JOHN BELUSHI BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

John Belushi was born on January 24th, 1949 in Chicago, Illinois with the middle name Adam, born to Adam and Agnes Belushi.  It was during high school that not only did he excel in athletics but also began to develop an interest in acting and participated in a number of school productions.
 
He decided that instead of pursuing a career as a football coach he would try his hand at a acting career.  In 1967, he earned his high school diploma from Wheaton Central High and first found work in summer stock theater performing in such plays as, "Anne of a Thousand Days" and "Ten Little Indians".
 
Belushi enrolled at the University of Wisconsin and studied for two years before dropping out and later switched to study at the College of DuPage.  During this time he also co-founded the, "West Compass Players" which was an improv comedy troupe and later he began performing live at "Second City".
 
John had gained quite a bit of experience performing live and then relocated to New York City to perform in a production on Broadway with the cast of National Lampoon's Lemmings for a ten month run.
 
His big break into Hollywood came when he was chosen to join the cast of, "Saturday Night Live" (1975).  Soon film roles began to follow such as, "Goin' South" (1978) directed by and starring Jack Nicholson and featuring Mary Steenburgen, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd and Ed Begley Jr., "Animal House" (1978) co-starring Tim Matheson, Donald Sutherland and Cesare Danova just to name a few, "1941" (1979) starring alongside Tim Matheson, Dan Aykroyd, Ned Beatty, Murray Hamilton, Warren Oates, Robert Stack, Toshiro Mifune and Christopher Lee, "The Blues Brothers" (1980) starring with Dan Aykroyd, "Continental Divide" (1981) starring with Blair Brown and "Neighbors" (1981) teaming up with Dan Aykroyd one last time.
 
Although his professional life was going quite well, it was during this time in his life that he developed an addiction to cocaine use that would later lay a significant impact on his life.
 
In 1982, he was signed to be a cast member of the film, "Noble Rot", however sadly, he was found dead in his hotel room in Los Angeles at the age of thirty three on March 5th, 1982.  His death was ruled as acute cocaine and heroin intoxication.  He was survived by his only wife, Judith Belushi-Pisano.  His remains are interred at Abel's Hill Cemetery on Martha's Vineyard.
 
Twenty two years after he passed away, John Belushi was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  There is also a John Belushi Memorial Scholarship for Performing Arts available at the College of DuPage in Illinois.   
 

Filmography

1981   Neighbors 

1981   Steve Martin's Best Show Ever 

1981   Continental Divide 

1980   The Blues Brothers

1979   1941
 
1975-1979  Saturday Night Live 

1979   Old Boyfriends 

1978   Grateful Dead: The Closing of Winterland
 
1978   Things We Did Last Summer

1978   Goin' South 

1978   Animal House
 
1978   All You Need Is Cash

1977   The Richard Pryor Special?

1976   The Beach Boys: It's OK
 
1975   Shame of the Jungle