- Born
- Birth nameWilliam Gary Busey
- Nickname
- Barry Goosey
- Height1.82 m
- 6-foot-1 blond-haired, European-American 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 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 Graffiti Party (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 L'Arme fatale (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 : Extrême Limite (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 Piège en haute mer (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: king
- 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.
- 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.
- 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), Les Simpson (1989) and New York - Police judiciaire (1990).
- Had a plum-sized tumor removed from his sinus cavity.
- 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".
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