Biography for
Dennis Quaid More at IMDb Pro »

Date of Birth

9 April 1954, Houston, Texas, USA

Birth Name

Dennis William Quaid

Height

6' (1.83 m)

Mini Biography

Dennis Quaid was born in Houston, Texas, the son of an electrician. He studied drama in high school and in college, but dropped out before completing his studies, moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career. His brother, Randy Quaid, had already began to build a successful career, but Dennis initially had trouble finding work. He began to gain notice when he appeared in Breaking Away (1979) and earned strong reviews for his role in The Right Stuff (1983). Aside from acting, Quaid is also a musician, and plays with his band, the Sharks.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Matt Dicker

Spouse

Kimberly Buffington	(4 July 2004 - present) 2 children
Meg Ryan	(14 February 1991 - 16 July 2001) (divorced) 1 child
P.J. Soles	(23 November 1978 - 23 January 1983) (divorced)

Trivia

Younger brother of Randy Quaid.

Son, with Meg Ryan, Jack Henry Quaid (b. 24 April 1992).

Is also a musician and occasionally performs with his band, "Dennis Quaid and the Sharks".

Wrote songs for 3 of his films: The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (1981), Tough Enough (1983), and The Big Easy (1987).

His favorite director of all time is David Lean.

Lived with and was engaged to Lea Thompson for three years. The couple met on the set of Jaws 3-D (1983).

When singing with his band, Dennis Quaid and the Sharks, he always plays with bare feet in order to feel comfortable as if playing in his living room.

Separated from wife Meg Ryan on 28 June 2000 and finalized divorced papers [that said Meg Ryan was able to keep all her jewelry and have joint custody of son Jack and the family car, a Jeep Cherokee] on 16 July 2001.

Was scheduled to appear in the David Lean-directed "Nostromo" in 1991, before Lean died, and the production came to a halt.

Loves golf, and his handicap is 6.

His parents are William (Buddy Quaid) & Nita Quaid.

He has a half-brother called Buddy Quaid (born in 1974).

Was asked to play the role of Bob in Halloween (1978) because his then- girlfriend P.J. Soles was in the film, but he was working on another project and had to decline.

Attended Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas.

Became engaged to Kimberly Buffington in 2004.

He attended Pershing Middle School in Houston, Texas.

He is a licensed private pilot with single and multiengine instrument ratings. He also has a type rating for the Cessna Citation 500 series twin engine light jet. He regularly flies the jet to his property in Montana.

Brother-in-law of Evi Quaid.

His drama teacher at Bellaire High School and, then, the University of Houston was Cecil Pickett, father of Cindy Pickett.

Was listed as a potential nominee on the 2005 Razzie Award nominating ballot. He was suggested in the Worst Actor category for his roles in the films The Alamo (2004) and The Day After Tomorrow (2004), he did not receive a nomination however.

Tested for the part of Luke Duke on "The Dukes of Hazzard" (1979).

Turned down the role of Thomas Wayne in Batman Begins (2005).

Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. [November 16, 2005]

Third cousin of Gene Autry.

He and his ex-wife, Meg Ryan, have both appeared in remakes of films starring James Stewart. Quaid played Stewart's part in the remake of The Flight of the Phoenix (1965). Meg Ryan appeared in You've Got Mail (1998), which was a remake of The Shop Around the Corner (1940).

Announced that he & his wife, Kimberly, are expecting twins via gestational surrogate at the end of 2007.

Dennis and his wife, Kimberly, became the parents of twins, a boy and a girl, on November 8, 2007 in Santa Monica, California. Thomas Boone weighed in at 6 lbs. 12 oz. and Zoe Grace weighed in at 5 lbs. 9 oz.

His newborn twins have been placed in an intensive care unit in a Los Angeles-area hospital after they were reportedly given an accidental drug overdose on November 18, 2007.

His wife, Kimberly Buffington, is a real estate agent in Austin, Texas for Buffington Signature Homes. His father-in-law, Thomas B. Buffington, is the CEO of the company.

Uncle of Amanda Quaid.

Cousin of Corbett Tuck and Hillary Tuck.

He was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame in march 2005 in Austin, Texas.

Personal Quotes

What, like I want to look like Dick Clark? No. I think I'll look great with liver spots.

I could never hold a job for more than three months, which works out well because that's how long a movie shoots.

"Being a celebrity couple is not so easy - it's double the publicity, and it's hard to have a private life...I have to tell you that I am happier with my life now then ever: I have a great son and a great career. I'm not only here, but here stronger than I've ever been - I have absolutely no regrets about the ups and downs of my career." (2004)

"Well, a couple of times I had people come have a talk with me, but I was operating, for the most part, on two hours of sleep a night, and I realized, "I can't do this and last very long." So I cleaned up (in the early 90's) and THEN the jobs stopped coming. You clean up your life and think you're supposed to be rewarded for it, but things actually got worse. On the other hand, if I hadn't sobered up, I probably wouldn't be alive today." - On his recovery from cocaine addiction.

"There are three things being a celebrity is good for: raising money for charity, dinner reservations and tee times." - to Golf Digest

I was a guy back in the Eighties who was one movie away from a huge career, which at that time didn't happen. In the Nineties, I worked a lot, but it was kind of, 'get out there and dig and find things.' Then I guess The Rookie and Far From Heaven were referred to as my comeback. I look around and a lot of the people I started in the business with, I have no clue where they are right now. So much of it has to do with luck and I have been extremely lucky, but a large part of it is also just hanging in there.

Movies seem to be happening to me rather than me going out there and saying, 'Well, I'm going to play this.'

Salary

Playing by Heart (1998)

$60,000

Where Are They Now

(June 2007) He recently began doing voice-overs for commercials (radio and TV) for the Visa credit card.

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