Gary Busey's Son Is Basically His Twin
Gary Busey is known as one of Hollywood's most eccentric stars, who possesses a manic energy that is palpable both on and off-screen. He is also a father of three, and his oldest son, Jake Busey, not only bears Gary's physical likeness, but he also followed in his father's footsteps. As a child, Jake grew up accompanying his dad while he shot movies. "I would consider myself a child of the circus: I grew up in the circus and I am just carrying on what I was privy to as a child," he told Cryptic Rock in 2017. "I really feel most comfortable on a film set."
Perhaps Jake does not carry the same name recognition as his father, but the actor has enjoyed an impressive career. In the late '90s and early '00s, Jake appeared in hit movies such as "Starship Troopers," "The Frighteners," and "Identity," per IMDb. Although A-list fame wound up eluding him. "I never really did make the leap into being a lead character on the giant movies," he told Den of Geek in 2014.
After the roles started to dry up, Jake briefly settled into a semi-retired lifestyle until his bank account also ran dry. "Who was to know that 2008 would come, the economy would crash, and I'd lose everything, even the shirt off my back?" he told the Santa Barbara Independent in 2018. "I was homeless, living out of a Honda Element." Fortunately, Jake experienced a late-career renaissance thanks in large part to his father.
Jake Busey got this big role because of his dad
In 2018's "The Predator," Jake Busey was cast as Dr. Keyes in the action franchise. Years earlier, Gary Busey had played the character's father, Peter Keyes, in 1990's "Predator 2" and that was the main reason Jake landed the role. "I am really fortunate that the director asked for me to do it because he wanted to have a referential moment and integrate 'Predator 2' with 'The Predator,'" he admitted to Meaww in 2019. The film's director, Shane Black, chose Jake not only for his bloodline, but for his striking resemblance to his father, as you can see above. "It's really the first time I've done a movie that's full-blown nepotism. It's entirely because of my dad," he told the Santa Barbara Independent in 2018.
One scene that was shot for "The Predator," but ultimately cut from the theatrical release, had a character scrolling through old research that would have shown a photo of Gary's Peter Keyes character — who was around the same age as Jake's Dr. Keyes — and the facial similarities were undeniable. To Jake's dismay, the backstory between him and his dad's character did not make the film. "The audience would have gotten to see my dad and me in the same frame and the tongue in cheek aspect of it," Jake told Meaww.
That was not Jake's first time playing Gary's on-screen son. The first time was in 1978's "Straight Time," and their father-son dynamic greatly evolved over time.
How their relationship has calmed down
Thanks to Gary Busey's life in show business, Jake Busey experienced an unconventional childhood. As a youngster, this irked the younger Busey. "As much as I was a grumpy little kid because we never went camping, I didn't appreciate how insanely cool my life was. It was magic," Jake revealed to Esquire in 2015. Not only did the "Stranger Things" actor have a unique upbringing, but the relationship with his dad was unusual at times. "When I was about 18, I had this beautiful girlfriend for about a year. I saw her flirting with my dad, but I didn't realize until years later there was more going on than I knew about," Jake said as he laughed while thinking back on the memory.
Over time, the relationship between the two Buseys mellowed out. "It's a lot calmer now," Jake told Esquire when asked about their dynamic. "My dad is a very energetic force to be reckoned with," he added. Despite the rough patches, Gary looks back fondly on the lessons he instilled in his son. "Everything I am. Even the hard parts I've had in my life he's learned from that," Gary told Closer Weekly in 2019. "It's a union of heaven between the two of us."
In 2012, Jake followed in his father's footsteps once again when he became a father to daughter Autumn Rosalia Busey, per E! News. Similar to his dad, Jake never misses an opportunity to gush over his kid.