Dennis Quaid Biography (1954-)

Full name, Dennis William Quaid; born April 9, 1954, in Houston, TX; son of William Rudy (an electrician) and Juanita B. "Nita" (a real estate agent) Quaid; brother of Randy Quaid (an actor); married P. J. Soles (an actress), November 24, 1978 (divorced, 1983); married Meg Ryan (an actress), February 14, 1991 (divorced, July 16, 2001); children: (second marriage) Jack Henry. Addresses: Agent: William Morris Agency, 151 El Camino Dr., Beverly Hills, CA90212.; Publicist: Wolf/Kasteler Public Relations, 335 North Maple Dr., Suite 351, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.

Nationality: American
Gender: Male
Occupation: Actor
Birth Details: April 9, 1954; Houston, Texas, United States

Famous Works

CREDITS
Film Appearances
Bellhop, Crazy Mama, New World Pictures, 1975
(Scenes deleted) The Missouri Breaks, United Artists, 1976
Pitcher, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, New World Pictures, 1977
Alan, The Seniors (also known as The Senior), Cinema Shares, 1978
Frank, September 30, 1955 (also known as 9/30/55 and 24Hours of the Rebel), Universal, 1978
Paul Fleishauer, Our Winning Season, American International Pictures, 1978
Mike, Breaking Away (also known as Bambino), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1979
Ed Miller, The Long Riders, United Artists, 1980
Mad Grossman, G.O.R.P. (also known as Gorp), Filmways, 1980
Freddie Dupler, All Night Long, Universal, 1981
Lar, Caveman, United Artists, 1981
Travis Child, The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, Avco-Embassy, 1981
Art Long, Tough Enough, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1983
Mercury astronaut Captain Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr. (also known as Gordo and Hot Dog), The Right Stuff, Warner Bros., 1983
Michael "Mike" Brody, Jaws 3-D (also known as Jaws 3 and Jaws III), Universal, 1983
Alex Gardner, Dreamscape, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1984
Willis Davidge, Enemy Mine, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1985
Detective Remy McSwain, The Big Easy, Columbia, 1987
Eddie Sanger, Suspect, TriStar, 1987
Lieutenant Tuck Pendelton, Innerspace, Warner Bros., 1987
Dexter Cornell, D.O.A., Buena Vista, 1988
Gavin Grey, Everybody's All-American (also known as When I Fallin Love), Warner Bros., 1988
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire!, Orion, 1989
Jack Faulkner, Postcards from the Edge, Columbia, 1990
Jack McGurn, Come See the Paradise, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1990
Arlis Sweeney, Flesh and Bone, Paramount, 1993
Jefferson "Jeff" Blue, Undercover Blues (also known as Cloak and Diaper), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1993
Wallace Foudroyant/Biff the Clown, Wilder Napalm, TriStar, 1993
John "Doc" Holliday, Wyatt Earp, Warner Bros., 1994
Kidnapped, 1994
Edward "Eddie" Bichon, Something to Talk About (also known as The Game of Love, Grace under Pressure, The King of Carolina, and Sisters), Warner Bros., 1995
Bowen, Dragonheart, Universal, 1996
Agent Frank LaCrosse, Switchback (also known as Going Westand Going West in America), Paramount, 1997
William "Joe Doe" McCall, Gang Related (also known as CriminalIntent), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Orion, 1997
Hugh, Playing by Heart (also known as Dancing about Architecture, If They Only Knew, and Intermedia), Miramax, 1998
Joshua Rose and Guy, Savior, Initial Entertainment Group, 1998
Nicholas "Nick" Parker, The Parent Trap (also known as Disney'sThe Parent Trap), Buena Vista, 1998
Jack "Cap" Rooney, Any Given Sunday (also known as Gridiron, The League, Monday Night, On Any Given Sunday, and Playing Hurt), Warner Bros., 1999
Arnie Metzger, Traffic (also known as Traffic--Die Macht des Kartells), USA Films, 2000
Frank Sullivan, Frequency, New Line Cinema, 2000
Himself, The Science & Technology behind "Frequency" (documentary), 2000

Stranger Than the Wheel, 2001
Frank Whitaker, Far from Heaven (also known as Loin du paradis), Focus Features, 2002
James "Jim/Jimmy" Morris, Jr., The Rookie, Buena Vista, 2002
Cooper Tilson, Cold Creek Manor, Buena Vista, 2003
Himself, Realizing "The Right Stuff" (documentary), Warner Bros.,2003
Gordon Cooper, T-20 Years and Counting (documentary short film), Warner Bros., 2003
General Sam Houston, The Alamo, Buena Vista, 2004
Professor Jack Hall (some sources cite Professor Adrian Hall), The Dayafter Tomorrow, Twentieth Century-Fox, 2004
The Flight of the Phoenix, Twentieth Century-Fox, 2004
Television Appearances
Movies
Phil Lawver, Are You in the House Alone?, CBS, 1978
Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill, NBC, 1979
Barry Morrow, Bill, CBS, 1981
Kyle Hager, Johnny Belinda, CBS, 1982
Barry Morrow, Bill: On His Own, CBS, 1983
Lie down with Lions (also known as Red Eagle), Lifetime, 1990
Jim Clay, Everything That Rises, TNT, 1998
Gabe, Dinner with Friends, HBO, 2001
Specials
"The Big Bang" (also known as "Robert Wuhl's The Big Bang"), Cinemax Comedy Experiment, Cinemax, 1986
Texas 150: A Celebration Special, ABC, 1986
The Neville Brothers: Tell It Like It Is, Cinemax, 1989
The American Film Institute Salute to Elizabeth Taylor, ABC, 1993
Himself, A Century of Cinema (documentary; also known as Hollywood Stars: A Century of Cinema), The Disney Channel, 1994
Host, The Blue Angels, Arts and Entertainment, 1994
Narrator, Panama Canal: The Eighth Wonder of the World (documentary), The Discovery Channel, 1998
Himself, Full Contact: The Making of "Any Given Sunday" (documentary), 1999
Himself, Inside Traffic: The Making of "Traffic" (documentary), 2000
Himself, The Making of "Far From Heaven" (documentary), 2002
Performer, American Bandstand's 50th Anniversary Celebration, 2002
Awards Presentations
Presenter, The 61st Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1989
Presenter, The 11th Annual Kids' Choice Awards, Nickelodeon, 1998
Screen Actors Guild Fourth Annual Awards, 1998
Himself, 2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, Fox, 2000
Presenter, The 57th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2000
Himself, The 2002 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards, IndependentFilm Channel, 2002
Episodic
Scott Martin, "The Sky Is Falling," Baretta, ABC, 1977
Guest host, Saturday Night Live (also known as NBC's Saturday Night, Saturday Night, and SNL), NBC, 1990
The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS, 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2001
Himself, Muppets Tonight!, ABC, 1997
Himself, The View, ABC, 2000 and 2002
Himself in archive footage of Jaws 3-D, Jaws: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 2002
Himself, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC, 2002
Also appeared as himself, Inside the Actors Studio, Bravo; and ashimself, Telenoticias.
Television Work
Movies
Director and executive producer, Everything That Rises, TNT, 1998
Stage Appearances
Uncle Jocko, Gypsy, community theatre production, c. 1970
Tom, The Last of the Knucklemen, American Theatre of Actors, 1983
Austin, True West, Cherry Lane Theatre, New York City, beginning c. 1982, later Los Angeles Stage Company, Los Angeles, c. 1984
RECORDINGS
Music Videos
Appeared in "Great Balls of Fire," by Jerry Lee Lewis; and "Thing CalledLove," by Bonnie Raitt.
WRITINGS
Film Songs
The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, Avco-Embassy, 1981
Tough Enough, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1983
(Uncredited) "Closer to You," The Big Easy, Columbia, 1987

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books

International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Volume 3: Actors and Actresses, St. James Press, 1996

Periodicals

American Film, June, 1989
Cosmopolitan, August, 1998, p. 188; June, 1994
Entertainment Weekly, May 12, 2000, pp. 40-42; February 16, 2001,p. 104; April 19, 2002, pp. 32-34; December 20, 2002, p. 83
Interview, June, 1989, p. 42
New York Times, November 6, 1988
Parade Magazine, July 5, 1998, p. 22; December 14, 2003, pp. 6-7
People Weekly, July 13, 1998, p. 27; August 17, 1998, p. 110; July17, 2000, pp. 82-83; April 15, 2002, pp. 63-64
Playboy, December, 1987, p. 128
Premiere, August, 1989, p. 46
Rolling Stone, July 13, 1989, p. 118
Texas Monthly, June, 2000, p. 204
Time, November 18, 2002, pp. 131-32
Vogue, November, 1993

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