7. Gary Busey’s stardom
Believe it or not, Gary Busey was once considered to have a promising future in the entertainment industry. Of course this was back in the 70s, when Gary starred as Buddy Holly in the film The Buddy Holly Story. He actually managed to snag himself an Academy Award nomination for the role, and we can only assume that no one from the Academy had yet had a chance to actually meet him. Anyway, the bottom line is this: before The Buddy Holly Story, Gary Busey was a nobody; afterward he had the recognition he needed to score roles in such classic as Lethal Weapon and Point Break. As I see it, we have Buddy Holly to thank for Gary Busey’s stardom, which is probably the most important reason to celebrate Buddy today. I think we can all agree that a world without Gary Busey is a world we never want to know.