Discover

'Dennis William Quaid' (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Career

Personal life

Filmography

References

External links

Biography

Early life

Quaid was born in Houston, Texas to Juanita Bonniedale "Nita" (Jordan), a real estate agent, and William Rudy Quaid, an electrician.^[1] He studied drama at Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas and later in college.

Career

After his brother, actor Randy Quaid, was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in ''The Last Detail'', he dropped out of the University of Houston before graduating and moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue an acting career of his own. He initially had trouble finding work but began to gain notice when he appeared in ''Breaking Away'' (1979) and earned good reviews for his role in ''The Right Stuff'' (1983). Known for his famous grin, Quaid is a versatile actor, performing in both comedic and dramatic roles. Quaid's acting career seemed to reach its peak in the mid-to-late 1980s, with starring roles in such films as ''Enemy Mine'' and ''Innerspace''. He also achieved acclaim for his portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis in ''Great Balls of Fire!'' (1989).
Quaid's career lost steam in late 1980s/early 1990s after he fought and kicked a painful cocaine addiction. However, he continued to prove his worth in a variety of films such as a memorable performance as Doc Holliday in ''Wyatt Earp'' (1994) and has experienced a resurgence in popularity since the late nineties. Some of Quaid's most recent film credits include ''Traffic'' (2000) as a lowlife attorney, ''Frequency'' (2000) as a fireman, ''Far From Heaven'' (2002) as a closeted husband, ''In Good Company'' (2004), as an aging advertising executive whose new boss is much younger and ''The Day After Tomorrow'' (2004) as the paleoclimatologist at the center of the story whose son Jake Gyllenhaal is trapped at the 42nd St. Public Library in New York City. Quaid then starred in remake of ''Yours, Mine and Ours'' in 2005.

Personal life

Quaid was raised in the Baptist religion and is still a practicing Christian.^[2][3] Quaid is married to Kimberly Buffington of Austin, Texas. They are expecting twins via a surrogate mother.^[4]
Quaid has chosen a holiday for each of his weddings (Fourth of July, Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving Day): July 4, 2004 – present; Kimberly Buffington (real estate agent); February 14, 1991 – June 16, 2001; Meg Ryan (actress); son Jack Henry (born April 24, 1992); November 25, 1978 – January 23, 1983; P.J. Soles (actress). Quaid was also engaged for three years to actress Lea Thompson (''Back to the Future'', ''Caroline in the City''), whom he met on the movie set of ''Jaws 3-D'' in 1983. Quaid was married to Meg Ryan from 1991 to 2001.
Aside from acting, Quaid is a musician and plays with his band the Sharks. He is a fan of the rock band Phish and has been spotted at several of their concerts. Quaid also has a pilot's license and is a scratch golfer and, in 2005, was named as the top golfer among the "Hollywood set" by ''Golf Digest''. He lends his name to the annual "Dennis Quaid Charity Weekend" (formerly the "Jiffy Lube/Dennis Quaid Charity Classic") in Austin, Texas. The golf tournament attracts numerous celebrities with the proceeds split among local children's charities. He is a member of the Bel-Air Country Club in Bel-Air and tries to stay at homes on private courses when he is on the road.

Quaid works with the charity "International Hospital for Children in New Orleans." He makes trips to Central America to help build medical clinics and transport sick children back to the United States for treatment they cannot get locally.
In a 2006 interview with ''Best Life'' magazine, Quaid said that in the mid-1990s he suffered from anorexia nervosa, saying, "I'd look in the mirror and still see a 180 lb. guy, even though I was 138 pounds," and "for many years, I was obsessed about what I was eating, how many calories it had, and how much exercise I'd have to do".

Filmography

★ ''Crazy Mama'' (1975)

★ ''I Never Promised You a Rose Garden'' (1977)

★ ''September 30, 1955'' (1977)

★ ''Are You in the House Alone?, '' (1978)

★ ''Our Winning Season'' (1978)

★ ''The Seniors'' (1978)

★ ''Breaking Away'' (1979)

★ ''The Long Riders'' (1980)

★ ''Gorp'' (1980)

★ ''All Night Long'' (1981)

★ ''Caveman'' (1981)

★ ''The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia'' (1981)

★ ''Stripes'' (1981)

★ ''Tough Enough'' (1983)

★ ''Jaws 3-D'' (1983)

★ ''The Right Stuff'' (1983)

★ ''Dreamscape'' (1984)

★ ''Enemy Mine'' (1985)

★ ''The Big Easy'' (1987)

★ ''Innerspace'' (1987)

★ ''Supsect'' (1987)

★ ''D.O.A.'' (1988)

★ ''Everybody's All-American'' (1988)

★ ''Great Balls of Fire!'' (1989)

★ ''Come See the Paradise'' (1990)

★ ''Postcards from the Edge'' (1990)

★ ''Wilder Napalm'' (1993)

★ ''Undercover Blues'' (1993)

★ ''Flesh and Bone'' (1993)

★ ''A Century of Cinema'' (1994) (documentary)

★ ''Wyatt Earp'' (1994)

★ ''Something to Talk About'' (1995)

★ ''Dragonheart'' (1996)

★ ''Gang Related'' (1997)

★ ''Switchback'' (1997)

★ ''Savior'' (1998)

★ ''The Parent Trap'' (1998)

★ ''Playing by Heart'' (1998)

★ ''Any Given Sunday'' (1999)

★ ''Frequency'' (2000)

★ ''Traffic'' (2000)

★ ''Dinner With Friends (2000)

★ ''The Rookie'' (2002)

★ ''Far from Heaven'' (2002)

★ ''Cold Creek Manor'' (2003)

★ ''The Alamo'' (2004)

★ ''The Day After Tomorrow'' (2004)

★ ''In Good Company'' (2004)

★ ''Flight of the Phoenix'' (2004)

★ ''Yours, Mine and Ours'' (2005)

★ ''American Dreamz'' (2006)

★ ''Vantage Point (2007)

★ ''The Horsemen'' (2007)
Upcoming:

★ ''Smart People'' (2008)

★ ''Terra'' (2008) (voice)

★ ''Shame on You'' (2008)

★ ''The Express'' (2009)

References

1. http://www.filmreference.com/film/22/Dennis-Quaid.html
2. http://www.beliefnet.com/story/178/story_17846_1.html
3. http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/interviews/dennisquaid.html
4. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20039726,00.html

External links

★

★ D.Q. and the sharks Dennis Quaid's Band