“Whatever they want to know, whatever they want to learn, whatever they want to research, whatever they want to see. It’s up to them. Not me. That’s the question for the fans. Not me.”
Ah yes, we can add that to one of the confusing Gary Busey quotes from the past... In truth, he is a curious case but an entertaining one at that.
His life has been a rollercoaster behind the scenes as well. The former 'Apprentice' star has gone through a lot of hardships, including various medical bills which include a nasty motorcycle accident back in the late '80s along with a situation of overdosing. All of this would lead to a shrinking bank account.
In 2012, the actor filed for bankruptcy, he had half a million to a million in debt with very little left in the bank. Throughout the article, we'll take a look at how he got to that point, along with the sum that he's left with today. Thankfully, he seems to be climbing back up and a lot of that is thanks to a lot of minor roles in recent years.
His Career Got Off To A Promising Start
At one point in time, the 77-year-old was the talk of Hollywood. Back in the '70s, he was shaping up to be the next big thing, appearing in films alongside Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges. One of his first major breakout films took place in 1974, 'Thunderbolt and Lightfoot'.
He carried that momentum during the '80s and into the '90s as well, however, he slowly started to lose his way behind the scenes, enjoying the party life a little too much.
Problems started to emerge in the early '90s when overdosed, the actor recalls it being an eye-opening experience, "I OD’d on 3 May 1990, and thank God, because I realized I’d been dancing with the devil in a very small circle and the devil was leading the dance,” he says in his deep Texas drawl. “I left the dance and said: ‘You kick on from here – I’m gone. I’m dancing on my own.’ When you do a drug like cocaine, you want to get that first hit back, but you never will. That’s gone. It’s a chase to the death when you’re addicted to cocaine.”
Not only was his life at risk but slowly, his bank account started to diminish, especially thanks to medical treatments.
A Motorcycle Accident Hurt Him Physically & Financially
Back in 1988, Busey's life almost ended, in fact, the celebrity says he had passed away and was entering heaven. He took part in a terrible motorcycle accident, that resulted in him landing on the back of his head. Alongside Ability Magazine, he recalls the traumatizing experience.
"In December 1988. I was on a Harley Davidson at the Washington and Robertson intersection. I came around the corner too fast and slid on some sand. I braked hard, and the bike flipped me over, I hit my head and then my back. I had a double compound fracture in my pelvis, and my skull was split from my ear to the top of my head. It knocked a big hole in my skull, which filled with bone from my jaw."
"After the brain surgery at Cedars-Sinai, I passed on for a time—as in died. That’s when I went to a supernatural, spiritual realm. I changed form."
Again the medical bills would pile up and soon enough, in the 2000s, the roles started to dry up on the big screen.
How Much He's Left With Today
According to TMZ, at one point, Busey had less than $50K in the bank, along with debts of $500,000 to $1 million. It is said that Busey owed money in various different places, including the IRS, UCLA Medical Center, storage facilities, lawyers from a lawsuit, and the Wells Fargo Bank.
He isn't getting A-list roles these days and he hasn't for the last couple of years. However, he is still successfully booking low-tier gigs to this day, he also released a book. All of this has resulted in a savings of $500,000, a much greater positive in comparison to what he had in the bank just a few years prior.
At the moment the actor has a few future credits to his name including 'A Millenial Depression Comedy' and 'The Gettysburg Address'. Gary also has a future project in the works which is in pre-production entitled, 'Rabere'.
Good for the actor who is still able to find work, it seems like a lot of the work lately stems around voice-over work.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGigp2ViZX5zecaaqbJlkqrApsWMoZidZZ6atKLAyK%2BcZm1gZX1xedOoZKGho2K7ornEZp%2BeqpWoeqm71makrpuYYrWmeceaqmasn5muunnBq6aknV2jsrV51qipraBdZ31zfYybmKejoqq9tXs%3D