An Earthy LA Canyon Home

The star found the ideal California house for him and his family

He’s best known for appearing in action-packed sci-fi films like Starship Troopers and Contact, but when Jake Busey isn’t working, he enjoys a downto-earth home life with his makeup artist fiancée, April Hutchinson, and their 5-year-old daughter, Autumn, in woodsy Topanga Canyon, Calif. “April works three days a week and there are more acting projects based in LA now, so thankfully we can spend a lot more time at home with Autumn,” Jake, 46, tells Closer. “Working 14hour days in my mid-20s, it seemed I was never home. Now, with being a dad and everything else working out, it’s wonderful. I’ve been blessed.”

Their three-bedroom, three-bath, 2,544-square-foot abode offers spectacular views of nature — a far cry from their previous house. “The approach to Santa Monica Airport was literally right above us — you’d

look up in the front yard and see the belly of an airplane!” he recalls. “We didn’t want Autumn around the fumes.”

Jake also wanted room for other kinds of engines — namely his then-booming motorized bike business — so he looked for a two-car garage. “I had no idea how difficult it would be to find a house with one,” but when they finally did, Jake’s famous dad, Gary

Busey, 73, indirectly helped them land it.

“Some other people were interested, but the person at the Realtor’s office said, ‘Don’t lose faith,’ ” he recalls. “Turns out she’d been a restaurant hostess my dad was really nice to!”

Jake has since shuttered his bike business, but April, 45, is now thinking about converting the garage into an after-school gym and playground for preschoolers. And they found the home to be ideal in many other ways. Jake loves the South American feel the house’s Ecuadorian builder gave it, from a covered upstairs balcony with cushioned seats to high ceilings “with fans everywhere,” he notes.

Jake says he loves wood furniture, and describes their decorating style as “eclectic,

simple antique Americana.” Since he’s a proficient musician, that includes a piano that “came from an old saloon” and guitars that hang near his fave spot, the living room. “It’s a little strange because it’s half living room, half music studio, with a mix of kids’ play space. It’s also a great place to watch TV because it’s cozy and comfy.”

After filming the recently released second season of Hulu’s series Freakish, Jake is looking forward to two more monster films due in 2018: Ghost in the Graveyard and

The Predator, a reboot of the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger hit. But all the horror in his work fades away when he gets home.

“When I see the gates of the house open to the giant driveway, then the sound of walking into the house with wood floors and the openness, it’s a feeling of utter bliss and the weight of the world falls off my shoulders,” he tells Closer. “The first thing I do is listen for that little voice and wonder where the 5-yearold is. That’s really when my joy kicks in.”

“The home is a team effort, but it’s April’s space. She’s the queen of the roost!”

— Jake (with April)

“I used to be a big cook until Autumn came along — then I passed the chef’s hat to April,” Jake says of her meals. “I injured my back riding motocross in my 20s, so sometimes I have to lay down on the Tempur-Pedic.”

“Flowers always brighten up a place,” Jake tells Closer, complimenting his fiancée April’s floral arrangements.

“A few music industry people are neighbors, so they’ll come over and jam,” he says, noting the guitars and drums in the living room. “I probably take 50 photos a day, so you’ll see a lot of April and Autumn around.”