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Jake Busey

Jake Busey

Actor, also producer · Born June 15, 1971 (55) · Los Angeles, California, USA

Screen Actors Guild Award nominee

William Jacob "Jake" Busey (born June 15, 1971) is an American actor, musician and film producer. He is sometimes credited as "Jacob Busey" or "William Busey". He is the son of actor Gary Busey. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 15, 1971 (55)
From
Los Angeles, California, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
90 on MovieCove · 124 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 19% in 30 days

What are Jake Busey's films like?

Across their 59 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy22 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 25th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Action15 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 19th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 41st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Drama6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 27th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Horror3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 5th percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 21st percentile
: browse their Adventure movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
26%
Bonds
22%
Self
20%
Morality
14%
Society
9%
Power
6%
Ideas
3%
Survival17 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds15 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice10 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age9 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love6 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship6 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 58 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 27 · Serious 16 · Dark 15

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 31 · Stylized 21 · Heightened 6

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 13 · Charged 22 · Intense 23

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 22 · Shifting 27 · Whiplash 9

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 24 · Some laughs 20 · Funny 14

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 23 · Even-paced 30 · Relentless 5

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 37 · Engaged 20 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 46 · Open-ended 9 · Ambiguous 3

Roles they play

24 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 9 of 24 analyzed roles.

Shadow
9 of 24
Threshold guardian
4 of 24
Trickster
4 of 24
Ally
3 of 24
Shapeshifter
2 of 24
Hero
1 of 24
Mentor
1 of 24
Show the 24 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
39
Absurd
20
Dread
14
Joyful
12
Melancholic
15
Other
51

How their films linger

Fun23 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling21 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 10 with a twist

  • Happy18
  • Bittersweet20
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous17
  • Other1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Jake Busey's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 59 of their 90 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (33).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jake Busey's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

124 credits, 90 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Bad Haircut(2025)

    as Officer Steve

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Guns & Moses(2024)

    as Owen Gibbons

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Killing Mary Sue(2025)

    as Wes Adamle

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Black Zone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    as Dr. William Roberts

  • Rust(2024)

    as Drum Parker

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The Legend of Johnny Jones(2025)

    as Deputy Godwin

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • A Gettysburg Christmas(2023)

    as Sam

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Bluegrass Spirits (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    as Nicholas

  • Scalper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    as Det. Hayden

  • It Wants Blood 2(2026)

    as Veal Armstrong

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Chaos on the Farm(2023)

    as Lawrence

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Falling Higher: The Story Of Ampage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    as Narrator (voice) / Self

  • The Rookie: Feds(2022)

    Show 1 episode · as Rusty Filmore

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all shows

  • Pig Killer(2022)

    as Willy

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Shooting Star (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    as Mr. York

  • A Tale of Two Guns(2022)

    as McCloskey

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • A Soldier's Revenge(2020)

    as Captain McCalister

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • DIVOS!(2020)

    as Mr. Kelly

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Ghost in the Graveyard(2019)

    as Charlie Sullivan

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Adventures of Dally & Spanky(2019)

    as Aaron

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Swamp Thing(2019)

    Show 1 episode · as Shaw

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • L.A.'s Finest(2019)

    Show 5 episodes · as Bishop Duvall

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all shows

  • The Predator(2018)

    as Keyes

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • A Boy Called Sailboat(2018)

    as Bing

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Dead Ant(2017)

    as Merrick

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Dead Again in Tombstone(2017)

    as Colonel Jackson Boomer

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Area of Conflict (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Tony

  • Growing Up Smith(2015)

    as Officer Dick

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Swing State(2017)

    as Woody Woodrow

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Expendable Assets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Actor

  • Deserted(2016)

    as Clay

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • No Touching (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Carp

  • Arbor Demon(2016)

    as Sean

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Stranger Things(2016)

    Show 5 episodes · as Bruce

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Last Man Club(2016)

    as Diamond Jim

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • A Christmas Reunion(2015)

    as Dylan Carruthers

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Most Likely to Die(2015)

    as Tarkin

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Mr. Robot(2015)

    Show 1 episode · as Freddy Lomax

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Fractured (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Detective James Harding

  • Reaper(2014)

    as Bill

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • From Dusk Till Dawn: Making the First Season (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Actor

  • From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 30 episodes · as Professor Aiden Tanner

  • Wicked Blood(2014)

    as Bobby Stinson

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Alongside Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as President of the United States

  • Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.(2013)

    Show 2 episodes · as Tony Caine

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • Girl Meets Boy(2013)

    as Richard

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Paranormal Movie(2013)

    as Stepdad

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Sparks(2013)

    as Sledge

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • The Devil's Dozen(2013)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Don't Pass Me By(2013)

    as Fred Norwick

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva La Fiesta!(2012)

    as Oscar (voice)

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Perception(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as Jeff

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • Crazy Eyes(2012)

    as Dan Drake

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Nazis at the Center of the Earth(2012)

    as Adrian Reistad

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • The Finder(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as Bobby the Twin

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Good Vibes(2011)

    Show 12 episodes · as Turk (voice)

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Franklin & Bash(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Doug

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • Cross(2011)

    Producer · as Backfire

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • The Good Guys(2010)

    Show 1 episode · as Brody

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Justified(2010)

    Show 1 episode · as Lewis Mago

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Sons of Tucson(2010)

    Show 1 episode · as Tony

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all shows

  • The Killing Jar(2010)

    as Greene

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Play Dead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Merle Jones

  • The Mentalist(2008)

    Show 1 episode · as Vern Nichols

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Time Bomb (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Jason Philby

  • Comanche Moon(2008)

    Show 2 episodes · as Tudwal

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • Playing Chicken (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Actor

  • Wristcutters: A Love Story(2006)

    as Brian (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Broken(2006)

    as Vince

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Death Row(2006)

    as Marco

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Road House 2: Last Call(2006)

    as Wild Bill

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Psych(2006)

    Show 1 episode · as FBI Agent

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Code Breakers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Straub

  • War of the Worlds(2005)

    as Lt. Samuelson

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • The Closer(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Eric Shaw

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • The Tao of Pong (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Maurice

  • The Rain Makers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Shaw

  • Christmas with the Kranks(2004)

    as Officer Treen

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • CSI: NY(2004)

    Show 1 episode · as Randy Davis

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Karen Sisco (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 1 episode · as Peter Dillard

  • NCIS(2003)

    Show 1 episode · as Whit Dexter

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting(2003)

    as Jack

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Identity(2003)

    as Robert Maine

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Lost Junction (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Matt

  • CSI: Miami(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Phillip Craven

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • Fastlane(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Johnny 'O' Oregano

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • The Twilight Zone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Vince Hanson

  • The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest(2002)

    as Darrell Claxton

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Jeremiah(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Jake Davenport

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows

  • Fast Sofa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Rick Jeffers

  • Tomcats(2001)

    as Kyle Brenner

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Tail Lights Fade(1999)

    as Bruce

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Held Up(1999)

    as Beaumont

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Shasta McNasty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 22 episodes · as Dennis

  • Home Fries(1998)

    as Angus Montier

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Enemy of the State(1998)

    as Krug

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Charmed(1998)

    Show 1 episode · as Nigel

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Black Cat Run(1998)

    as Deputy Norm Babbitt

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Starship Troopers(1997)

    as Private Ace Levy

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Contact(1997)

    as Joseph

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Quiet Days in Hollywood(1997)

    as Curt

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • The Frighteners(1996)

    as Johnny Bartlett

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Twister(1996)

    as Mobile Lab Technician

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • S.F.W.(1994)

    as Morrow Streeter

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Stöned Age(1994)

    as Jimmy Muldoon

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Motorcycle Gang(1994)

    as Jake

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Rebel Highway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Jake

  • Windrunner(1994)

    as Dave Promisco

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • PCU(1994)

    as Mersh

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • I'll Do Anything(1994)

    as Burke's Fired Driver

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Foot Shooting Party (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Tree

  • Shimmer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Richard Halverson

  • Street Beat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Gang member 3

  • Cruel Doubt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 2 episodes · as Student

  • Tales from the Crypt(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Frank

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Hider in the House(1989)

    as Teenage Tom (voice)

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Barbarosa(1982)

    as Cook Boy

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Straight Time(1978)

    as Henry Darin

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Bikers vs Werewolves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Sheriff Ray

  • CATnip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Detective Pendleton

  • Dead of Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Craig Williams

  • Gettysburg 1863 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • House of Karma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Earnold Lamort

  • Mascotland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 124 titles, 118 of them dated from 1978 to 2025; peak year 1997.

Biggest box office

Enemy of the State (1998)

$251M worldwide

Highest rated

Straight Time (1978)

Midcredits 92nd

Most popular right now

The Predator (2018)

Film career

MilestoneBreakoutNomination
19782025

Peak 1997 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 12 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting124 of 124: 123 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score36thProducing1 of 124: 0 only producing, 1 with another role

By decade

1970s1 · acting1980s3 · acting1990s23 · acting2000s29 · acting2010s44 · 44 acting · 1 crew2020s18 · acting

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 5% of 44 roles
7898030818

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

Nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2020, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Jake Busey's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 25th percentile, the median of all 66; across their 58 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 23rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

23rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 58

Approval · how many liked their films

30thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 58

Reach · how many have seen their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 58

Midcredits score across 90 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up20
  • 50th to 74th16
  • 25th to 49th20
  • Below 25th34

Shape of the crowd

40 of their 90 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Universally Panned3
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Divisive7
  • Cult Classic5
  • Crowd Pleaser26
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed40

Most divisive · actor

It Wants Blood 2 (2026)

98th percentile spread · 71% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Stranger Things (2016)

Midcredits 96th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the acting 52/100 in their films, across 57 reviewed titles; fans 71, detractors 32. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Jake Busey's work okay for kids?

Across up to 19 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore11 titles18–87 · median 67 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity19 titles20–62 · median 47 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity11 titles45–82 · median 63 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles22–56 · median 28 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles18–77 · median 53 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Jake Busey work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jake Busey's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Patrick Durham shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles