History Creator / JohnBelushi

* LargeHam: He was a very energetic performer.

* {{Biopic}}: As of 2014, he has been the only ''SNL'' castmember to be the basis of a biopic[[note]]In 2002, a [[MadeForTVMovie made for television]] film starring Creator/JamiGertz as Creator/GildaRadner was broadcast on [[Creator/AmericanBroadcastingCompany ABC]] called ''Gilda Radner: It's Always Something''[[/note]], the 1989 film ''Film/{{Wired}}'' that was based on Bob Woodward's 1984 tell-all biography and starred Creator/MichaelChiklis. It was lambasted as a hatchet job by just about everyone who knew him, many of whom refused to let their names be used. Chiklis would later blame the film for derailing his career until ''Series/TheCommish'' pulled it back into place.

* {{Biopic}}: As of 2014, he has been the only ''SNL'' castmember to be the basis of a biopic[[note]]In 2002, a [[MadeForTVMovie made for television]] film starring Creator/JamiGertz as Creator/GildaRadner was broadcast on Creator/{{ABC}} called ''Gilda Radner: It's Always Something''[[/note]], the 1989 film ''Film/{{Wired}}'' that was based on Bob Woodward's 1984 tell-all biography and starred Creator/MichaelChiklis. It was lambasted as a hatchet job by just about everyone who knew him, many of whom refused to let their names be used. Chiklis would later blame the film for derailing his career until ''Series/TheCommish'' pulled it back into place.

** However, ''Belushi'' confirms that John was willing to put effort into female-written sketches by his family (primarily Marilyn Miller, the third female SNL writer at the time) and on one occasion, he saved Miller's life by getting her somewhere safe. Despite him hanging around with the other males in the writing room who didn't like women, he could definitely be considered a HiddenHeartOfGold as well.
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Dan Aykroyd's blue, most of the time.

** However, ''Belushi'' confirms that John was willing to put effort into female-written sketches by his family (primarily Marilyn Miller, the third female SNL writer at the time) and on one occasion, he saved Miller's life by getting her somewhere safe. Despite him hanging around with the other males in the writing room who didn't like women, he could definitely be considered a [[HiddenHeartofGold Hidden Heart of Gold]] as well.

* RealitySubtext: The bad blood between John and Jane Curtin was in part due to her own worst experiences with him and Dan Aykroyd, categorizing them as the ''bully boys'' of SNL and that in an interview with Creator/OprahWinfrey, claimed Belushi said that women didn't belong on SNL due to heated tensions between him, Anne Beatts and Rosie Shuster. The bad blood got worse by Curtin sneering at him whenever he misbehaved, though when words flew from him it turned into a point of verbal UnstoppableRage by both of them, forcing Creator/LorneMichaels to pair them together as punishment in some sketches. It got bad to the point where Jane and ''Lorne'' didn't speak to each other unless Gilda was the intermediary.
** However, ''Belushi'' confirms that John was willing to put effort into female-written sketches by his family and on one occasion, saved Marilyn Miller's (one of the SNL female writers at the time) life by getting her somewhere safe, reinforcing his NiceGuy trope. Despite him hanging around with the other males in the writing room who didn't like women, he could be considered a [[HiddenHeartofGold Hidden Heart of Gold]] as well.

* {{Acrofatic}}: Chubby guy, but he could really dance and he could engage well in physical comedy too, such as his Joe Cocker impersonation and the "Little Chocolate Donuts" sketch. He was also captain of his football team in high school.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: Dan Aykroyd, very much so.

* NiceGuy: He was apparently very benevolent and generous.

* PleaseDontLeaveMe: Cruelly subverted, as the one who was with him the night before his death left the bungalow he was in.

* SadClown: He started doing drugs because being as funny as he was got ''exhausting''.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: He's had this with both Chevy Chase and Jane Curtin.
** It's invoked with Chevy and he has been pretty remorseful on the subject of John, but...
** In Jane Curtin's case, she became a full-blown ArchEnemy to him from SNL's second season onward up until his death. It's even more heartbreaking that [[TeethClenchedTeamwork she really]] [[{{Jerkass}} did not get along]] [[TeethClenchedTeamwork with him]], [[WordOfGod as evidenced by his wife's book ''Samurai Widow'']].

Unfortunately, he didn't survive the lifestyle of the entertainment industry. Belushi was very into drugs during his career, and it was very severe to the point that it kept negatively impacting his career and his life. Creator/TimMatheson, who co-starred with Belushi in ''Animal House'', stated that he believed that Belushi actually got introduced to drugs as a result of being exposed to the music industry, which was very drug-heavy at the time, on a regular basis due to frequently dealing with music while performing on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi eventually passed away on March 5, 1982, following the administration of a cocaine-heroin mix known as a "speedball" (making that famous ''SNL'' short film about John Belushi being the ''last'' cast member to die and visiting the graves of his former cast members [[HarsherInHindsight a much sadder watch]]). Former singer Cathy Smith later came forward, and was charged with involuntary manslaughter.

* RealitySubtext: The bad blood between John and Jane Curtin was in part due to her own worst experiences with him and Dan Aykroyd, categorizing them as the ''bully boys'' of SNL and that in an interview with Creato/OprahWinfrey, claimed Belushi said that women didn't belong on SNL due to heated tensions between him, Anne Beatts and Rosie Shuster. The bad blood got worse by Curtin sneering at him whenever he misbehaved, though when words flew from him it turned into a point of verbal UnstoppableRage by both of them, forcing Creator/LorneMichaels to pair them together as punishment in some sketches. It got bad to the point where Jane and ''Lorne'' didn't speak to each other unless Gilda was the intermediary.

* {{Biopic}}: As of 2014, he has been the only ''SNL'' castmember to be the basis of a biopic[[note]]In 2002, a [[MadeForTVMovie made for television]] film starring Creator/JamiGertz as Creator/GildaRadner was broadcast on Creator/{{ABC}} called ''Gilda Radner: It's Always Something''[[/note]], the 1989 film ''Wired'' that was based on Bob Woodward's 1984 tell-all biography and starred Creator/MichaelChiklis. It was lambasted as a hatchet job by just about everyone who knew him, many of whom refused to let their names be used. Chiklis would later blame the film for derailing his career until ''Series/TheCommish'' pulled it back into place.

In 1975, John Belushi was accepted into ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', alongside Creator/DanAykroyd, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Creator/JaneCurtin, Creator/LaraineNewman, and Creator/GarrettMorris. (In fact, Belushi was the first Not Ready For Prime-Time Player to appear in the show, as part of the first episode's first sketch.) From here, he went on to work with Dan Aykroyd on a film based off their already highly successful musical act and band, ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'', which gained cult status, and a gross revenue of $115,229,890. John and Dan worked together in two other movies, ''Film/NineteenFortyOne'' and ''Neighbors''.

* ''Film/NineteenFortyOne'' (1979).

* ''Film/Neighbors1981'' (1981).

In 1975, John Belushi was accepted into ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', alongside Creator/DanAykroyd, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Creator/JaneCurtin, Creator/LaraineNewman, and Creator/GarrettMorris. (In fact, Belushi was the first Not Ready For Prime-Time Player to appear in the show, as part of the first episode's first sketch.) From here, he went on to work with Dan Aykroyd on a film based off their already highly successful musical act and band, ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'', which gained cult status, and a gross revenue of $115,229,890. John and Dan worked together in two other movies, ''Film/NineteenFortyOne'', and ''Neighbors''.

Unfortunately, he didn't survive the lifestyle of the entertainment industry. Belushi was very into drugs during his career, and it was very severe to the point that it kept negatively impacting his career and his life. Creator/TimMatheson, who co-starred with Belushi in ''Animal House'', stated that he believed that Belushi actually got introduced to drugs as a result of being exposed to the music industry, which was very drug-heavy at the time, on a regular basis due to frequently dealing with music while performing on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi eventually passed away on March 5 1982, following the administration of a cocaine-heroin mix known as a "speedball" (making that famous ''SNL'' short film about John Belushi being the ''last'' cast member to die and visiting the graves of his former cast members [[HarsherInHindsight a much sadder watch.]]). Former singer Cathy Smith later came forward, and was charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Belushi's legacy lives on, however -- for better and worse. He has since been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Aykroyd also affectionately refers to Slimer in ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}'' as, "the ghost of John Belushi". [[note]]This is particularly poignant since Dan had written the role of Peter Venkman with John in mind.[[/note]] Creator/ChrisFarley, another ''SNL'' cast member known for being a BigFun party animal whose life was cut short due to drug abuse, was a fan of Belushi and a lot of similarities can be drawn between the two. Further, John's work still draws audiences and provides an influence to young and upcoming comedy talent such as Creator/DannyMcBride. After the dramatic political and medical crisis’s of 2020 in the United States, [[Creator/JamesBelushi John’s little brother]] wondered on Website/{{Twitter}} what John would think of modern times.

Affectionately known as "America's Guest", John Adam Belushi (January 24, 1949 -- March 5, 1982) was a UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}-born actor and comedian of [[UsefulNotes/{{Albania}} Albanian descent]]. He rose to fame in 1971, after joining the Second City comedy troupe, where he became well known for his impersonations of Music/JoeCocker, resulting in his being cast in National Lampoon's ''Lemmings'', a parody of Film/{{Woodstock}}. It was while he was with the National Lampoon that John would meet fellow future ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' regulars such as Creator/ChevyChase, Creator/GildaRadner, Creator/BillMurray, and Creator/BrianDoyleMurray. His high school sweetheart Judith Jacklin, whom he later married, also worked for National Lampoon -- and, as a fun fact, can be seen dancing with him in ''Film/AnimalHouse'', which he starred in.

Unfortunately, he didn't survive the lifestyle of the entertainment industry. Belushi was very into drugs during his career, and it was very severe to the point that it kept negatively impacting his career and his life. Creator/TimMatheson, who co-starred with Belushi in ''Animal House'', stated that he believed that Belushi actually got introduced to drugs as a result of being exposed to the music industry, which was very drug-heavy at the time, on a regular basis due to frequently dealing with music while performing on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi eventually passed away on March 5 1982, following the administration of a cocaine-heroin mix known as a "speedball" (making that famous ''SNL'' short film about John Belushi being the ''last'' cast member to die and visiting the graves of his former cast members [[FunnyAneurysmMoment very cringeworthy]] to modern senses[[note]][[HarsherInHindsight and it doesn't get any better when you realize that Gilda Radner is up to this writing the other deceased original cast member, only she died in 1989 from ovarian cancer]][[/note]]). Former singer Cathy Smith later came forward, and was charged with involuntary manslaughter.

* RealitySubtext: The bad blood between John and Jane Curtin was in part due to her own worst experiences with him and Dan Aykroyd, categorizing them as the ''bully boys'' of SNL and that in an Oprah interview, claimed Belushi said that women didn't belong on SNL due to heated tensions between him, Anne Beatts and Rosie Shuster. The bad blood got worse by Curtin sneering at him whenever he misbehaved, though when words flew from him it turned into a point of verbal UnstoppableRage by both of them, forcing Lorne Michaels to pair them together as punishment in some sketches. It got bad to the point where Jane and ''Lorne'' didn't speak to each other unless Gilda was the intermediary.

Belushi's legacy lives on, however -- for better and worse. He has since been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Aykroyd also affectionately refers to Slimer in ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}'' as, "the ghost of John Belushi". [[note]]This is particularly poignant since Dan had written the role of Peter Venkman with John in mind.[[/note]] Creator/ChrisFarley, another ''SNL'' cast member known for being a BigFun party animal whose life was cut short due to drug abuse, was a fan of Belushi and a lot of similarities can be drawn between the two. Further, John's work still draws audiences and provides an influence to young and upcoming comedy talent such as Creator/DannyMcBride. After the dramatic political and medical crisis’s of 2020 in the United States, [[Creator/JamesBelushi John’s little brother]] wondered on Website/Twitter what John would think of modern times.

Belushi's legacy lives on, however -- for better and worse. He has since been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Aykroyd also affectionately refers to Slimer in ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}'' as, "the ghost of John Belushi". [[note]]This is particularly poignant since Dan had written the role of Peter Venkman with John in mind.[[/note]] Creator/ChrisFarley, another ''SNL'' cast member known for being a BigFun party animal whose life was cut short due to drug abuse, was a fan of Belushi and a lot of similarities can be drawn between the two. Further, John's work still draws audiences and provides an influence to young and upcoming comedy talent such as Creator/DannyMcBride.

* {{Biopic}}: As of 2014, he has been the only ''SNL'' castmember to be the basis of a biopic[[note]]In 2002, a made for television film starring Creator/JamiGertz as Creator/GildaRadner was broadcast on Creator/{{ABC}} called ''Gilda Radner: It's Always Something''[[/note]], the 1989 film ''Wired'' that was based on Bob Woodward's 1984 tell-all biography and starred Creator/MichaelChiklis. It was lambasted as a hatchet job by just about everyone who knew him, many of whom refused to let their names be used. Chiklis would later blame the film for derailing his career until ''Series/TheCommish'' pulled it back into place.

* {{Biopic}}: As of 2014, he has been the only ''SNL'' castmember to be the basis of a biopic, the 1988 film ''Wired'' that was based on Bob Woodward's 1984 tell-all biography and starred Creator/MichaelChiklis. It was lambasted as a hatchet job by just about everyone who knew him, many of whom refused to let their names be used. Chiklis would later blame the film for derailing his career until ''Series/TheCommish'' pulled it back into place.

In 1975, John Belushi was accepted into ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', alongside Creator/DanAykroyd, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Creator/JaneCurtin, Laraine Newman, and Garrett Morris. (In fact, Belushi was the first Not Ready For Prime-Time Player to appear in the show, as part of the first episode's first sketch.) From here, he went on to work with Dan Aykroyd on a film based off their already highly successful musical act and band, ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'', which gained cult status, and a gross revenue of $115,229,890. John and Dan worked together in two other movies, ''Film/NineteenFortyOne'', and ''Neighbors''.

!!My advice to you is to start groping heavily:

!!This Actor Provides Tropes of:

Belushi's legacy lives on, however -- for better and worse. He has since been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Aykroyd also affectionately refers to Slimer in ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}'' as, "the ghost of John Belushi". [[note]]This is particularly poignant since Dan had written the role of Peter Venkman with John in mind.[[/note]] Chris Farley, another ''SNL'' cast member known for being a BigFun party animal whose life was cut short due to drug abuse, was a fan of Belushi and a lot of similarities can be drawn between the two. Further, John's work still draws audiences and provides an influence to young and upcoming comedy talent such as Creator/DannyMcBride.

Unfortunately, he didn't survive the lifestyle of the entertainment industry. Belushi was very into drugs during his career, and it was very severe to the point that it kept negatively impacting his career and his life. Tim Matheson, who co-starred with Belushi in ''Animal House'', stated that he believed that Belushi actually got introduced to drugs as a result of being exposed to the music industry, which was very drug-heavy at the time, on a regular basis due to frequently dealing with music while performing on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi eventually passed away on March 5 1982, following the administration of a cocaine-heroin mix known as a "speedball" (making that famous ''SNL'' short film about John Belushi being the ''last'' cast member to die and visiting the graves of his former cast members [[FunnyAneurysmMoment very cringeworthy]] to modern senses[[note]][[HarsherInHindsight and it doesn't get any better when you realize that Gilda Radner is up to this writing the other deceased original cast member, only she died in 1989 from ovarian cancer]][[/note]]). Former singer Cathy Smith later came forward, and was charged with involuntary manslaughter.

* ''Film/TarzoonShameOfTheJungle'' (1975). Voice actor.

* ''The Creator/RichardPryor Special'' (1977).

* ''Goin' South'' (1978).
* ''Things We Did Last Summer'' (1978).

* ''Old Boyfriends'' (1979).

* ''Continental Divide'' (1981).
* ''Neighbors'' (1981).