William Gary Busey was born on June 29, 1944, in Goose Creek, Texas, later renamed Baytown. He was the son of Sadie Virginia Busey, a homemaker, and Delmer Lloyd Busey, a construction design manager. Busey grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and graduated from Nathan Hale High School in 1962. He initially attended Pittsburg State University in Kansas on a football scholarship but found a passion for acting. He later transferred to Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. Busey left the university just one class shy of graduation to pursue an entertainment career.
Busey began his career in entertainment as a drummer for a band called The Rubber Band. He also performed on several Leon Russell recordings, using the stage names "Teddy Jack Eddy" and "Sprunk." These aliases were developed during his time on a local Tulsa satire program, The Uncanny Film Festival and Camp Meeting, which aired on KTUL. Busey portrayed an eccentric character named Teddy Jack Eddy, a name suggested by fellow actor Gailard Sartain who combined three simple names—Teddy, Jack, and Eddy—to create the persona.
Busey's first film appearance was a minor role as a biker in the low-budget project Angels Hard as They Come (1971). He went on to play several similar roles, often characterized as rebellious or rough around the edges. His distinct gravelly voice, Texas accent, and wide, toothy grin lent themselves well to portraying eccentric or volatile characters. In 1974, he gained more visibility with a supporting role in Michael Cimino's action film Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, starring Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges.
In 1976, Busey was cast in A Star Is Born, playing Bobby Ritchie, the road manager of Kris Kristofferson's character. Barbra Streisand, who starred in and co-produced the film, noted in the DVD commentary that Busey's performance left a strong impression. However, it was his portrayal of rock 'n' roll legend Buddy Holly in the 1978 film The Buddy Holly Story that marked the pinnacle of his career. Co-starring with Gailard Sartain, who played The Big Bopper, Busey's performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor. In a nod to his earlier persona, he alters lyrics in the song “Well All Right” to include “We’re gonna love Teddy Jack.”
Throughout his public appearances, Busey became well-known for coining acronyms and philosophical expressions—referred to as “Buseyisms.” These quirky and sometimes profound sayings reflect aspects of his personality and worldview. An example includes his definition of "FEAR" as "False Evidence Appearing Real," which he elaborates by calling it “the darkroom where Satan develops his negatives.” Another example is his take on "SOBER": "Son of a Bitch, Everything's Real." Busey has said, “If you take shortcuts, you get cut short,” and once tweeted the surreal phrase, “Running backwards naked through a cornfield at midnight will show you where you've been.” These sayings helped solidify his reputation as a uniquely eccentric figure in the entertainment industry.
| Birth Date: | 29 Jun, 1944 |
| Age: | 75 yrs |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Birth Place: | Baytown |
| Education: | Pittsburg State University |
| Gender: | Male |
| Description: | American actor |
| Net Worth 2021: | 500 thousand |
