Brian Dennehy

1940 -
American born Bridgeport, Connecticut

Height 6' 2" (1.88 m) . Imposing, barrel chested and now silver haired prolific US actor, well respected on both screen and stage for the best part of 25 years. Dennehy was born in July 1938 in Bridgeport, Conneticut and attended Columbia University, New York City on a football scholarship where he majored in history, before moving onto to Yale to study dramatic arts. First appeared in minor screen roles in films including Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), Semi-Tough (1977) and Foul Play (1978) and proved popular with casting directors leading to regular work. However, Dennehy 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 was then 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 cluey cop in F/X (1986) and a cop turned writer alongside hitman James Woods in Best Seller (1987). Furthermore in 1987, Dennehy turned in one of his finest screen roles as the cancer ridden architect, Stourley Kracklite, in 'Peter Greenaway's superb The Belly of an Architect (1987), for which Dennehy won the Best Actor Award at the 1987 Chicago Film Festival. More strong performances quickly followed, and Dennehy reprised prior roles for Cocoon: The Return (1988) and F/X2 (1991), and then turned in three gripping performances in several telemovies. Firstly, playing a sadistic small town bully who gets his grisly comeuppance in In Broad Daylight (1991) (TV), portraying the brutal murderer John Wayne Gacy in the chilling _"To Catch a Killer" (1992) (mini)_ and thirdly as a corrupt union official 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 Dennehy for the first time become involved in co-producing, directing and writing screen productions ! Demand for Dennehy 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 Dennehy a Golden Globe Award), popped up in the uneven Spike Lee film She Hate Me (2004) and appears in the remake of 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 Days Journey into Night" (for which he picked up another Tony Award in 2003) and in Eugene O'Neill's heart wrenching play, "The Iceman Cometh". Spouse
Jennifer Arnott (1988 - present) 1 adopted son, Judith Scheff (1959 - 1974) (divorced) 3 children.

Ratatouille (2007) , War Eagle (2007) , "Marco Polo" (2006) , The Ultimate Gift (2007) , Welcome to Paradise (2006) , Everyone's Hero (2006) , "The 4400"(2006) , 10th & Wolf (2006) , Our Fathers (2005) , "The West Wing" (2005) , The Exonerated (2005) , Assault on Precinct 13 (2005) , Category 6: Day of Destruction (2004) , She Hate Me (2004) , Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Three's Company' (2003) , "Just Shoot Me!" (2003) , The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (2003) , "The Agency" (2003) , The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron (2003) , A Season on the Brink (2002) , Two Families (2002) , Stolen Summer (2002), Three Blind Mice (2001) , Summer Catch (2001) , "Night Visions"(2001) , Warden of Red Rock (2001) , "The Fighting Fitzgeralds" (2001) , "Great Performances" (2001) , Dish Dogs (2000) , Fail Safe (2000) , Death of a Salesman (2000) , "Arrest & Trial" (2000) , Silicon Towers (1999) , Sirens (1999) , Out of the Cold (1999) , Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke (1999) , NetForce (1999) , Voyage of Terror (1998) , Thanks of a Grateful Nation (1998) , Indefensible: The Truth About Edward Brannigan (1997) , Jack Reed: Death and Vengeance (1997) , "Nostromo" (1997) , Romeo + Juliet (1996) , "Dead Man's Walk" (1996) , A Season in Purgatory (1996) , Jack Reed: A Killer Among Us (1996), Shadow of a Doubt (1995) , Jack Reed: One of Our Own (1995) , The Stars Fell on Henrietta (1995) , Tommy Boy (1995) , Midnight Movie (1994) , Jack Reed: A Search for Justice (1994) , Leave of Absence (1994) , "Birdland" (1994) , Jack Reed: Badge of Honor (1993) , Final Appeal (1993) ,
Prophet of Evil: The Ervil LeBaron Story (1993) , Murder in the Heartland (1993) , Foreign Affairs (1993) , Deadly Matrimony (1992) , Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story (1992) ,The Diamond Fleece (1992) , To Catch a Killer (1992) , Gladiator (1992) , The Burden of Proof (1992) , F/X2 (1991) , In Broad Daylight (1991) , Presumed Innocent (1990) , Rising Son (1990) , A Killing in a Small Town (1990) , The Last of the Finest (1990) , Pride and Extreme Prejudice (1990) , Perfect Witness (1989) , Georg Elser - Einer aus Deutschland (1989) , Day One (1989) , Indio (1989) , Cocoon: The Return (1988) , Miles from Home (1988) , Return to Snowy River (1988) , Rattennest, Das (1988) , "Miami Vice" (1987) , Best Seller (1987) , The Belly of an Architect (1987) , "Faerie Tale Theatre" (1987) , The Lion of Africa (1987) , "Tall Tales and Legends" (1987) , Legal Eagles (1986) , The Check Is in the Mail... (1986) , Acceptable Risks (1986) , F/X (1986) , Twice in a Lifetime (1985) , Silverado (1985), Cocoon (1985) , "Evergreen" (1985) , "The Last Place on Earth" (1985) , The River Rat (1984) , "Hunter"(1984) , Pigs vs. Freaks (1984) , Finders Keepers (1984) , "Cagney & Lacey" (1984) ,Gorky Park (1983) , Never Cry Wolf (1983) , Blood Feud (1983) , I Take These Men (1983) ,Split Image (1982) , First Blood (1982) , "Star of the Family" (1982) , "Darkroom" (1981) ,Skokie (1981) , "Dynasty" (1981) , Fly Away Home (1981) , The Girls in Their Summer Dresses and Other Stories by Irwin Shaw (1981) , "Knots Landing" (1980) , A Rumor of War (1980) ,The Seduction of Miss Leona (1980) , Little Miss Marker (1980) , 10 (1979) , "Big Shamus, Little Shamus" (1979) , Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979) , Dummy (1979) , The Jericho Mile (1979) , Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story (1979) , A Real American Hero (1978) , "Pearl" (1978) , Foul Play (1978) , "Dallas" (1978) , F.I.S.T (1978) , A Death in Canaan (1978) ,Ruby and Oswald (1978) , It Happened at Lakewood Manor (1977) , Semi-Tough (1977), Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) , "Lou Grant"(1977) , "The Fitzpatricks" (1977) , "Lucan" (1977) , "M*A*S*H"(1977) , "Lanigan's Rabbi" (1977) , Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye (1977) ,"Serpico" (1977) , "Kojak" (1977)