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John Belushi

American actor (1949–1982)

AI overview

John Belushi was an American actor and comedian who became famous for his work on Saturday Night Live and in movies like Animal House before his death in 1982 at age 33. He is remembered as one of the most influential and energetic entertainers of his era, known for his loud, physical comedy style that defined comedy in the 1970s and early 1980s.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born: 1949-01-24
Died: 1982-03-05
Works: 1

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Acting · Chicago, Illinois, USA

John Adam Belushi (January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, and musician best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live and for his roles in the films National Lampoon's Animal House and The Blues Brothers. He was the older brother of Jim Belushi.

Known for

Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music — Self (archive footage)2025
John Candy: I Like Me — Self - Actor, Saturday Night Live (archive footage)2025
Jim Henson Idea Man — Self (archive footage)2024
Zappa — Self (archive footage)2020
Belushi — Self (archive footage)2020
Cola Wars — Self (archive footage)2019
TVTV: Video Revolutionaries — Self2018
Studio 54 — Self (archive footage)2018

Article

John Adam Belushi (/bəˈluːʃi/ bə-LOO-shee; January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American actor, comedian, and musician. He was one of seven Saturday Night Live cast members of the first season. Belushi had a partnership with Dan Aykroyd; they had first met while at Chicago's the Second City comedy club, remaining together as cast members on Saturday Night Live.

Born in Chicago to Albanian-American parents, Belushi started his own comedy troupe with Tino Insana and Steve Beshekas, called "The West Compass Trio". Bernard Sahlins recruited him for The Second City comedy club. Once there he met Aykroyd, Brian Doyle-Murray, and Harold Ramis. In 1975, Chevy Chase and Michael O'Donoghue recommended Belushi to Saturday Night Live creator and showrunner Lorne Michaels, who accepted him as a new cast member of the show after an audition. Belushi developed a series of characters on the show that reached great success, including Henry Kissinger and Ludwig van Beethoven.