Before They Were Stars: Steve Buscemi on “Miami Vice”

Whenever possible, I like to do “Before They Were Stars” features for people on their birthday and today, I’m quite happy to dig up a piece of Steve Buscemi obscurity. It’s funny, but when I was assembling my list of “That Guys” last week, I thought about what a rare bird Steve Buscemi really is. Here’s a guy who’s spent his career working primarily as a character actor and doing supporting roles, yet he definitely doesn’t qualify as a “That Guy”. The guy is so distinctive and has done so much memorable work that if you say the name “Steve Buscemi”, most people will know who you’re talking about. Anyway, this clip is from one of his earliest roles on an episode of Miami Vice, where he is beaten up by Don Johnson and Willie Nelson. No, I don’t have any idea what Willie Nelson is doing on Miami Vice, but where else are you going to find these three people together in the same scene?