For someone that has such an extensive history in show business and one of the most well-known fathers in the industry, Jake Busey sometimes kind of flies under the radar. But if you’re really paying attention he’s kind of a chip off the old block since his dad, Gary Busey, has done roughly the same thing over the course of his career and it’s worked in a big way. Jake has played so many roles that it’s hard to pin him down as a single type of actor considering that he’s done drama, comedy, action, horror, and even blended genres in a way that’s kind of impressive even if he’s not always the first guy that’s thought about when a movie pops into a person’s head. He is the kind of guy that shows up in a lot of different movies and has played the villain quite often but has also taken on a heroic sidekick role in a few movies, but his time as a leading man isn’t exactly the most pronounced part of his career. If anything, Jake usually plays the individual that one would miss if they weren’t there, but is sometimes kept in the wings up until his moment comes since he does display a lot of energy when he’s on camera, kind of like his father. Where Gary Busey is a lot of manic and even nervous energy though, Jake is definitely a little more restrained, or perhaps controlled is the better word for it.
Some of the roles he’s taken on over the years have proven that he has the kind of screen presence that he needs to hang with some of the big names, but this should probably be expected since by the age of 5 he was on his way to becoming an actor and would actually get his start in a movie with his father and Dustin Hoffman. He’d been well established by the time he came to star in The Frighteners with Michael J. Fox, taking on the role of the murderous Johnny Bartlett as he played the part of a spirit that had returned from hell to keep adding to the kill count he’d started when he was still alive. That wide, almost wolfish smile that Jake is able to flash so easily was a big part of this role and it’s what helped to make it so creepy since his acting is on point and thanks in a big part to the fact that he looks like his father, people could believe the crazy act in a big way. The movie was a bit campy in spots and kind of ridiculous, but it was still fun to watch since it did tell a story of its own that might not have been for everyone but was still entertaining.
Another fun role that people recall Jake in, probably one of the most popular in fact, is his time as Ace Levy in Starship Troopers since he was the kind of character that was a jerk as anyone could tell, but was still the type of guy that was okay once a person got to know him. The fact that he and the main star, Johnny Rico, played by Casper Van Dien, became best friends in the movie kind of puts the character of Ace in perspective since initially he comes off as the type of guy that’s all talk and no walk, basically a braggart that can’t back up his words. The fact that he froze during the squad’s first real battle, especially considering that he was the squad leader, makes it obvious that his character wasn’t the stronger in the movie. But once Ace realized where he fit in the group he became an easier person to like since he understood what he could do and what he needed to work on. To be fair that was kind of a nice revelation in the movie since it showed a great deal of maturity to the character.
Jake has done quite a bit with his career over the years and it would appear that he’s still working, but has once again been flying under the radar so to speak. He currently has several projects that are either completed or in some stage of production, so it’s easy to state that he is doing what he can to stay relevant and is still working steadily. If Jake becomes a prominent face in Hollywood again it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise since he’s been established as the kind of guy that rises and falls in popularity and through it all just keeps moving forward, which is admirable since the guy is all about his work when he needs to be and is there even if people don’t always see him.
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