On 9/11, people remember their favourite story about Steve Buscemi

Sixteen years ago, on 11 September 2001, Hollywood actor Steve Buscemi – know for his depictions of gangsters and weirdos, once described by the Guardian as a “strangely attractive shoelace” – returned to his job as a New York firefighter.

He worked 12 hour shifts for several days alongside other firefighters, searching for survivors in the rubble from the World Trade Center.

Buscemi had taken the FDNY civil service test when he was 18, and used to work as a FDNY firefighter in downtown Manhattanin the 1980’s.

He later left the service to become an actor, but has remained engaged in New York firefighters causes, having spoken at union rallies and hosted the HBO documentary A Good Job: Stories of the FDNY.