A Family Tragedy Changed Everything
Having a famous older sibling can be a blessing or a curse. For Jim Belushi, it was both. When his big brother was the toast of Saturday Night Live, Belushi had an open invitation to some of the wildest, most star-studded parties in NYC.
But when Belushi looked to his big brother for help with his career, he got nothing. And then a family tragedy changed everything.
1. He Was Normal
Jim Belushi was born on June 15, 1954, and raised in a suburb of Chicago. Jim, along with his brothers John and Billy and his sister Marian, grew up in a pretty typical American household. The Belushis had no idea how famous two of these kids would become.
2. He Wanted Something Exciting
After high school, Belushi went to a public university where he majored in Theater Arts. He graduated in 1978 and probably would have gone on to work at his dad’s restaurant—except for one thing. His big brother was doing something much more exciting and he wanted a part of it.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
3. He Wanted To Be Like John
By this time, his brother John was already one of the inaugural cast members of NBC’s Saturday Night Live. So, Jim Belushi decided to follow in his big brother’s footsteps. Of course, he had to earn his own spot on SNL—and to do that he followed his big brother’s trajectory.
NBC, Saturday Night Live (1975-)
4. He Was A Nobody
Since his brother was part of SNL, Jim Belushi was always welcome to come backstage after the show. The thing was, Jim Belushi was still a nobody. And at the after party, no one really wanted to talk to the younger brother of the big star.
Jim Belushi would have to find his own path to success.
NBC, Saturday Night Live (1975-)
5. He Followed
The way John Belushi had gotten on Saturday Night Live was the way many comedians did and still do. He became a member of the improv group Second City. So, Jim Belushi decided to climb the ladder the same way his beloved older brother had—and when he got in, the first person he wanted to share the good news with was John.
NBC, Saturday Night Live (1975-)
6. He Got A Weird Response
When Jim Belushi called his brother to give him the good news of getting accepted at Second City, his response was crushing. John simply said, “ I thought you were more like a drama guy”.
As it turned out, Jim Belushi’s career would take a very different turn than his brother’s.
NBC, Saturday Night Live (1975-)
7. He Got Noticed
Instead of following his brother to SNL, Jim Belushi received an offer from a sitcom. The show was called Who’s Watching The Kids? and it had “hit” written all over it. You see, it had a connection to the ratings behemoth Happy Days.
But things didn't go quite as planned.
NBC, Who's Watching the Kids (1978)
8. He Was A Klutz
Who’s Watching the Kids? was about two Las Vegas showgirls trying to manage a hectic life working the strip. The kids in the title refer to their younger siblings that they took care of. Belushi got his share of the laughs playing their klutzy neighbor.
Sadly, there was a big problem with this show.
NBC, Who's Watching the Kids (1978)
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9. It Flopped
Jim Belushi had risen quickly to having a role in a sitcom, but it didn’t work out. Audiences had trouble distinguishing whether it was an adult comedy or a family show. NBC canceled the Who’s Watching the Kids? after airing only nine episodes. And if you think Belushi could turn to his big brother for help, think again.
NBC, Who's Watching the Kids (1978)
10. He Struggled
Belushi was struggling to keep up with big brother John, who was making his mark in movies like National Lampoon’s Animal House. You’d think that having a brother making it big would be a huge advantage, but Jim was in for a huge disappointment. As it turned out, John Belushi offered Jim little to no help with his career.
But there were some unexpected perks.
Universal, National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
11. He Got A Special Gift
In 1975, John Belushi was at the height of his fame and feeling pretty rich. Once, when he returned to Chicago to visit his family, he took Jim to a record store. John gave Jim the gift of a lifetime. He could take as many records as he wanted, and John would foot the bill.
Nice present—but it did nothing to help Belushi with what he really wanted—his career.
Universal, National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
12. He Got A Chance
Jim Belushi couldn’t rely on gifts from his older—more famous—brother forever. Luckily, Belushi was about to get his own big break. The film was by Carrie director Brian De Palma, and the title was The Fury. Belushi was ready to make a name for himself.
Gorup de Besanez, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
13. He Walked Behind
When Belushi walked on to the set of The Fury, he was ready for his big break—but he was in for a big surprise. When all was said and done, he didn’t appear in the credits, and he may have been just an extra. Some say they can see him in one scene walking behind lead actor Amy Irving. Another rumor is that De Palma had to fire him.
One thing we do know is that this was not the break Belushi was looking for.
Twentieth Century, The Fury (1978)
14. He Walked Away
In the end, Jim Belushi had to walk away from The Fury with his tail between his legs. And where he walked was Chicago’s Goodman Theater. He was doing a play, but his agent soon had some good news for him. This was going to be Belushi’s big break.
ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
15. It Was A Big Deal
The film Belushi’s agent was talking about was a big deal. Michael Mann—the guy who had made a hit out of TV’s Miami Vice—was making his first movie. The agent said there was a part for Belushi. This was just what he needed.
Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
16. He Couldn’t Do It
Belushi’s agent gave him the script for Thief, and Belushi’s first reaction was that he couldn't do it. This was a seriously dramatic film, and Belushi had only done Second City improv and one failed sitcom. His agent was adamant, and Mann was willing to meet up with Belushi.
Belushi had to make a decision.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
17. He Had One Question
Jim Belushi manned up and agreed to meet Mann. The meeting was to take place in the director’s hotel suite, and it was going to be a pretty informal audition. In fact, Mann had just one question for Belushi. He wanted to know what he liked about the script.
Col. Hans Landa, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
18. He Used Comedy
Belushi knew he was auditioning for a dramatic film, but his comedic side provided him with his answer to Mann’s question. Instead of giving Mann an answer that spoke about his artistic reason for wanting a part in his film, Belushi kept his answer quite personal—and funny.
19. He Had Two Reasons
Belushi told Mann that he liked Thief for two reasons. One was morbid: he’d always wanted to die on screen. The other one was lecherous. The script called for Belushi to jump into a pool with a woman, pull off her top, and kiss her chest. That sounded more than alright for Belushi.
20. It Was A Difficult Position
Mann seemed to like Belushi’s off-the-cuff answer, and Belushi found himself in a feature film with a decent part. Mann did something unusual with the casting of this film. Besides hiring superstar actor James Caan, he decided to employ real thieves and officers of the law as actors.
This put Belushi in a difficult position.
21. He Had To Hang
Mann had hired real thieves for his first feature, and he had a request for Jim Belushi. When they didn’t need Belushi on set, Mann wanted him to hang out with the thieves. To waste time, Belushi and the thieves started gambling together.
It wasn’t long before Belushi was in over his head.
22. He Lost It
Sure, Belushi was making some decent money appearing in Thief, but he was headed for disaster. He was losing money just as fast as he was making it. Belushi was gambling in one of the trailers with actual con men, and he was losing money hand over fist. But Belushi did find a way to give back to his co-stars.
23. He Had A Question
One of Belushi’s co-stars on Thief was a Chicago detective named Dennis Farina who was playing against type as one of the thieves. Farina’s character is the one that ends Belushi’s character’s life. After the filming violent scene, Farina had a question for Belushi.
David Shankbone, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
24. He Handed Out Advice
Farina wanted Belushi to tell him how he could get into acting more seriously. Belushi suggested a few acting classes for Farina, and likely wondered if the detective would follow through. Belushi was in for a shock.
25. He Was On Stage
A short time later, Jim Belushi was watching a play at St Nicholas Theater in Chicago. To his surprise, Farina walked on the stage as one of the stars of the play. After the show, Farina told Belushi that he’d taken his advice and gone to acting class.
26. He Wanted To Do The Right Thing
While making Thief, Belushi was dating Sandra Davenport. Sometime during the filming, Davenport got pregnant, and Belushi wanted to do the right thing and marry her. They set the date of marriage for Saturday, May 11, 1980. But Michael Mann had other ideas.
27. He Was Afraid
As it turned out, Mann needed Belushi to film a scene on the same day that he was planning to marry Davenport. Belushi was in big trouble. He was too afraid to tell a pregnant Davenport about this, so Mann grabbed the phone and told her himself. Belushi did the scene, and they tied the knot a week later.
28. He Was Authentic
In the end, Thief was a critical darling, and got a lot of praise for how authentic the acting was. This was good news for Belushi. The bad news was that Thief didn’t exactly slay at the box office. Belushi needed to find a film that was a hit.
29. He Thought He Had It
Around this time, Jim Belushi was appearing in a play by David Mamet, and he was getting great reviews. When it came time to turn this play into a movie, Belushi probably thought that he was a shoo-in. Boy, did he get that wrong.
30. They Didn’t Want Him
The Mamet play that Belushi was in became the film About Last Night. When it came to making the movie, the producers did want a Belushi. But there was a problem. The Belushi they wanted was John, not Jim.
It was time for some good old-fashioned sibling rivalry.
TriStar, About Last Night (1986)
31. He Wasn’t Big Enough
Even though Jim Belushi had played the role for About Last Night on stage, the producers of the film had originally wanted the big names of John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd for the movie. When John Belushi got the offer, he asked Jim if it was all right for him to play the role.
Did he really expect Jim to say yes?
TriStar, About Last Night (1986)
32. He Was Adamant
Jim was adamant that John not play the role that he had created in About Last Night. John, on the other hand, was just being pragmatic. His logic was that If he didn’t do it, it would go to someone else. John was sure Jim would never get the part. But fate ended this brotherly spat.
Before they could decide which brother to cast, the producers ended up shelving About Last Night.
TriStar, About Last Night (1986)
33. He Heard Some Disturbing News
Belushi returned to acting classes still determined to be a big star. He was at Chicago’s Shubert Theater, taking a voice lesson when he got some extremely disturbing news. A guy at the theater had heard on the radio that John Belushi had passed due to an overdose and quickly relayed the info to Jim.
Flabbergasted by the thought that his brother could be gone, Jim Belushi initially thought it was a joke.
NBC, Saturday Night Live (1975-)
34. He Still Had To Go On
It only took a quick call to the radio station to find out the truth. John Belushi had actually passed on at the Chateau Marmont. A devastated Jim Belushi still had to go on stage that night in the comic opera The Pirates of Penzance. That had to hurt.
Gary Minnaert (Minnaert), Wikimedia Commons
35. It Was A Defining Moment
Later, Jim Belushi would say that this tragic event was the “defining moment” in his life. He credits John for his success in show business and that without John, he would probably be working in his dad’s restaurant instead of acting.
But this family tragedy was far from over.
TriStar, About Last Night (1986)
36. They Opened Up
Jim Belushi and his family were still dealing with the loss of John when reporter Bob Woodward—the one who exposed Watergate—came to them with an idea to write about John. Jim and his family really wanted to honor John’s life, so they sat down with Woodward and told him everything.
What they got back was not what they expected.
Exchanges Photos, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
37. It Was A Huge Disappointment
When Woodward released Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi, it devastated Jim Belushi and his family. It didn’t honor John, but rather focused mostly on his substance-abuse induced downward spiral. Belushi would have to find his own way to honor his brother.
Miller Center, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
38. He Joined The Cast
Belushi was looking for some way to honor his brother’s life, and what he’d done for him. He came up with a great idea. Fans of Saturday Night Live were sadly missing John Belushi, so Jim joined the cast in 1983—only to nearly get fired for throwing a fire extinguisher at executive producer Dick Ebersol. Ebersol forgave him, and Belushi lasted two seasons on the show.
But there was still one score he had to settle with his big bro.
NBC, Saturday Night Live (1975-)
39. They Didn’t Want Him
Back before his brother’s demise, Jim had argued with John about who would play a role in About Last Night. Back then, John had said that Jim would never get the role. Sadly, Jim was in for another heartbreak. It looked like John was right.
Now ready to make the film, producers still didn’t want Belushi for the role.
NBC, Saturday Night Live (1975-)
40. He Got Picked Last
The people making About Last Night were auditioning just about any comedic actor in Hollywood. This must have hurt Belushi, as he’d basically created the character on stage. That’s when something surprising happened.
After watching scores of other actors try to fill the roles, the filmmakers eventually realized that Belushi was the man they wanted.
NBC, Saturday Night Live (1975-)
41. He Was Nasty
Belushi finally got the role, and he was playing opposite Hollywood heartthrob Rob Lowe. It was Belushi’s biggest part in a feature film yet, and he was beyond excited. There was one little problem: Belushi had a lot of nasty things to say.
TriStar, About Last Night (1986)
42. He Was Offensive
The producer of About Last Night—Jason Brett—had concerns that Belushi’s character had too many offensive opinions that he was particularly outspoken about, and that the audience wouldn’t connect with his character. Well, Belushi gave Brett the surprise of his life.
TriStar, About Last Night (1986)
43. He Was A Poet
Even though what Belushi’s character was saying was offensive, Belushi had some sort of magical power. The producer said that Belushi could make these offensive lines “almost poetic”. Belushi later credited this character as the one that launched his movie career.
Belushi was a great sidekick to Lowe. In fact, being a sidekick was about to become his bread and butter.
44. He Went Political
Next up for Belushi was the ultra-political, Oliver Stone-directed Salvador. This film tells the story of a real-life journalist covering the brutal conflict in El Salvador. James Woods plays the journalist, and Belushi is his sidekick Doctor Rock. This was a low-budget effort that was filled with conflict.
45. They Didn’t Get Along
Despite being besties in the film, Belushi and Woods did not get along during the filming in Mexico. But then things got even worse. Stone saw an opportunity to make his film even more jarring, and tried to stir up even more competitiveness between his two leading men.
nicolas genin, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
46. He Got Rough Treatment
Filming Salvador was fairly rough going. The stars didn’t even get their own trailers to take breaks. Professional makeup was non-existent, and Belushi later said that he had to wear his own clothes. Well, it didn’t get any smoother after the film’s release.
47. It Wasn’t Quite Real
While real people inspired Belushi and Woods’ characters, it was pretty clear that the way the actors portrayed them was highly fictionalized. When the actors met up with the real characters, something bizarre happened.
48. He Got Mad
Oliver Stone told a story about a dinner where Belushi and Woods met the guys who they portrayed in Salvador. Woods didn’t get along with Richard Boyle, but it was even worse with Belushi and Dr Rock. Belushi didn’t even make it through dinner. He angrily left the restaurant.
As it turned out, it should have been Dr Rock who got mad.
49. His Name Was A Problem
Stone was making a movie about real-life people, but he neglected to do one thing when it came to Belushi’s character. He forgot to get permission to use the name Dr Rock, which was the show biz name for radio DJ Eric Isralow. Stone’s solution was to change the name to Doctor Rock. Guess he thought he was pulling a clever move.
50. He Lost
After all the hard work, Salvador was a disappointment at the box office. Critics, however, didn’t agree with moviegoers, and the film received a lot of praise. And what about the competitiveness between Belushi and Woods?
Well, you could say Woods won. He got an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
51. He Was Suave
Jim Belushi had paid his dues playing sidekicks and supporting roles, it was time for him to be a lead actor. This opportunity came in Real Men. Not only was he the lead, but he was also playing a suave, CIA agent who was successful with women. This was new territory for Belushi, and he was curious to know what audiences would think.
United Artists, Real Men (1987)
52. They Were Suffering
When United Artists was distributing Real Men, they were suffering. They had recently made the critical and financial flop Heaven’s Gate and didn’t have a lot of money. For Belushi, the consequences were brutal. For this reason, Real Men had a very short theatrical release. As it turned out, we can’t totally blame it on Heaven’s Gate.
United Artists, Real Men (1987)
53. It Was Unbelievable
Most of the reviews for Real Men landed somewhere between mediocre and bad. Mostly, critics blamed the unbelievable plot. This was not going to help Belushi in his search for leading roles. It looked like it was back to playing the buddy.
United Artists, Real Men (1987)
54. He Was A Buddy
Belushi did find some success as a leading man in The Principal, but after that, he went back to being the sidekick. This time his best bud was none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger in Red Heat. The thing that made this film attractive was that the director was Walter Hill, who’d already met with huge success in another buddy action movie: 48 Hours.
It looked like Belushi finally had his big break.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
55. He Failed To Tickle
If Belushi was looking for his own 48 Hrs, Red Heat sorely disappointed. Critics were not completely dismissive, but maybe Schwarzenegger said it best. He said his and Belushi’s performances just “were not funny enough”. Belushi went off in search of a new buddy.
56. He Tried Whoopi
Belushi’s next attempt at a buddy movie was with Whoopi Goldberg. This was the film Homer and Eddie. But it had quite the disturbing twist. Belushi played a mentally challenged man, and Goldberg played an escaped mental patient. Hal Hinson of the Washington Post simply called them an unpleasant coupling. The film tanked at the box office and with critics.
Belushi was still determined to make it in a buddy flick—but his next project went off the rails.
Kings Road Entertainment, Homer and Eddie (1989)
57. He Tried Something Different
Belushi had tried male and female buddies with only limited success. For his next buddy film, producers took two years and over 40 auditions to find the perfect buddy for Belushi. What they came up with was more than a little unorthodox.
Kings Road Entertainment, Homer and Eddie (1989)
58. He Was German
The buddy they found for Belushi’s next role was named Rando, and he was a German Shepard. The film was K-9, and Belushi plays a San Diego detective who buddies up with a dog named Jerry Lee. While K-9 did better than his film with Whoopi Goldberg, it didn’t do much better.
Also in trouble was Belushi’s personal life.
59. He Helped Her
In 1988, Belushi and his first wife Davenport divorced. He rebounded with actress Marjorie Bransfield, and got her small parts in some of his movies. In 1990, they tied the knot—and the next year, she finally got her own role. This was in the Canadian sci-fi film Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe.
Belushi was ready to do his wife a huge favor.
PEG, Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe (1990)
60. He Tried To Help
Jim Belushi was a fairly big name by this point, and he wanted to give his wife’s film a helping hand. He reprised his role from The Principal and did a cameo for the film. Sadly, nothing could save this low-budget feature that the Toronto Star called bad, but not terrible.
That wasn’t the only bad thing about Belushi’s second marriage.
61. They Didn’t Survive
Not only was Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe not a successful movie, but it also took a toll on Belushi’s marriage. Belushi and Bransfield divorced in 1992. Belushi’s personal life was a mess, and his professional life wasn’t doing much better.
PEG, Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe (1990)
62. He Wasn’t Exactly the Buddy
Belushi was certainly in need of a hit, and the next few years saw him floundering to find one. In 1996, he returned to a buddy he’d had minor success with before, Arnold Schwarzenegger. In Jingle All the Way, Belushi didn’t actually play the buddy, but he had a unique opportunity.
Twentieth Century, Jingle All the Way (1996)
63. He Honored His Brother
In Jingle All the Way, Belushi got to make a touching tribute to his big brother John. In the midst of a chaotic fight, Belushi yells, “Dogpile”. This was an echo of when John Belushi yelled “Food fight” in Animal House. On opening weekend, Jingle All the Way earned over $12 million. Sounds like a hit to me.
Twentieth Century, Jingle All the Way (1996)
64. It Was A Rollercoaster Ride
In 1998, Belushi decided to give marriage a third try. He met and married Jennifer Sloan, who appears in many of Belushi’s films as “additional crew”. Their marriage seems to be a bit of a roller coaster ride. Sloan filed for divorce in 2018, but they then reconciled. Then, in 2021 it was Belushi’s turn to file.
It seems that Belushi’s career had a similar roller coaster feel to it.
65. His Career Looked Over
The 1990s mostly saw Belushi in forgettable films, and his career looked like it was over. So, in 2001, he decided to give TV a try. He guest starred on ER as a father who gets into a car accident with his son. The results weren’t what he expected. Suddenly, the public remembered Belushi, and they wanted to see more of him.
66. He Was In The Title
ABC saw something in Belushi, and they thought he would be great for the main character of a new sitcom. This was According to Jim, which ran a respectable eight years. In the show, Belushi found another way to pay homage to his big brother John.
ABC, According to Jim (2001-2009)
67. He Was In A Band
In his real life, Belushi had started a band that frequently played at the House of Blues, called the Sacred Hearts. This was all a direct reference to his big brother’s movie The Blues Brothers. Belushi brought the band on to According to Jim to give audiences a pleasant memory of his brother John.
Next, Belushi would find a surprising way to bring his real life into his TV life.
steve white photos, Shutterstock
68. He Had A Fued
In 2004, Jim Belushi ended up in the middle of an utterly bizarre feud. He had a well-publicized real estate spat with neighbor—and Catwoman portrayer—Julie Newmar. Newmar was furious that Belushi was going to build a house in his backyard. Newmar thought this was against the law, and the feud began.
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
69. He Brought Her On
Belushi shot back, alleging that Newmar had harassed and defamed him. But just as things were about to get even uglier, Belushi came up with an ingenious way to squash the beef. Belushi offered her a role on his sitcom, According to Jim. Newmar agreed when she found out that the episode would tell the story of their neighborly conflict.
ABC, According to Jim (2001-2009)
70. He Became A Farmer
While Belushi has not retired from acting, he has taken up a new profession. In 2015, he built a house in Oregon and started work as a farmer. His crop is a little out of the ordinary. He grows cannabis. If you want to see how he does it, you can tune into Growing Belushi on the Discovery Channel.
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