Leeds United defender Giuseppe Bellusci, who is on loan at Empoli, has revealed he is related to the late American actor and comedian John Belushi.
Belushi, who was best known for his work on Saturday Night Live and the films Animal House and The Blues Brothers, was the son of Albanian immigrants and was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame after his death.
He was renowned for putting intense energy into his performances, a trait Bellusci also appears to have picked up from the family gene pool.
"His father's grandfather was my grandfather's brother and left Albania, our family's home, many years ago. One came here to Italy, the other to the USA", Bellusci revealed to Il Tirreno.
John's brother Jim continues to act and has starred in 151 titles across film and TV, being a well-known face with credits in films such as Trading Places, Last Action Hero and Jingle All the Way.
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But Leeds star Bellusci admits that his side of the family have lost touch with their American cousins.
"No, [we’ve kept in touch with] no one", the Leeds defender said.
"Probably that branch of the family completely ignores our existence. But the bond is there, the origin is the same."
The Belushi acting family has spread to another generation, with Jim's son Robert also in the profession.
Bellusci himself has never been shy to let his feelings on the pitch be known, with football being the Italian's stage.
His future though is unclear as while Empoli have an option to keep him permanently when his loan spell from Leeds runs out, they have yet to decide whether they will use their option to do so.
The defender could yet decide to head into acting when he retires, just as another man with Leeds connections, Vinnie Jones, has done with great success.
