Age: 53
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
William Jacob "Jake" Busey (born June 15, 1971) is an American actor, musician and film producer. He is sometimes credited as "Jacob Busey" or "William Busey". He is the son of actor Gary Busey.
Busey was born in Los Angeles, and raised in Malibu, California, the son of photographer Judy Lynn Helkenberg, and actor Gary Busey. Busey spent his childhood on film sets and touring with bands in which his father played. He began considering his career choices at the age of five when he took up the two hobbies that grew into professions: acting and playing drums.
Busey's motion picture debut was in the 1978 film Straight Time with his father Gary and Dustin Hoffman. His two most notable appearances are as the murderous religious fanatic opposite Jodie Foster in Contact and as smart-mouthed soldier Ace Levy in Starship Troopers. He appeared in H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, one of three 2005 film adaptations of the novel by H.G. Wells, alongside C. Thomas Howell. Additionally, he has had major roles in Tomcats opposite Jerry O'Connell and Shannon Elizabeth, in James Mangold's thriller Identity, with C. Thomas Howell in the The Hitcher II, Michael J. Fox in Peter Jackson's The Frighteners and Road House 2. Busey played the role of "Backfire" in Patrick Durham's movie Cross which was released directly to DVD and download in May 2011, and stars in the upcoming independent film Don't Pass Me By.
He has also had minor parts in films like Windrunner: A Spirited Journey starring Jason Wiles, Christmas with the Kranks starring Tim Allen, I'll Do Anything, Enemy of the State, The Killing Jar, The Stoned Age, PCU, and Fast Sofa with Jennifer Tilly and Natasha Lyonne. He also had a main role on the television show Shasta McNasty. Busey portrayed since 2013 Professor Aiden "Sex Machine" Tanner in From Dusk till Dawn: The Series.
He also provided the voice of The Radioman in the 2012 video game Spec Ops: The Line.
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1978 | Straight Time | Henry Darin | |
1982 | Barbarosa | Cook boy | |
1989 | Hider in the House | Teenage Tom | Voice role |
1992 | Cruel Doubt | student | TV movie |
1993 | Shimmer | Richard Halverson | |
1994 | Foot Shooting Party | Short film | |
Motorcycle Gang | Jake | TV movie | |
S.F.W. | Morrow Streeter | ||
The Stoned Age | Jimmy Muldoon | ||
PCU | Mersh | ||
I'll Do Anything | |||
1995 | Quiet Days in Hollywood | Curt | |
Windrunner | Dave Promisco | ||
1996 | The Frighteners | Johnny Charles Bartlett | |
Twister | Mobile Lab technician | ||
1997 | Contact | Joseph | |
Starship Troopers | Private Ace Levy | ||
1998 | Enemy of the State | Krug | |
Home Fries | Angus | ||
1999 | Shasta McNasty | Dennis | |
2001 | Tomcats | Kyle Brenner | |
Jeremiah | Jake Davenport | ||
2002 | The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest | Darrell | |
The Twilight Zone | Vincent Hansen | Episode: "Chosen" | |
2003 | Identity | Robert Maine | |
The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting | Jack | ||
2004 | Christmas with the Kranks | Officer Treen | |
2005 | H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds | Lieutenant Samuelson | |
The Rain Makers | Shaw | Associate Producer | |
Code Breakers | Straub | ||
2006 | Road House 2 | Wild Bill | |
Wristcutters: A Love Story | Brian | ||
2008 | Time Bomb | Jason Philby | direct to video |
2010 | The Killing Jar | Greene | |
2011 | Cross | Backfire | Producer |
2012 | Play James Play | Paul | |
Don't Pass Me By | Fred Norwick | ||
Nazis at the Center of the Earth | Adrian Reistad | ||
Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva la Fiesta! | Oscar (voice role) | ||
2013 | Girl Meets Boy | Richard | |
Sparks | Sledge | ||
Psych | FBI agent | Santabarbaratown 2 | |
2014 | From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series | Professor Aiden "Sex Machine" Tanner | TV Series |
Reaper | Bill | ||
2015 | Justified | Lewis "The Wiz" Mago | TV Series |
Texas Rising | Samuel Wallace | TV MiniSeries |
Busey writes and plays drums for the band Sons of the Lawless. He also plays guitar and is a baritone singer. One of their songs, "Let Me Down", is featured over the end credits of the Asylum film Nazis at the Center of the Earth (2012) and was put there by special request of the director, Joseph J. Lawson. Lawson chose the song because he wanted the film to end like a classic '80s horror B-movie and because Busey played a central character in the film.
Busey resides in Los Angeles, California.