Movies with James Belushi are probably familiar to lovers of good movies. This famous American actor, born June 15, 1954 in the family of Albanian immigrants Adam and Agness Belushi, was the third child. The family lived in Chicago. James, a very famous older brother of James, managed to gain fame as a comedian and was the pride of his parents. Looking at the bright successful example of his brother, James tried by hook or by crook to attract the attention of his parents to himself, but his methods were not entirely successful. Often from the police came subpoenas for petty hooliganism and fights. In his teens, James was the exact opposite of John.
The fate of the actor
But fate had a different fate for the bully and the tomboy. He had all the data, such as humor and charisma, to follow in the footsteps of his brother. Yes, and the appearance of Belushi James, whose height is 180 cm, could not attract the attention of screenwriters and filmmakers.
He was able to prove with his own example that the same person can play both dramatic and comedic roles. This, of course, is a goal-oriented and talented actor, because James Belushi, whose filmography is quite extensive and diverse, has long been loved by the audience, and this is considerable success.
In the life of our hero there were a lot of interesting and noteworthy cases. Still not becoming famous, at a young age he already knew how to draw close attention of others to his own person.
James Belushi: biography
In fact, the fate of our hero was already predetermined. In the school years of the actor, his brother gained extensive fame, touring the United States, starring in famous films. He sometimes even tried on the role of screenwriter.
James's first steps on the stage were his minor roles in holiday productions and school performances. However, at the beginning of his career, he was not remarkable for his remarkable talent. Against the backdrop of the successful work of John, James experienced a certain jealousy and internal contradictions. To prove his worth, he got involved in a gang, which entailed numerous hits at the police station for theft and carjacking.
Having come to his senses in time, our hero realized that he could direct his forces in a more correct and favorable direction for him. To improve and gain the trust of the family, actor James Belushi enters the theater department at the University of Illinois at Carbondale. Only after serious work on himself did he change his life, which began to flow in a calmer course, and successes in the chosen profession did not take long to wait.
James Belushi: filmography (first roles)
The year 1977 was remembered for his performance as a member of the Second City troupe and his debut on blue screens in the TV series “Who Looks For Children”, which was never able to gain wide popularity among viewers. After that, for several years, our hero was seen with minor roles in several popular films. One of the most famous roles of this period was the work of a young actor in the movie "Thief", released in 1981.
What is it like to be the shadow of your older brother?
Maybe Jimmy could beat John, but, alas, he was perceived by directors and producers only as an understudy of his star brother. For some reason, the younger Belushi could get the role only after John refused it, but he almost never missed good roles. Once this injustice bothered the actor, and he told his brother after receiving another invitation to comedy filming that this role was not for him and he was obliged to refuse it. Knowing the character of Belushi Jr., after a short argument, John nevertheless lost his role.
Big tragedy in the Belushi family
But the serene happiness of the actor did not last long, in 1982, John died from a drug overdose, who was found in the Los Angeles hotel room Chateau Marmont. This incident dramatically changed the life of James, calling into question all his achievements. The inevitable depression overtook the actor, which it was difficult for him to overcome. And so began a series of failures in the life of the hero. The difficult state of mind was spurred by the fact that he had to perform on the spot of his brother in the weekly comedy show “Saturday Night Live”. The ratings of the show were over the top, and James, driven by the producers, was literally forced to finish the business of John who had suddenly died.
Jimmy increasingly noticed his similarities with his brother, he was frightened by the prospect of ending his life as early and suddenly. Depression brought to alcoholism. More and more often, he began to come to the shooting in a drunken state, thereby spoiling his reputation and eventually losing his job. Sandra, the first wife of the actor, could not stand it all and left, taking with her son Robert.
James was still able to pull himself together. To learn how to cope with his emotions, he took a lot of time. But four years after the death of his brother, his mother died. At that moment, Belushi realized that he had to work - the more, the better. To drown out the pain, he began to act a lot and hard, as if he had been replaced. The filmmakers appeared the new James Belushi. His filmography after this began to rapidly enrich with new paintings.
Further life: success story after the fall
In the late 80s, after a protracted stupor and complete calm in the acting field, the young man resumes his work. James Belushi, whose filmography seemed irrevocably finished, starred in the new comedy films The Shop of Horrors and Jack the Jumper, as well as in the drama Salvador, which won an Oscar. It was a serious success and honorary recognition of the actor.
Having done away with the past, James became more likely to be attracted by famous filmmakers to popular television projects and films, and pretty soon the hero’s career began to improve. In the early nineties, the actor gained fame thanks to the main roles in the films “Curly Sue”, “Homer and Eddie”, “K-9”, “Red Heat”, etc. During this period, he was able to show himself from various sides - from comedic to more serious roles. He nevertheless managed to separate himself from the star name of his brother.
Famous actor films
Subsequently, James Belushi, films with which began to gain popularity, confidently took his place among the famous names of Hollywood. Frequent filming awaited him, the fruits of which were bright films. Among them, the most recognizable are the series “As Jim Said” and the famous comedy “K-911”.
Having reached adulthood, the actor began to be invited to dub animated films or as a musician. Thus, our hero managed to perform the main song in the animated film "The True Story of Little Red Riding Hood" and participate in the album recording Have Love Will Travel.
The equally famous film “Director” with James Belushi is a meaningful action movie, where the protagonist is the director of a school terrorized by difficult teenagers. He tries to put things in order by the appropriate method, riding a motorcycle with a bat in his hand. He ventured to clean up the classes, and he succeeded.
In 2006, James released an autobiographical book called Real Men Don't Apologize. In 2008, he was awarded the Order of Honor of the Nation.
Actor revelations
Gaining rich life experience, Belushi wanted to publicly share it on one of the Internet pages. True, there were not so many people wishing to learn about the intricacies of his life, more often questions began to come up about celebrities with whom he worked. And once, when asked about which of the partners he most remembered, Belushi replied that the shepherd dog Jerry Lee was a partner on the set of the film "K-9". The entire female group was fascinated by this dog, stroking and praising it. When James himself tried to approach one of the ladies, then all his attempts by the dog were brutally suppressed.
Facts from Belushi's personal life
In his entire life, James has been married three times. The first wife of the actor was Sandra Davenport, their marriage took place in 1980, but soon they were destined to divorce. With a second wife, Marjorie Bransfield, the marriage also turned out to be fleeting.
He created a family with a third wife - Jennifer Sloan. They currently reside in Los Angeles and raise three children: the sons of Robert and Jared, as well as their daughter Jamison.
Belusha’s temperament is sometimes inexhaustible, and this helps him in life and on the stage, where the acting heroes are reckless and even in difficult times do not lose heart.
Often, the heroes of James have a vital charge of optimism, which, of course, is transmitted to the audience. This, in fact, is attractive to him, and also makes him repeatedly watch his favorite films with his participation as if for the first time.