- Born
- Birth nameWilliam Gary Busey
- Nickname
- Barry Goosey
- Height5′ 11¾″ (1.82 m)
- 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.- IMDb Mini Biography By: firehouse44@hotmail.com
- SpousesSteffanie Sampson(November 12, 2019 - present) (1 child)Tiani Warden(September 23, 1996 - August 31, 2001) (divorced)Judy Busey(December 30, 1968 - July 20, 1990) (divorced, 1 child)
- Children
- ParentsDelmer Lloyd BuseySadie Virginia Arnett
- Often plays weird or psychotic characters with bizarre background
- Gravelly voice with Texas accent
- His large teeth and large smile
- Eccentric personality
- Messy blonde hair
- Nearly died of head injuries in a motorcycle accident in December 1988.
- Both he and his actor-son Jake Busey are licensed pilots, having been
trained at a flight school next-door to the Santa Monica airport. - Along with Werner Klemperer, he is one of only two actors to appear in all three of the longest running prime time scripted series in US television history: Gunsmoke (1955), The Simpsons (1989) and Law & Order (1990).
- Had a plum-sized tumor removed from his sinus cavity.
- In 2014, he won season 14 of Celebrity Big Brother (2001) in the United Kingdom. He is the first ever American to win the reality show.
- Great things like this only happen for the first time once.
- It's good for everyone to understand that they are to love their
enemies, simply because your enemies show you things about yourself you
need to change. So in actuality enemies are friends in reverse. - Never dip lower than you can dip.
- You know what "FEAR" stands for? It stands for "False Evidence Appearing Real". It's the darkroom where Satan develops his negatives.
- You know what "FAILING" stands for? It stands for "Finding An Important Lesson, Inviting Needed Growth".
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content