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IMDbPro

Gary Busey

  • Actor
  • Producer
  • Composer
IMDbProStarmeter
Top 5,000412
Gary Busey at an event for The Queen (2006)
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Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time- Vol. 1 Midnight Madness (2020)
48 Videos
99+ Photos
A blond-haired, fair-complexioned actor with a toothy grin and capable of an unsettling glint in his eyes, Gary Busey was born in Goose Creek, Texas, and was raised in Oklahoma. He is the son of Sadie Virginia (Arnett), a homemaker, and Delmar Lloyd Busey, a construction design manager. He has English, as well as Irish, Scottish, and German, ancestry. He graduated from Nathan Hale High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1962 and for a while was a professional musician. A talented drummer, he played in several bands, including those of country-and-western legends Leon Russell, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson.

Busey's first film appearance was as a biker in the low-budget Angels Hard as They Come (1971) and, over the next few years, he landed several film roles generally as a country hick/redneck or surly, rebellious types. His real breakthrough came in the dynamic film The Buddy Holly Story (1978), with Busey taking the lead role as Buddy Holly, in addition to playing guitar and singing all the vocals! His stellar performance scored him a Best Actor nomination and the attention of Hollywood taking overcasting agents. Next up, he joined fellow young actors William Katt and Jan-Michael Vincent as surfing buddies growing up together in the cult surf film Big Wednesday (1978), directed by John Milius. However, a string of appearances in somewhat mediocre films took him out of the spotlight for several years, until he played the brutal assassin Mr. Joshua trying to kill Los Angeles cops Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the runaway mega-hit Lethal Weapon (1987). Further strong roles followed, including alongside Danny Glover once again in Predator 2 (1990). He was back on the beaches, this time tracking bank robbers with FBI agent Keanu Reeves, in Point Break (1991) and nearly stole the show as a psychotic Navy officer in league with terrorists led by Tommy Lee Jones taking over the USS Missouri in the highly popular Under Siege (1992).

The entertaining Busey has continued to remain busy in front of the cameras and has certainly developed a minor cult following among many film fans. Plus, he's also the proud father of accomplished young actor Jake Busey, whose looks make him almost a dead ringer for his famous father.
BornJune 29, 1944
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornJune 29, 1944
IMDbProStarmeter
Top 5,000412
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar

Photos181

Gary Busey in Straight Time (1978)
Dustin Hoffman and Gary Busey in Straight Time (1978)
Dustin Hoffman, Kathy Bates, Gary Busey, and Jake Busey in Straight Time (1978)
Gary Busey in Saturday Night Live (1975)
Gary Busey in Rookie of the Year (1993)
Gary Busey and Ray Benson in Wild Texas Wind (1991)
Dolly Parton and Gary Busey in Wild Texas Wind (1991)
Dolly Parton and Gary Busey in Wild Texas Wind (1991)
Gary Busey in Wild Texas Wind (1991)
Dolly Parton and Gary Busey in Wild Texas Wind (1991)
Dolly Parton and Gary Busey in Wild Texas Wind (1991)
Dolly Parton and Gary Busey in Wild Texas Wind (1991)

Known for

The Buddy Holly Story (1978)
The Buddy Holly Story
7.2
  • Buddy
  • 1978
Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon (1987)
Lethal Weapon
7.6
  • Joshua
  • 1987
Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, James Le Gros, and John Philbin in Point Break (1991)
Point Break
7.2
  • Pappas
  • 1991
Under Siege (1992)
Under Siege
6.5
  • Commander Krill
  • 1992

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Not A Merry Christmas
    • Pre-production
  • The Gettysburg Address
    • (voice)
    • Post-production
  • Rabere
    • Pre-production
  • Gary Busey and Jacques Belliveau in Reggie: A Millenial Depression Comedy (2021)
    Reggie: A Millenial Depression Comedy
  • Hitman 3 (2021)
    Hitman 3
    • (voice, credit only)
  • Gary Busey in Gary Busey: Pet Judge (2020)
    Gary Busey: Pet Judge
  • Bunker of Blood: Chapter 8: Butcher's Bake Off: Hell's Kitchen (2019)
    Bunker of Blood: Chapter 8: Butcher's Bake Off: Hell's Kitchen
  • Hitman 2 (2018)
    Hitman 2
    • (voice, credit only)
  • Tara Reid, Ian Ziering, and Cassandra Scerbo in The Last Sharknado: It's About Time (2018)
    The Last Sharknado: It's About Time
    • (as Gary Busy)
  • Camp Manna (2018)
    Camp Manna
  • King of LA
  • The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show (2015)
    The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show
    • (voice)
  • Gary Busey, Stephen Tobolowsky, Alexandria DeBerry, Dylan Riley Snyder, Michael Eric Reid, and Sean O'Donnell in Mamaboy (2016)
    Mamaboy
  • David Hasselhoff, Tara Reid, Ian Ziering, Tommy Davidson, Cody Linley, Masiela Lusha, Ryan Whitney, and Imani Hakim in Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens (2016)
    Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens
  • Candiland (2016)
    Candiland
  • Hitman (2016)
    Hitman
    • (voice)
  • Zane Holtz and Eiza González in From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series (2014)
    From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
  • Bikini Model Academy (2015)
    Bikini Model Academy

Producer

  • Hallettsville (2009)
    Hallettsville
  • I'm with Busey (2003)
    I'm with Busey

Composer

  • Nashville (1975)
    Nashville
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos55

Eye of the Tiger
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Eye of the Tiger
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Trailer 1:18
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Trailer 1:00
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Trailer 0:56
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Trailer 1:50
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Trailer 2:03
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Trailer 1:40
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Official Trailer
Trailer 1:56
Official Trailer
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Trailer 2:38
Official Trailer
Blu-ray Trailer
Trailer 1:25
Blu-ray Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 3:37
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:52
Official Trailer

Personal details

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  • Official sites
    • Cameo
    • Facebook
    • June 29, 1944
    • Goose Creek, Texas, USA
    • Steffanie SampsonNovember 12, 2019 - present (1 child)
    • Jake Busey
  • Other works
    (1970s) His first appearance in television was in a local (Tulsa, OK) late-night "Monster-Movie" show called "Mazzeppa Pompazoidi's Uncanny Film-Festival and Camp Meeting." It was hosted by Gailard Sartain (featured in Hee Haw (1969) and the "Ernest" movies featuring Jim Varney). Gailard was the host, Mazzeppa, and Gary played his hapless sidekick and straight-man. It ran for a year or two on Saturday nights, on the Tulsa CBS affiliate, Channel 6.
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Interviews
    • 4 Articles
    • 2 Pictorials
    • 2 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Nearly died of head injuries in a motorcycle accident in December 1988.
  • Quotes
    Great things like this only happen for the first time once.
    • Often plays weird or psychotic characters with bizarre background

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