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Dennis Quaid
Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his starring roles in Breaking Away (1979), The Right Stuff (1983), The Big Easy (1986), Innerspace (1987), Great Balls of Fire! (1989), Dragonheart (1996), The Parent Trap (1998), Frequency (2000), The Rookie (2002), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), In Good Company (2004), Flight of the Phoenix (2004), Yours, Mine & Ours (2005), and Vantage Point (2008). Quaid received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Far from Heaven (2002).
Quaid also acted in The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (1981), Jaws 3-D (1983), Come See the Paradise (1990), Any Given Sunday (1999), Traffic (2000), American Dreamz (2006), Footloose (2011), Playing for Keeps (2012), Truth (2015), Midway (2019), Strange World (2022), and The Substance (2024). He portrayed President Bill Clinton in the HBO film The Special Relationship (2010), earning nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He also portrayed Deputy U.S. Marshal Sherrill Lynn in the Paramount+ Western series Lawmen: Bass Reeves (2023), and President Ronald Reagan in the biopic Reagan (2024).
Dennis William Quaid was born in Houston, Texas, to Juanita Bonnie Dale "Nita" (née Jordan) (1927–2019), a real-estate agent, and William Rudy Quaid (1923–1987), an electrician. He has English, Irish, Scots-Irish, and Cajun (French) ancestry. Through his father, Quaid is a first cousin, twice removed, of cowboy performer Gene Autry. Quaid attended Paul W. Horn Elementary School in Bellaire and Pershing Middle School in Houston. He studied Mandarin Chinese and dance at Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas, and later in college, at the University of Houston, under drama coach Cecil Pickett, who had previously taught at Bellaire High and whose daughter is actress Cindy Pickett. Quaid was raised in the Baptist faith. He is the younger brother of actor Randy Quaid.
Quaid dropped out of the University of Houston before graduating and moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. He made his film debut in an uncredited role in the action comedy film Crazy Mama (1975) starring Cloris Leachman. Quaid then acted in the psychological drama I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977) and the drama September 30, 1955 (1977). He initially had trouble finding work but began to gain notice after appearing in Breaking Away (1979) and the musical drama The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (1981), During this time, Quaid appeared in a variety of films, such as the drama Our Winning Season (1978), the comedy The Seniors (1978), the romantic comedy All Night Long (1981), and the slapstick comedy Caveman (1981). He portrayed outlaw Ed Miller in the Walter Hill–directed Western drama The Long Riders (1980). Quaid appeared as an extra at a graduation ceremony in the Ivan Reitman–directed comedy Stripes (1981) starring Bill Murray.
Known for his grin, Quaid has appeared in both comedic and dramatic roles. His breakout role was for his portrayal of astronaut Gordon Cooper in the critically acclaimed Philip Kaufman–directed historical epic The Right Stuff (1983). The film received positive reviews, earning an Academy Award for Best Picture nomination. Critic Roger Ebert praised the film, writing, "It contains uniformly interesting performances", naming Quaid, Ed Harris, Scott Glenn, and Fred Ward. That same year, Quaid had starring roles in the horror film Jaws 3-D (1983) and the romantic sports drama Tough Enough, acting alongside Pam Grier. He later acted in the science fiction films Dreamscape (1984), Enemy Mine (1985), and Innerspace (1987).
In 1987, Quaid starred in the neo-noir romance thriller The Big Easy (1987) opposite Ellen Barkin. Hal Hinson of The Washington Post praised his performance, comparing him to Jack Nicholson: "The same is true for Quaid. A gator grin spreading over his face, Quaid is so unabashedly full of himself that you get swept up in his enthusiastic high spirits. He's a life-giver, like Nicholson." For his performance. Quaid received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. He also achieved acclaim for his portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis in Great Balls of Fire! (1989) acting alongside Winona Ryder. In 1989, Quaid also appeared throughout the Bonnie Raitt music video for the song "Thing Called Love."
Quaid's career lost steam in the early 1990s after he fought anorexia nervosa, brought on when he lost 40 pounds to play the tuberculosis-afflicted Doc Holliday in the Western drama Wyatt Earp (1994), and recovered from a cocaine addiction. However, Quaid continued to garner positive reviews in a variety of films. He played the lead role in the 1996 adventure film Dragonheart, and starred in the remake of The Parent Trap (1998) directed by Nancy Meyers, playing the part of the twins' divorced father. He also starred as an aging pro football quarterback in Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday (1999) and in the science fiction film Frequency (2000). He was the guest star of a Season 2 episode of Muppets Tonight (1997). In 1998, Quaid made his debut as a film director with Everything That Rises, a television movie Western in which Quaid also starred.
In 2000, Quaid acted in Steven Soderbergh's critically acclaimed crime drama Traffic. Quaid earned a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture along with the ensemble. He gained acclaim for his role in the Norman Jewison–directed HBO film Dinner with Friends (2001), based on the Donald Margulies play of the same name; Quaid acted alongside Andie MacDowell, Greg Kinnear, and Toni Collette. In 2002, Quaid portrayed former baseball pitcher Jim Morris in the Walt Disney sports drama The Rookie (2002). That same year, he earned acclaim for his role as the closeted husband Frank Whitaker during the 1950s in the Todd Haynes–directed romantic period film Far From Heaven, where he acted alongside Julianne Moore, earning a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, and winning the Independent Spirit Award and the New York Film Critics Circle Award.
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Dennis Quaid
Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his starring roles in Breaking Away (1979), The Right Stuff (1983), The Big Easy (1986), Innerspace (1987), Great Balls of Fire! (1989), Dragonheart (1996), The Parent Trap (1998), Frequency (2000), The Rookie (2002), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), In Good Company (2004), Flight of the Phoenix (2004), Yours, Mine & Ours (2005), and Vantage Point (2008). Quaid received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Far from Heaven (2002).
Quaid also acted in The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (1981), Jaws 3-D (1983), Come See the Paradise (1990), Any Given Sunday (1999), Traffic (2000), American Dreamz (2006), Footloose (2011), Playing for Keeps (2012), Truth (2015), Midway (2019), Strange World (2022), and The Substance (2024). He portrayed President Bill Clinton in the HBO film The Special Relationship (2010), earning nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He also portrayed Deputy U.S. Marshal Sherrill Lynn in the Paramount+ Western series Lawmen: Bass Reeves (2023), and President Ronald Reagan in the biopic Reagan (2024).
Dennis William Quaid was born in Houston, Texas, to Juanita Bonnie Dale "Nita" (née Jordan) (1927–2019), a real-estate agent, and William Rudy Quaid (1923–1987), an electrician. He has English, Irish, Scots-Irish, and Cajun (French) ancestry. Through his father, Quaid is a first cousin, twice removed, of cowboy performer Gene Autry. Quaid attended Paul W. Horn Elementary School in Bellaire and Pershing Middle School in Houston. He studied Mandarin Chinese and dance at Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas, and later in college, at the University of Houston, under drama coach Cecil Pickett, who had previously taught at Bellaire High and whose daughter is actress Cindy Pickett. Quaid was raised in the Baptist faith. He is the younger brother of actor Randy Quaid.
Quaid dropped out of the University of Houston before graduating and moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. He made his film debut in an uncredited role in the action comedy film Crazy Mama (1975) starring Cloris Leachman. Quaid then acted in the psychological drama I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977) and the drama September 30, 1955 (1977). He initially had trouble finding work but began to gain notice after appearing in Breaking Away (1979) and the musical drama The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (1981), During this time, Quaid appeared in a variety of films, such as the drama Our Winning Season (1978), the comedy The Seniors (1978), the romantic comedy All Night Long (1981), and the slapstick comedy Caveman (1981). He portrayed outlaw Ed Miller in the Walter Hill–directed Western drama The Long Riders (1980). Quaid appeared as an extra at a graduation ceremony in the Ivan Reitman–directed comedy Stripes (1981) starring Bill Murray.
Known for his grin, Quaid has appeared in both comedic and dramatic roles. His breakout role was for his portrayal of astronaut Gordon Cooper in the critically acclaimed Philip Kaufman–directed historical epic The Right Stuff (1983). The film received positive reviews, earning an Academy Award for Best Picture nomination. Critic Roger Ebert praised the film, writing, "It contains uniformly interesting performances", naming Quaid, Ed Harris, Scott Glenn, and Fred Ward. That same year, Quaid had starring roles in the horror film Jaws 3-D (1983) and the romantic sports drama Tough Enough, acting alongside Pam Grier. He later acted in the science fiction films Dreamscape (1984), Enemy Mine (1985), and Innerspace (1987).
In 1987, Quaid starred in the neo-noir romance thriller The Big Easy (1987) opposite Ellen Barkin. Hal Hinson of The Washington Post praised his performance, comparing him to Jack Nicholson: "The same is true for Quaid. A gator grin spreading over his face, Quaid is so unabashedly full of himself that you get swept up in his enthusiastic high spirits. He's a life-giver, like Nicholson." For his performance. Quaid received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. He also achieved acclaim for his portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis in Great Balls of Fire! (1989) acting alongside Winona Ryder. In 1989, Quaid also appeared throughout the Bonnie Raitt music video for the song "Thing Called Love."
Quaid's career lost steam in the early 1990s after he fought anorexia nervosa, brought on when he lost 40 pounds to play the tuberculosis-afflicted Doc Holliday in the Western drama Wyatt Earp (1994), and recovered from a cocaine addiction. However, Quaid continued to garner positive reviews in a variety of films. He played the lead role in the 1996 adventure film Dragonheart, and starred in the remake of The Parent Trap (1998) directed by Nancy Meyers, playing the part of the twins' divorced father. He also starred as an aging pro football quarterback in Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday (1999) and in the science fiction film Frequency (2000). He was the guest star of a Season 2 episode of Muppets Tonight (1997). In 1998, Quaid made his debut as a film director with Everything That Rises, a television movie Western in which Quaid also starred.
In 2000, Quaid acted in Steven Soderbergh's critically acclaimed crime drama Traffic. Quaid earned a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture along with the ensemble. He gained acclaim for his role in the Norman Jewison–directed HBO film Dinner with Friends (2001), based on the Donald Margulies play of the same name; Quaid acted alongside Andie MacDowell, Greg Kinnear, and Toni Collette. In 2002, Quaid portrayed former baseball pitcher Jim Morris in the Walt Disney sports drama The Rookie (2002). That same year, he earned acclaim for his role as the closeted husband Frank Whitaker during the 1950s in the Todd Haynes–directed romantic period film Far From Heaven, where he acted alongside Julianne Moore, earning a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, and winning the Independent Spirit Award and the New York Film Critics Circle Award.
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