No Forbes, Bloomberg or Hurun estimate for Buscemi exists, so the $35 million figure should be read as the best available published estimate, not a verified fortune. A small number of lower-quality outlets give higher figures — $40 million and $50 million — but neither publishes any methodology, and neither is used as the headline figure here.

How Steve Buscemi made his money

Buscemi’s wealth was built the slow way: decades of steady, well-paid character work rather than a single blockbuster payday. His main income streams are acting salaries, voice work, directing fees, producing and residuals.

Television: His biggest single payday was Boardwalk Empire, where he starred as Nucky Thompson for five seasons (2010–2014). Celebrity Net Worth reports he earned $75,000 per episode for the role — a figure that has not been independently confirmed by another outlet, so it is presented here as that site’s report, not as verified fact. Across 56 episodes, that rate would imply roughly $4.2 million in base salary for the series, before residuals and bonuses.
Film: More than 100 film credits since the mid-1980s, from Reservoir Dogs and Fargo to Con Air, Armageddon, Ghost World and The Death of Stalin. No reliably reported film salary has been published for Buscemi, and none is claimed here.
Voice work: A long-running income stream, led by Randall Boggs in Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. (2001) and its sequels and spin-offs, and Wayne the werewolf in the Hotel Transylvania franchise.
Directing and producing: Feature directing credits including Trees Lounge (1996), Animal Factory (2000) and The Listener (2022), plus television directing on The Sopranos, 30 Rock and Portlandia. He co-founded the production company Olive Productions with Wren Arthur and is executive producer of the 2026 documentary Into the Unknown.
Residuals: Decades of work on endlessly re-watched films and prestige television — Fargo, The Big Lebowski, Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos — continue to generate residual income.

Career earnings timeline

1980–1984: FDNY firefighter, Engine Company 55, Little Italy — a civil-service salary while he studied acting and did stand-up on the side.
1986: First major notice in Parting Glances, the start of a steady stream of independent-film work.
1992: Reservoir Dogs makes him one of the most in-demand character actors of the decade; wins an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male.
1996–2001: Peak film run — Fargo, Con Air, Armageddon, The Big Lebowski, Ghost World (second Independent Spirit Award), Monsters, Inc.
2004–2006: The Sopranos as Tony Blundetto, plus directing four episodes including “Pine Barrens”.
2010–2014: Boardwalk Empire — his highest-paid role, a Golden Globe win and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.
2014–2016: Two Emmy wins — a News & Documentary Emmy in 2015 and the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series in 2016 for Park Bench with Steve Buscemi.
2025–2026: Wednesday season 2, Klara and the Sun and Wild Horse Nine — three releases in just over a year, the busiest stretch of his recent career.

Real estate

Buscemi’s most significant verified asset was the Park Slope brownstone he shared with his first wife, Jo Andres. The three-storey, roughly 3,600-square-foot townhouse at 460 Fifth Street in Brooklyn, built in 1901 and about two blocks from Prospect Park, sold in an off-market deal for $4,999,999 — just under $5 million — in a sale that closed in mid-November 2025. The couple had bought the home in 1997; the purchase price was not disclosed in public records, so no profit figure can be stated.

Buscemi now lives with his wife Karen Ho, whom he married in early 2025, in a Manhattan penthouse in Kips Bay bought a couple of years ago. No purchase price for that home has been reliably reported.

Our methodology

This estimate is transparent about its limits. The $35 million headline figure comes from a single named estimator, Celebrity Net Worth, and was last updated in August 2024 — it has not been refreshed for his 2025–2026 work. No Forbes, Bloomberg or Hurun figure exists to cross-check it against. The $75,000-per-episode Boardwalk Empire salary is reported by Celebrity Net Worth alone and is attributed, not asserted. Higher figures of $40 million and $50 million appear on lower-quality aggregator sites with no stated methodology and are not used. No film salaries, endorsement deals or business valuations for Buscemi have been reliably reported, and none are estimated here.

Frequently asked questions

What is Steve Buscemi’s net worth?

Steve Buscemi’s net worth is estimated at $35 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, whose figure was last updated in August 2024. No Forbes, Bloomberg or Hurun estimate of his fortune has been published.

How did Steve Buscemi make his money?

Steve Buscemi made his money from more than four decades of acting in film and prestige television, led by Boardwalk Empire, plus voice work in Monsters, Inc. and Hotel Transylvania, directing fees and producing through his company Olive Productions, and residuals from his many re-watched films and shows.

What was Steve Buscemi’s Boardwalk Empire salary?

Celebrity Net Worth reports that Steve Buscemi earned $75,000 per episode for Boardwalk Empire. The figure has not been independently confirmed by another outlet. Across the show’s 56 episodes, that rate would imply roughly $4.2 million in base salary, before residuals and bonuses.

Did Steve Buscemi sell his Brooklyn home?

Yes. Steve Buscemi sold his longtime Park Slope brownstone at 460 Fifth Street in Brooklyn for $4,999,999 in a sale that closed in mid-November 2025. He and his first wife, Jo Andres, had bought the three-storey townhouse in 1997. He now lives in Manhattan with his wife Karen Ho.

Was Steve Buscemi really a firefighter?

Yes. Before acting full time, Steve Buscemi served as a New York City firefighter with FDNY Engine Company 55 in Little Italy from 1980 to 1984. He returned to the firehouse the day after the 11 September 2001 attacks and volunteered at Ground Zero for about a week.