Gary Busey, a blond-haired, fair-complexioned actor with a toothy grin and an unsettling glint in his eyes, was born in Goose Creek, Texas, and raised in Oklahoma. He is the son of Sadie Virginia (Arnett),a homemaker, and Delmar Lloyd Busey, a construction design manager, with English, Irish, Scottish, and German ancestry. Busey graduated from Nathan Hale High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1962 and initially pursued a career as a professional musician, playing drums in several bands, including those of country-and-western legends Leon Russell, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson.
Busey's first film appearance was in the low-budget film Angels Hard as They Come (1971),followed by several film roles as a country hick/redneck or surly, rebellious types. His breakthrough came with the dynamic film The Buddy Holly Story (1978),in which he took the lead role as Buddy Holly, played guitar, and sang all the vocals. His stellar performance earned him a Best Actor nomination and caught the attention of Hollywood casting agents.
Next, he starred alongside fellow young actors William Katt and Jan-Michael Vincent 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 in the runaway mega-hit Lethal Weapon (1987). He continued to deliver strong performances, including alongside Danny Glover in Predator 2 (1990),and co-starred with Keanu Reeves in Point Break (1991). In Under Siege (1992),he nearly stole the show as a psychotic Navy officer in league with terrorists led by Tommy Lee Jones.
Gary Busey has remained busy in front of the cameras and has developed a minor cult following among many film fans. He is also the proud father of accomplished young actor Jake Busey, whose looks make him almost a dead ringer for his famous father.
