---
name: "Jake Busey"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/jake-busey"
fi1m_id: "jake-busey"
imdb_id: "nm0000998"
tmdb_id: 28410
wikidata_id: "Q708824"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "15 June 1971"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 71
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 6
updated: "2026-10-05T01:16:36.764404+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Jake Busey

## Identity

Jake Busey

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/jake-busey
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** jake-busey
- **IMDb ID:** nm0000998
- **TMDB ID:** 28410
- **Wikidata ID:** Q708824
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Busey, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q708824, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000998/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/28410

Actor. Born 15 June 1971 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 15 June 1971, Los Angeles, California, USA
- **Active:** 1996–present
- **Also known as:** William Jacob Busey , Jacob Busey, William Busey
- **Average Fi1m score:** 71, as actor, over 6 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 73 (4), 2010s 66 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 71 to 67 across 6 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 4 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Action 4, Drama 4, Science Fiction 3, Thriller 3, Adventure 2, Crime 1
- **Screen time:** 11 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1,198m across 5 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Busey, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q708824, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000998/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/28410

## Streaming the US now

- **Netflix:** [*Starship Troopers*](https://film.one/film/starship-troopers.md) (79)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Enemy of the State*](https://film.one/film/enemy-of-the-state.md) (73)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Jake Busey

> We value the sharp, smart-mouthed supporting actor in Jake Busey, especially in *Starship Troopers*. His intensity suits genre films, though casting him simply to supply menace risks making his presence predictable.

Private Ace Levy in *Starship Troopers* (1997) is a good place to meet Jake Busey: a smart-mouthed soldier in Paul Verhoeven's science-fiction satire. We enjoyed Ace's insolence because it gives Busey's intensity something comic to do. He is useful casting here, an abrasive presence who suits the film's shameless military publicity without needing to make himself likeable. The teenage romance drags, and not all the acting works, but his contribution is a reason to stay with it. This is the sort of supporting part we value him for.

Ace belongs to the mid-1990s run that raised his profile, alongside Johnny Bartlett in Peter Jackson's *The Frighteners* (1996) and Joseph in *Contact* (1997). Robert Zemeckis's film gives him a key supporting role in a thoughtful science-fiction drama. Jodie Foster provides its persuasive urgency, and the discovery is exciting enough to carry us through the repeated speeches about science and belief. We recommend it, though it is less useful than *Starship Troopers* as an introduction to Busey's appeal. Ace's smart mouth gives us a clearer reason to seek him out.

The risk is apparent in the repeated casting as menacing or off-kilter men. An actor who supplies intensity is useful to science fiction and horror, but a part built only around that quality can become thin. Busey is more interesting when the character is allowed to be obnoxious and funny, as Ace is, rather than being asked simply to unsettle us. His suitability for those threatening parts should not become the only thing a director notices.

The subsequent career has brought steady supporting work, including Robert Maine in James Mangold's ensemble thriller *Identity* (2003) and Sean Keyes in *The Predator* (2018). Television has included *From Dusk till Dawn: The Series* (2014–2016) and Bruce Lowe in the third series of *Stranger Things* (2019). Those credits suggest continuity rather than a sharp change of direction, with genre work remaining central. We would welcome another part that lets him be funny before asking him to be frightening.

## Biography

Jake Busey is an American actor. He is sometimes credited as William Jacob Busey, Jacob Busey or William Busey. Born in Los Angeles, he made his screen debut as a child in the 1978 film *Straight Time* alongside his father, actor Gary Busey.

Busey is known for his role as Private Ace Levy in *Starship Troopers* (1997). Other credits include *The Frighteners* (1996), *Contact* (1997), *Enemy of the State* (1998), *Identity* (2003), *The Predator* (2018) and appearances in the television series *Stranger Things* (2019) and *Mr. Robot* (2015).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (6)

- *The Predator* (2018), Fi1m 48, as Keyes — [page](https://film.one/film/the-predator.md)
- *Mr. Robot* (2015), Fi1m 84, as Freddy Lomax — [page](https://film.one/tv/mr-robot.md)
- *Enemy of the State* (1998), Fi1m 73, as Krug — [page](https://film.one/film/enemy-of-the-state.md)
- *Contact* (1997), Fi1m 76, as Joseph — [page](https://film.one/film/contact.md)
- *Starship Troopers* (1997), Fi1m 79, as Private Ace Levy — [page](https://film.one/film/starship-troopers.md)
- *Twister* (1996), Fi1m 64, as Mobile Lab Technician — [page](https://film.one/film/twister.md)

## Complete filmography (126)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Dead Janitors Club* (2026), as Dirk
- *Bad Haircut* (2025), as Officer Steve
- *Guns & Moses* (2025), as Owen Gibbons
- *Killing Mary Sue* (2025), as Wes Adamle
- *Black Zone* (2025), as Dr. William Roberts
- *Rust* (2024), as Drum Parker
- *The Legend of Johnny Jones* (2024), as Deputy Godwin
- *A Gettysburg Christmas* (2023), as Sam
- *Bluegrass Spirits* (2023), as Nicholas
- *Scalper* (2023), as Det. Hayden
- *It Wants Blood 2* (2023), as Veal Armstrong
- *Chaos on the Farm* (2023), as Lawrence
- *Falling Higher: The Story Of Ampage* (2023), as Narrator (voice) / Self
- *The Rookie: Feds* (2022), series, as Rusty Filmore
- *Pig Killer* (2022), as Willy
- *Shooting Star* (2022), as Mr. York
- *A Tale of Two Guns* (2022), as McCloskey
- *A Soldier's Revenge* (2021), as Captain McCalister
- *DIVOS!* (2020), as Mr. Kelly
- *Ghost in the Graveyard* (2019), as Charlie Sullivan
- *Adventures of Dally and Spanky* (2019), as Aaron
- *Swamp Thing* (2019), series, as Shaw
- *L.A.'s Finest* (2019), series, as Bishop Duvall
- *The Predator* (2018), as Keyes — Fi1m 48, [page](https://film.one/film/the-predator.md)
- *A Boy Called Sailboat* (2018), as Bing
- *Dead Ant* (2017), as Merrick
- *Dead Again in Tombstone* (2017), as Colonel Jackson Boomer
- *Area of Conflict* (2017), as Tony
- *Growing Up Smith* (2017), as Officer Dick
- *Swing State* (2017), as Woody Woodrow
- *Expendable Assets* (2016), Actor
- *Deserted* (2016), as Clay
- *No Touching* (2016), as Carp
- *Arbor Demon* (2016), as Sean
- *Stranger Things* (2016), series, as Bruce — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/tv/stranger-things.md)
- *Last Man Club* (2016), as Diamond Jim
- *A Christmas Reunion* (2015), as Dylan Carruthers
- *Most Likely to Die* (2015), as Tarkin
- *Mr. Robot* (2015), series, as Freddy Lomax — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/mr-robot.md)
- *Fractured* (2015), as Detective James Harding
- *Reaper* (2014), as Bill
- *From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series* (2014), series, as Professor Aiden Tanner
- *From Dusk Till Dawn: Making the First Season* (2014), Actor
- *Wicked Blood* (2014), as Bobby Stinson
- *Alongside Night* (2014), as President of the United States
- *Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.* (2013), series, as Tony Caine
- *Girl Meets Boy* (2013), as Richard
- *Paranormal Movie* (2013), as Stepdad
- *Sparks* (2013), as Sledge
- *The Devil's Dozen* (2013), Actor
- *Don't Pass Me By* (2013), as Fred Norwick
- *Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva la Fiesta!* (2012), as Oscar (voice)
- *Perception* (2012), series, as Jeff
- *Crazy Eyes* (2012), as Dan Drake
- *Nazis at the Center of the Earth* (2012), as Adrian Reistad
- *The Finder* (2012), series, as Bobby the Twin
- *Good Vibes* (2011), series, as Turk (voice)
- *Franklin & Bash* (2011), series, as Dr. Doug
- *Cross* (2011), as Backfire · Producer
- *The Good Guys* (2010), series, as Brody
- *Justified* (2010), series, as Lewis Mago — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/tv/justified.md)
- *Sons of Tucson* (2010), series, as Tony
- *The Killing Jar* (2010), as Greene
- *Play Dead* (2009), as Merle Jones
- *The Mentalist* (2008), series, as Vern Nichols — Fi1m 71, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-mentalist.md)
- *Time Bomb* (2008), as Jason Philby
- *Comanche Moon* (2008), series, as Tudwal
- *Playing Chicken* (2007), Actor
- *Wristcutters: A Love Story* (2007), as Brian (uncredited)
- *Broken* (2007), as Vince
- *Death Row* (2006), as Marco
- *Road House 2: Last Call* (2006), as Wild Bill
- *Psych* (2006), series, as FBI Agent
- *Code Breakers* (2005), as Straub
- *H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds* (2005), as Lt. Samuelson
- *The Closer* (2005), series, as Eric Shaw
- *The Tao of Pong* (2005), as Maurice
- *The Rain Makers* (2005), as Shaw
- *Christmas with the Kranks* (2004), as Officer Treen
- *CSI: NY* (2004), series, as Randy Davis
- *Karen Sisco* (2003), series, as Peter Dillard
- *NCIS* (2003), series, as Whit Dexter — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/tv/ncis.md)
- *The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting* (2003), as Jack
- *Identity* (2003), as Robert Maine
- *Lost Junction* (2003), as Matt
- *CSI: Miami* (2002), series, as Phillip Craven
- *The Twilight Zone* (2002), series, as Vince Hanson
- *Fastlane* (2002), series, as Johnny 'O' Oregano
- *The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest* (2002), as Darrell Claxton
- *Jeremiah* (2002), series, as Jake Davenport
- *Fast Sofa* (2001), as Rick Jeffers
- *Tomcats* (2001), as Kyle Brenner
- *Tail Lights Fade* (1999), as Bruce
- *Held Up* (1999), as Beaumont
- *Shasta McNasty* (1999), series, as Dennis
- *Home Fries* (1998), as Angus Montier
- *Enemy of the State* (1998), as Krug — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/enemy-of-the-state.md)
- *Charmed* (1998), series, as Nigel
- *Black Cat Run* (1998), as Deputy Norm Babbitt
- *Starship Troopers* (1997), as Private Ace Levy — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/starship-troopers.md)
- *Contact* (1997), as Joseph — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/contact.md)
- *Quiet Days in Hollywood* (1997), as Curt
- *The Frighteners* (1996), as Johnny Bartlett
- *Twister* (1996), as Mobile Lab Technician — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/twister.md)
- *S.F.W.* (1995), as Morrow Streeter
- *The Stöned Age* (1994), as Jimmy Muldoon
- *Motorcycle Gang* (1994), as Jake
- *Rebel Highway* (1994), series, as Jake
- *WindRunner* (1994), as Dave Promisco
- *PCU* (1994), as Mersh
- *I'll Do Anything* (1994), as Burke's Fired Driver
- *The Foot Shooting Party* (1994), as Tree
- *Shimmer* (1993), as Richard Halverson
- *Street Beat* (1993), as Gang member 3
- *Cruel Doubt* (1992), series, as Student
- *Tales from the Crypt* (1989), series, as Frank
- *Hider in the House* (1989), as Teenage Tom (voice)
- *Barbarosa* (1982), as Cook Boy
- *Straight Time* (1978), as Henry Darin
- *House of Karma*, as Earnold Lamort
- *Terrarium*, as Dr. Renard
- *Mascotland*, Actor
- *CATnip*, as Detective Pendleton
- *Dead of Night*, as Craig Williams
- *Bikers vs Werewolves*, as Sheriff Ray
- *Gettysburg 1863*, Actor

## Gallery

- ![Jake Busey](https://film.one/media/person/87276/gallery-88db23281890.jpg) Jake Busey — Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Jake_Busey_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg/1280px-Jake_Busey_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Jake Busey on the Children Uniting Nations Academy Award Viewing Party red carpet, at the Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California. Held preceding (2009)](https://film.one/media/person/87276/gallery-8f0866d95026.jpg) Jake Busey on the Children Uniting Nations Academy Award Viewing Party red carpet, at the Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California. Held preceding (2009) — Ilya Haykinson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/2009_CUN_Award_Party_Jake_Busey_001.JPG/1280px-2009_CUN_Award_Party_Jake_Busey_001.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Augusto Aguilera, Thomas Jane, Sterling K. Brown and Jake Busey speaking at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Predator", at the San Diego Con](https://film.one/media/person/87276/gallery-438f1843fdff.jpg) Augusto Aguilera, Thomas Jane, Sterling K. Brown and Jake Busey speaking at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Predator", at the San Diego Con — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Augusto_Aguilera%2C_Thomas_Jane%2C_Sterling_K._Brown_%26_Jake_Busey_%2829726068328%29.jpg/1280px-Augusto_Aguilera%2C_Thomas_Jane%2C_Sterling_K._Brown_%26_Jake_Busey_%2829726068328%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Gary's son, star of Starship Troopers, PCU, and Tomcats. NYC Nov '16. (2016)](https://film.one/media/person/87276/gallery-af060693c4ce.jpg) Gary's son, star of Starship Troopers, PCU, and Tomcats. NYC Nov '16. (2016) — Greg2600, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/90/Jake_Busey_%2831266825985%29.jpg/1280px-Jake_Busey_%2831266825985%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Jake Busey](https://film.one/media/person/87276/gallery-70d6858361a6.jpg) Jake Busey — Image via TMDB
- ![Jake Busey speaking at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Predator", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Please attri](https://film.one/media/person/87276/gallery-b3a55c2ec63b.jpg) Jake Busey speaking at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Predator", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Please attri — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Jake_Busey_%2841788279070%29.jpg/1280px-Jake_Busey_%2841788279070%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Jake Busey speaking at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Predator", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Please attri](https://film.one/media/person/87276/gallery-7b21826bf0ae.jpg) Jake Busey speaking at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Predator", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Please attri — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/90/Jake_Busey_%2842691887855%29.jpg/1280px-Jake_Busey_%2842691887855%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/jake-busey