Actor Gary Busey Badly Hurt in Motorcycle Crash in Culver City

Actor Gary Busey was hospitalized in critical condition Sunday with massive head injuries after losing control of his motorcycle on a Culver City street, authorities said.

Busey, 44, of Malibu, was being examined by doctors, and neurosurgery was planned Sunday night, said Ron Wise, spokesman for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

“He’s in critical condition following a motorcycle accident at about noon. He has extensive head trauma,” Wise said.

“Our initial investigation showed that he lost control of the bike . . . and was thrown off,” Culver City police Sgt. Karin Reagan said. “He hit the curb with his head and wasn’t wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.”

No other vehicles were involved in the crash near the intersection of Higuera Street and Washington Boulevard, 10 miles west of downtown Los Angeles, police said.

Busey’s work in the title role of “The Buddy Holly Story” earned him an Academy Award nomination.

In addition to his role as Buddy Holly in the 1978 film, Busey has appeared in “Big Wednesday,” “A Star Is Born,” “Carny” and “The Bear.”

An HBO cable TV special, “A Dangerous Life,” based on the fall of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, aired recently.

Busey grew up in Goose Creek, Tex., and went to college in Kansas and Oklahoma. The actor beat well-publicized drug and eating addictions that temporarily stalled his career.