James Adam Belushi ( bə-LOO-shee; born June 15, 1954) is an American actor and comedian. His television roles include Saturday Night Live (1983–1985), According to Jim (2001–2009), and Good Girls Revolt (2015–2016).
Belushi appeared in films such as Thief (1981), Trading Places (1983), The Man with One Red Shoe (1985), Salvador (1986), Red Heat (1988), K-9 (1989), Taking Care of Business (1990), Destiny Turns on the Radio (1995), Angel's Dance (1999), Joe Somebody (2001), Underdog (2007), The Ghost Writer (2010), The Secret Lives of Dorks (2013), Wonder Wheel (2017), and Song Sung Blue (2025).
He is the younger brother of late comedy actor John Belushi and the father of actor Robert Belushi.
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Early life and education
James Adam Belushi was born June 15, 1954, in Wheaton, Illinois, to Adam Anastos Belushi, an Albanian from Qytezë, Korçë, and Agnes Demetri Samaras, who was born in Ohio to ethnic Albanian immigrants from Korçë, south Albania. He was raised in Wheaton, a Chicago suburb, along with his three siblings: older brother John, older sister Marian, and younger brother Billy.
After graduating from Wheaton Central High School in 1972, Jim Belushi attended the College of DuPage, and graduated from Southern Illinois University Carbondale with a bachelor's degree in Speech and Theater Arts in 1978.
Career
From 1977 to 1980, Belushi, like his older brother John, worked with the Chicago theater group The Second City. In 1978, he made his television debut in Who's Watching the Kids, as well as a small part in Brian De Palma's The Fury. His first significant role was in Michael Mann's Thief (1981). After John's death, from 1983 to 1985, he appeared on Saturday Night Live. Jim portrayed characters such as Hank Rippy from "Hello, Trudy!", Man on the Street Jesse Donnelly, and "That White Guy". He also appeared in the film Trading Places as a drunk man in a gorilla suit during a New Year's Eve party. He made a guest appearance in Faerie Tale Theatre's third-season episode "Pinocchio", starring Paul Reubens, as the titular puppet.
Belushi rose to greater prominence with his supporting roles in The Man with One Red Shoe (1985), About Last Night..., Salvador and Little Shop of Horrors (as Patrick Martin), all in 1986. These appearances opened up opportunities for lead roles. Additional movies he starred in are: Real Men, The Principal, Red Heat, Homer and Eddie, K-9, Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe, The Palermo Connection, Taking Care of Business, Mr. Destiny, Only the Lonely, Curly Sue, Once upon a Crime..., Wild Palms, Race the Sun, Separate Lives, Retroactive, Gang Related and Angel's Dance.
In 1991, Belushi appeared during MC Hammer's music video "2 Legit 2 Quit" (in the extended full-length version), as a newscaster.
His voice acting includes: The Mighty Ducks, The Pebble and the Penguin, Babes in Toyland, Gargoyles, Hey Arnold!, Hoodwinked!, Scooby-Doo! and the Goblin King, and The Wild. He also lent his vocal talents for 9: The Last Resort (a PC game released in 1995), in which he portrayed "Salty", a coarse yet helpful character. In 1997, he portrayed the "Masked Mutant" in the Goosebumps PC video game, alongside Adam West as "The Galloping Gazelle".
On January 4, 2001, Belushi appeared on the ER episode "Piece of Mind". The episode focused both on Dr. Mark Greene's life-or-death brain surgery in New York and on Belushi's character, who had been in a car accident with his son in Chicago. Belushi's performance contributed to his re-emergence in the public eye, and the following year he was cast as the title role in ABC's According to Jim.
Personal life
Belushi has been married three times. On May 17, 1980, he married Sandra Davenport, who gave birth to their son, Robert James, on October 23, 1980. Belushi and Davenport divorced in 1988. Belushi was married to actress Marjorie Bransfield from 1990 to 1992. He married Jennifer Sloan on May 2, 1998; they share a daughter and a son. On March 5, 2018, Sloan filed for divorce from Belushi. The two later reconciled. Belushi filed for divorce from Sloan in 2021.
Belushi is closely linked to his Albanian heritage and received honorary Albanian citizenship, as well as the Honour of the Nation Decoration from the President of Albania, Bamir Topi, in 2008. He is an Eastern Orthodox Christian, visiting with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 2010. Belushi is a fan of the Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bears, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bulls and the Chicago Fire.
Belushi had a legal battle and feud with his neighbor, actress Julie Newmar. She said that their conflicts stemmed from Belushi's attempt to "build a second house in the back", which she claimed was illegal due to zoning restrictions in their neighborhood requiring only one house per lot. In 2004, Belushi filed a $4 million lawsuit against Newmar, alleging "she harassed and defamed him". He also claimed she destroyed his fence, which Newmar denied. They ended the feud amicably in 2006, when Belushi invited Newmar to guest-star on According to Jim on an episode that satirized their conflict.
In 2011, Belushi announced he was suffering from gout, and became a spokesman for Savient Pharmaceuticals' educational campaign "Check Out Your Gout". He appeared on the cover of and was interviewed by Cigar Aficionado magazine.
Belushi endorsed the re-election campaign of Democratic President Barack Obama in 2012. During a Fox News interview, he said "When you talk to the President in private, he's a cool guy, who knows what he's doing. Besides, I'm from Chicago too."
Belushi built a getaway home in Eagle Point, Oregon, in 2015 where he now grows cannabis. By 2018, the size of his Eagle Point property had been expanded to 93 acres (38 ha). He is involved with fundraising for projects in Eagle Point and elsewhere in Southern Oregon, including the planned rebuilding of the Butte Creek Mill and the restoration of the Holly Theatre, in Medford. In 2018, he was living in Los Angeles "most of the time", The Oregonian reported, and living in Oregon part of the year. Per a 2018 article, Belushi indicated he planned on opening a pop-up cannabis dispensary in downtown Portland.