Famous American actor and filmmaker, Steve Buscemi is best known for his starring roles in several indie films and commercially successful hits such as Parting Glances, New York Stories, Mystery Train, and Reservoir Dogs. In addition to acting, Buscemi has also directed a number of works such as Lonesome Jim, The Sopranos, Oz, and 30 Walk. Steve is a former firefighter at Engine Company 55 in Little Italy, New York City. Coming to his personal life, the Hollywood star in 1987 tied the knot with Jo Andres. Steve and Jo remained married until her death in 2019. The following paragraphs unveil everything you need to know about Jo Andres and the circumstances that led to her death.
Who Was Jo Andres, Steve Buscemi’s Wife?
Jo Andres was an American choreographer, visual artist, and filmmaker. She was born as Mary Jo Andres on the 21st of May, 1954, in Wichita, Kansas, United States of America. Jo was one of the five children (three sons and two daughters) of her parents. They raised her alongside her siblings in Hilliard, Ohio. Her mother, Rosemarie Andres was a Home Economics teacher while her father, Martin Andres was a professor of veterinary medicine at Ohio State University. On completing high school, Jo earned a Bachelor’s degree in Dance from Ohio State University. She subsequently received a Master’s in Film from the same institution in 1984.
Jo Andres moved to New York in the 1980s where she soon became prominent for her dance and light performances at various clubs, stages, and theaters. Some of them include the Performing Garage, St. Mark Danspace, La Mama Experimental Theater Club, Collective for Living Cinema, and Performance Space New. She was particularly unique for her experimental and sensual style of choreography which was the innovative product of modern dance and performance art blended together. She was also known for her visual artistry which was characterized by fantastical and dreamlike imagery achieved through a multimedia strategy.
Andres would later in the 1990s expand her career to include film directing and production. As a film director and producer, she gained prominence with the 1996 PBS film, Black Kites. The film which became popular for playing at several major film festivals such as Toronto, Sundance, London, Berlin, and Human Rights Watch also featured her husband and son. She also collaborated with her husband, Steve Buscemi, in a number of films including What Happened to Pete. She worked as an editor while Steve served as the director of the 1992 film. Aside from directing, she also served as the choreographer on some works such as The Impostors (1998).
In addition to films, Jo Andres also directed a good number of other forms of art and music videos, including Diana Krall‘s “When The Curtain Comes Down”. She also worked as a dance consultant at the famous New York theater company, Wooster Group. That’s not all, she served as a resident artist at several museums, art colonies, and art departments of notable universities. She also produced several personal artworks including cyanotype photos.
Jo Andres’ Sickness and Death
Jo Andres died on Monday, 6th January 2019 at her home in Brooklyn, New York. She died at the age of 64. Leading to Andres’ death was encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis, a rare bowel complication from long-term peritoneal dialysis. According to the National Institutes of Health, the disease involves a large-scale thickening of the abdominal cavity membrane which eventually results in intestinal obstruction.
Prior to suffering from sclerosis, Andres had received successful treatments for ovarian cancer.
Following her death, her family and close friends organized a private memorial service on Thursday, 8th January. Her funeral followed on Saturday, January 12 at their Brooklyn residence in New York.
With Steve Buscemi, Jo Andres had a son named Lucian Buscemi who was born in 1990. The couple had met in the early 1980s while Buscemi still worked as a firefighter. Prior to their marriage in 1987, they worked together in the 1984 film, Parting Glances. They were married for a little over 30 years. Accepting an award at the 2019 Big Screen Achievement Awards gala held in Las Vegas in May, Steve Buscemi mentioned Jo Andres as his biggest supporter, audience, and inspiration.