Hollywood homecoming

Actor/director/producer Timothy Busfield’s career took him from East Lansing all the way to Hollywood — and now he wants to show local kids how to chase their dreams.

“I started this nonprofit theater that tours schools, teaching kids how to write plays,” Busfield said. “I believe American theater is failing because professional theater is not a part of the curriculum. Kids can see TV, movies and music, they can practice music and singing, but theater is not a part of the nation’s curriculum. The American theater is dying.”

Busfield brings his touring theater workshop to East Lansing this weekend. His Performing Arts Warm-Up comes to the East Lansing Public Library Saturday and Sunday. Elementary through high school students will have a chance to learn about singing, dancing, set design, stage managing and filmmaking. Busfield’s message, he said, is that even a Lansing boy can achieve stardom and success.

Busfield, who spent much of his childhood in Michigan, recently moved back to the Mitten State with his wife, Melissa Gilbert. Known for her role on “Little House on the Prairie,” Gilbert recently announced that she will seek the Democratic nomination for the 8th Congressional District in Michigan in 2016. The couple lives in a cabin near Howell. Busfield said he developed strong friendships during his time in Michigan.

“My (childhood) friends are still my best friends,” Busfield said. “I went golfing with them yesterday. They’ve been my only lasting friends through the so-called fame or celebrity that I’ve had.”

Busfield split his childhood between Lansing and Arkansas, where he lived with his father, and spent his last two years of high school at East Lansing High School. For those two years, Busfield was taken in by a family, the Beningtons, who he said treated him like their 10th child. John Benington was the basketball coach at Michigan State University from 1966 until his death in 1969. Busfield credits Barbara Benington, John Benington’s wife, as his major inspiration to become an actor.

“Not even my dad told me that I had the talent to be an actor,” Busfield said. “Barbara told me that I was an actor, and that made me brave enough to leave.”

Busfield left town the day after he graduated from East Lansing High School to pursue his acting dreams.

“I knew instinctually that a bulk of my life was bound to be elsewhere,” Busfield said. “I knew I had to go to do the things I wanted to do.”

At 23, Busfield’s first film role was in 1981’s “Stripes” as a mortar gunner on a shooting range. His next role was in the 1984 film “Mass Appeal,” but his scenes were cut from the film.

“Having the complete carpet ripped from under me — by telling me I’ve been cut from a movie — put my head in the right place to not have expectations in Hollywood,” Busfield said.

The disappointment didn’t last long though, and Busfield went on to star in the classic 1984 comedy “Revenge of the Nerds” as a main character, Poindexter.

After the success of “Revenge of the Nerds,” Busfield landed television roles on the “M*A*S*H” spinoff “Trapper John, M.D.” and “Thirtysomething.” “Thirtysomething” was a drama that focused on the lives of a group of baby boomers.

“I was able to take on a larger artistic role to show just how screwed up men are,” Busfield said. “The audience was sucked into (“Thirtysomething”) because it was relatable. The most common comment was, ‘I feel like you’re looking in my window and sharing my life.’” Despite his career success, Busfield said his most rewarding work is sharing his experience with the next generation of actors and directors.

“This excites me much more than any professional project,” Busfield said. “If I can let people see how easy it is to create art, then I will have contributed something of value other than acting roles that I did.”

Performing Arts Warm-Up With Timothy Busfield

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12 and Sunday, Sept. 13 FREE (registration required) East Lansing Public Library 410 Abbot Road, East Lansing (517) 351-2420, elpl.org/ register