Biography for
Brian Dennehy More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

9 July 1938, Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA

Birth Name

Brian Manion Dennehy

Height

6' 2" (1.88 m)

Mini Biography

Imposing, barrel-chested and now silver-haired Brian Dennehy is a prolific US actor, well respected on both screen and stage for the best part of 25 years. He was born in July 1938 in Bridgeport, CT, and attended Columbia University in New York City on a football scholarship. He majored in history, before moving onto to Yale to study dramatic arts. He first appeared in minor screen roles in such fare as Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), Semi-Tough (1977) and Foul Play (1978) and proved popular with casting directors, leading to regular work. However, he really got himself noticed by movie audiences in the box-office hit First Blood (1982) as the bigoted sheriff determined to run Vietnam veteran John Rambo (played by Sylvester Stallone) out of his town. Dennehy quickly escalated to stronger supporting or co-starring roles in films including the Cold War thriller Gorky Park (1983), as a benevolent alien in Cocoon (1985), a corrupt sheriff in the western Silverado (1985), a tough but smart cop in F/X (1986) and a cop turned writer alongside hitman James Woods in Best Seller (1987). In 1987 Dennehy turned in one of his finest performances as cancer-ridden architect Stourley Kracklite in Peter Greenaway's superb The Belly of an Architect (1987), for which he won the Best Actor Award at the 1987 Chicago Film Festival. More strong performances followed. He reprised prior roles for Cocoon: The Return (1988) and F/X2 (1991), and turned in gripping performances in three made-for-TV films: a sadistic small-town bully who gets his grisly comeuppance in In Broad Daylight (1991) (TV), real-life serial killer John Wayne Gacy in the chilling To Catch a Killer (1992) (TV) and a corrupt union boss in Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story (1992) (TV). In 1993 Dennehy appeared in the role of police Sgt. Jack Reed in the telemovie Jack Reed: Badge of Honor (1993) (TV), and reprised the role in four sequels, which saw him for the first time become involved in co-producing, directing and writing screen productions! Demand for his services showed no signs of abating, and he has put in further memorable performances in Romeo + Juliet (1996), as bad-luck-ridden Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman (2000) (TV) (which earned him a Golden Globe Award), he popped up in the uneven Spike Lee film She Hate Me (2004) and appears in the remake Assault on Precinct 13 (2005). The multi-talented Dennehy has also had a rich theatrical career and has appeared both in the United States and internationally in dynamic stage productions including "Death of a Salesman" (for which he picked up the 1999 Best Actor Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award), "A Touch of the Poet", "Long Day's Journey into Night" (for which he picked up another Tony Award in 2003) and in Eugene O'Neill (I)'s heart-wrenching "The Iceman Cometh".

IMDb Mini Biography By: firehouse44@hotmail.com

Spouse

Jennifer Arnott	(17 July 1988 - present) 1 child
Judith Scheff	(1959 - 1974) (divorced) 3 children

Trade Mark

Playing men of power who in addition to being corrupt, are just plain mean.

Trivia

Used to work as a stockbroker at the same firm as Martha Stewart. The two remain good friends.

On March 14, 1999, three performances of the Broadway production of "Death of a Salesman" had to be canceled because Dennehy had been unable to sleep and didn't feel well. After a check-up in the hospital, he was diagnosed with hypertension.

He served in the US Marine Corps, but contrary to previous press releases never saw any combat nor was he wounded.

Daughter is actress Elizabeth Dennehy.

Attended Columbia University.

Father of Kathleen Dennehy.

Member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.

Attended Chaminade High School

Lives in Woodstock, Connecticut. [2008]

While performing in "Death Of A Salesman" and "Long Day's Journey into Night" on Broadway, so many of his fans wanted to meet him after the show that producers had to hire extra security to keep the crowds in control near the stage door.

Joked on "The Tonight Show" that he is often mistaken for Charles Durning.

Graduated with a B.F.A. in Theatre / Performing Arts from Columbia University, New York.

Has stated that On the Waterfront (1954) is his favorite movie.

Has won two Tony Awards as Best Actor (Play) on his only two nominations: in 1999 for a revival of Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman," and in 2003 for a revival of Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey into Night."

Father of two adopted children: Cormack (b. 1993) and Sarah (b. 1995).

He is the only actor to appear in both Presumed Innocent (1990) and its made-for-television sequel, The Burden of Proof (1992) (TV), and plays a different role in each.

Began his stage career performing in both summer stock and Off-Broadway productions.

His younger brother is an FBI agent.

Once owned a home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and a little cottage in Ireland.

Loves sailing.

He was nominated for a 1987 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role in a Play for "Galileo" at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

Grew up in Mineola NY on Macatee Pl.

He was awarded the 1999 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role in a Play for "Death of a Salesman" at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

His high school football coach and English teacher turned him on to both sports and acting. While there he played both tackle and the title role of Macbeth.

Personal Quotes

[in 1993, on his quitting drinking] I used to be a pretty serious drinker. Heavy in defiance of knowing my family situation, which is chock-full of alcoholism. For a long time I was a functional alcoholic, though it never got in the way of my work. But it affected relationships. I never killed anybody, but I made people unhappy, including myself and people who are extremely important to me, like my kids. It's easy to say I had a wonderful time and a lot of great years, and I did. There were some bad times, too. So that was not a major give-up. That time was due.

At 68 years old I'm as interested now, if not more so, than I was when I was 24 or 25...[but] if you're sixty-something, pushing 70, the chances of you getting a tremendously fascinating part in the movies are very low, as to be almost negligible, or even in television. But in the theatre, there are still things to do, very interesting, very profound things.

It took a long time for me to have any impact in the business because I didn't look like an actor, I didn't sound like an actor.

Where Are They Now

(May 2003) Appearing on Broadway in "Long Day's Journey Into Night"

(2005) Appearing in a limited run of 'Death of a Saleseman' on the West End in London.

(2005) Appearing in a limited run of 'Death of a Salesman' at the Lyric Theatre, London.

(June 2008) Acting at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario, Canada. Playing the King of France in William Shakespeare's All's Well that Ends Well, June 19 to August 23. Playing the roles of Erie Smith and Krapp in the double-bill Hughie (by Eugene O'Neill) and Krapp's Last Tape (by Samuel Beckett), June 18 to August 31.

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