Actor, born in New York City, USA. After working on Broadway and in repertory, he gained attention with his roles in Dillinger (1973) and American Graffiti (1973). He became well known following his performances in Jaws (1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), and The Goodbye Girl (1977, Oscar). Later films include Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), Stakeout (1987), Postcards from the Edge (1990), The American President (1995), Silver City (2004), and Poseidon (2006).
Richard Stephen Dreyfuss (born October 29, 1947) is an Oscar-winning American actor.
Biography
Early life
Dreyfuss was born in Brooklyn, New York to Jewish American parents Norman, an attorney and restauranteur, and Geraldine, a peace activist.
Career
Dreyfuss's acting career began while as a youth at the Beverly Hills Jewish Center.
Dreyfuss's first film part was a small, uncredited role in The Graduate;
Dreyfuss played his first lead role in the Canadian film The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. For his portrayal of a struggling actor in The Goodbye Girl, he won an Oscar (at age 30), becoming the youngest actor at the time to ever win a Best Actor Award (this record has since been surpassed by Adrien Brody).
Between 1978 and 1982, Dreyfuss acted in several films, but none did particularly well at the box office.
In November 2004, he was scheduled to appear in The Producers in London, but withdrew from the production a week before the opening night.
Dreyfuss has also dabbled with writing, notably teaming up with Harry Turtledove in 1995 to write The Two Georges, a conspiracy thriller set in an alternate reality in which the American colonies remained under British rule (published by Hodder and Stoughton, ISBN 0-340-62826-X).
He appeared as one of the survivors in the 2006 film Poseidon.
Dreyfuss is currently a Senior Associate Member of St. Antony's College, University of Oxford.
According to the Harris Salomon Wikipedia site, his next project will be a starring role in the Harris Salomon-Produced Holocaust love epic "The Flower of the Fence", scheduled to lens in 2007.
Personal life
From 1983 until 1995, Dreyfuss was married to Jeramie Rain, with whom he had three children.
Political activity
He has been outspoken on the issue of media informing policy, legislation and public opinion in recent years, both speaking and writing to express his sentiments regarding the importance of privacy, freedom of speech, democracy and individual accountability.
Dreyfuss has organized and promoted campaigns to inform and instruct audiences in potential erosion of individual rights.
On 17 November 2006, Dreyfuss appeared on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher as a panel member to discuss the importance of teaching civics in schools.
Filmography
Poseidon (2006) Silver City (2004) Who is Cletis Tout? (2001) The Old Man Who Read Love Stories (2001) Krippendorf's Tribe (1998) Night Falls on Manhattan (1997) Mad Dog Time (1996) James and the Giant Peach (1996) Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) The American President (1995) The Last Word (1995) Silent Fall (1994) Another Stakeout (1993) Lost in Yonkers (1993) What About Bob? (1991) Prisoner of Honor (1991) Once Around (1991) Postcards from the Edge (1990) Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990) Always (1989) Let It Ride (1989) Moon Over Parador (1988) Nuts (1987) Stakeout (1987) Tin Men (1987) Stand By Me (1986) Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986) The Buddy System (1984) Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981) The Competition (1980) The Big Fix (1978) The Goodbye Girl (1977) - won Academy Award for Best Actor Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) Victory At Entebbe (1976) Jaws (1975) Inserts (1975) The Second Coming of Suzanne (1974) The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974) Dillinger (1973) American Graffiti (1973) Hello Down There (1969) The Young Runaways (1968) The Graduate (1967)|
Preceded by: Peter Finch for Network |
Academy Award for Best Actor 1977 for The Goodbye Girl |
Succeeded by: Jon Voight for Coming Home |
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