Biography of Jim Belushi
Jim Belushi is an American film actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. The Hollywood comedian's best-known films include "Red Heat", "K-9", "Curly Sue", and "Living in Peril". He's also known as a singer, author of the autobiographical book "Real Men Don't Apologize", and cannabis farmer.
Childhood, Youth, Family
James Adam Belushi was born in the summer of 1954 to parents Adam Anastos Belushi and Agnes Demetri Samaras in Chicago. The Albanian immigrants raised four children: Jim, his sister Marianne, and his brothers John and Billy.The family patriarch moved to the US at 16 seeking a better life and spent his years chasing the "American dream": washing dishes, bartending, waiting tables, and working as a cook. He eventually managed to buy a restaurant in Chicago, but it went bankrupt.
First Roles and Tragedy
After finishing school, Jim started studying acting at the University of Southern Illinois in Carbondale, got involved in student theater, and dreamed of making it big.When his brother John won an Emmy Award hosting the musical show "Saturday Night Live," Jim joined the theater troupe The Second City and starred in the short-lived TV series "Who's Watching the Kids?" (1978) while landing a small role in Brian De Palma's 'The Fury.'
At first, Belushi thought it was a bad joke. He called the radio station and started yelling at the host: "What are you saying about my brother??" When Jim finally convinced the host that he really was John's brother, the host said, "I'm sorry, Jim, it just came over the Associated Press wire."Backstage at the Shubert Theatre in Chicago. Time - 5:00 PM. I was warming up my voice before the evening performance of "The Pirates of Penzance". A guy from the mail department came in and said that the radio was saying strange things about John... "like, that your brother is dead."
The hits kept coming for the family – Bob Woodward's book "Wired" was released, where the author, who had promised to explore John Belushi's life and talent, instead trashed him. Then came the tabloid articles, and Jim's older brother kept dying over and over again for him.
His brother's legacy became a burden Jim carried for years and nearly destroyed his career. Belushi hit the bottle hard, lashed out at people, and sank into depression. He was asked to replace his brother on "Saturday Night Live," which John had hosted for four years. At first, everything went well, but after 33 episodes they cut him loose: his drinking made him unreliable, and he'd simply not show up to work.For many years I couldn't get over it. Being an actor and John Belushi's brother was both a curse and a blessing. Our relationship opened doors that other actors couldn't approach. But I couldn't just walk through the door – I had to burst through it. They expected nothing less from me. At every interview and every job after John's death, the weight of our shared last name pressed down on my shoulders. Critics never forgave me for not being John. But who could match him? He was a superstar. He was a legend.
Career Peak
Belushi's major breakthrough came with his role as Doctor Rock in Oliver Stone's military drama "Salvador" (1986). His filming partner was James Woods, who played his friend, journalist Richard Boyle. The film was nominated for the "Oscar" in two categories.
In parallel with filming in movies and on TV, Belushi successfully voiced famous cartoon characters. His voice credits include Warthog from "Timon and Pumbaa", Jake from the animated series "Blues Brothers", and hunter Nestor from the animated series "Hercules".In one of the episodes, a new couple appeared living next door. And according to the plot, the wife wanted to make friends as families, to go to lunch together, not so that everyone had only his own friends. Jim didn't like them for some reason, and a conflict arose. But the wife insisted: 'I really want them to be our friends.' 'Okay,' Jim said, 'I'll go apologize.' In my family, there was a similar situation. At Christmas, my wife wanted to walk around the neighborhood with our neighbors, but I didn't like some of them. In the end, she left and had a great time without me. And I was left all alone on Christmas Eve. That's how the series intersected with my life.
Other notable voice roles include forester Kirk in "Hoodwinked" (where Belushi also performed "The Schnitzel Song" for the soundtrack), the Cowardly Lion in "Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return", and coach Wittenberg in the animated series "Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie".
In 2022, Belushi played Dan Gibson in the heartfelt drama "Gigi & Nate" about a paralyzed young man and his service monkey, alongside Michelle Prada, Marcia Gay Harden, and Charlie Rowe.He's a virtuoso. He's 82 years old. And Lynch, when I was filming with him, was about 80, I think... During rehearsals, he only gives you the script fragments where your character appears. After you're cast, you get the full version. But Lynch on 'Twin Peaks' only gave us the scenes we were in. Sometimes I didn't even know what we'd be filming the next day. Everything was shot under strict secrecy. So watching the series was fascinating for me – it remained a complete mystery because I only knew my own scenes in advance! Very intriguing!
Personal Life of Jim Belushi
The actor has been married three times. He met Sandra Davenport, his future first wife, at a cooking class he'd joined to impress women.The couple married in 1980, and their first child Robert James was born that same year.
Two years later, Jim married actress Marjorie Bransfield, but the marriage lasted less than two years. They divorced in 1992 without having any children.
Having largely stepped back from acting, Jim has embraced an unexpected venture: since 2013, he's been growing marijuana on a farm and selling products under the Belushi's Farm brand.
Jim Belushi Now
The sci-fi action film "Fight Another Day" starring Jim Belushi is set for release in 2024. The film was shot in Canada. Directed by James Mark, the movie also stars Martin Kove, Christina Ochoa, and Eric Johnson.
Interesting Facts
- In his autobiography "Real Men Don't Apologize", Jim Belushi revealed that even after his brother's death, John's influence haunted him for years. Jim frequently spiraled out of control under this weight:
I would get angry for no reason. If the fries weren't hot enough, I'd blow up at the waitress. If someone cut me off on the highway, I wouldn't let it go until I'd gotten them back. I drank too much and once on the SNL show, I hit producer Dick Ebersol with a fire extinguisher. I even threatened Larry David with a knife backstage at SNL. It was a joke, but I don't think he knew that. But worst of all, I pushed away my family and let everyone close to me slip away.
- One night in his youth, Jim hit the streets searching for John in all the sketchy spots because the family was panicking - his older brother had an important meeting the next morning. Jim tracked John down to some random apartment, but his brother flat-out refused to leave. Somehow, Jim coaxed him outside, where John decided to mess with his little brother and challenged him to a fight. The deal was: if John won, Jim would come party with him, but if Jim won, they'd head home. Jim spun around and clocked his brother right in the mouth. Later he admitted: "I'd been waiting for this moment ever since he gave me a black eye in eighth grade after I swiped coins from his collection. Staring at that bruise in the mirror, I swore I'd get him back someday. And finally, that day came!". Surprisingly, John didn't even fight back - he just went home.
- Belushi can play various instruments, but his heart belongs to the harmonica. He picked it up after hearing it at a concert by blues legend John Mayall.
- Another passion of Jim is cigars. Arnold Schwarzenegger got him addicted to them while filming "Red Heat". Jim was so hooked that he and Chuck Norris launched a tobacco business, producing cigars under the "Lone Wolf" brand.