Brian Dennehy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brian Dennehy
Dennehy at the Majestic Theatre, N.Y., in 1988
Born	Brian Manion Dennehy (1938-07-09)July 9, 1938 Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	April 15, 2020(2020-04-15) (aged 81) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Alma mater	Columbia University
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1965–2020
Spouse(s)	Judith Scheff ​ ​ (m. 1959; div. 1987)​ Jennifer Arnott ​ (m. 1988)​
Children	5, including Elizabeth Dennehy

Brian Manion Dennehy (born July 9, 1938 – died April 15, 2020) was an American actor. He was famous for his work in movies, TV shows, and on stage. Brian Dennehy won many important awards, including two Tony Awards for his theater work, an Olivier Award, and a Golden Globe. He was also nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards.

Dennehy acted in over 180 films! Some of his well-known movie roles include First Blood (1982), Cocoon (1985), Romeo + Juliet (1996), and as the voice of Django in the animated movie Ratatouille (2007). He won a Golden Globe for his role as Willy Loman in the TV movie Death of a Salesman (2000).

Many people thought Brian Dennehy was one of the best actors at performing plays by Eugene O'Neill. He often worked with the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and also performed at the Stratford Festival in Canada, acting in plays by William Shakespeare and Samuel Beckett. He once said that his award-winning performances were thanks to the writers: "When you walk with giants, you learn how to take bigger steps." In 2010, he was honored by being added to the American Theater Hall of Fame.

Early Life and Education

Brian Manion Dennehy was born on July 9, 1938, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His mother, Hannah, was a nurse, and his father, Edward, was an editor for a news company. Brian had two brothers, Michael and Edward. His family was from Ireland, and he was raised Catholic. The family later moved to Long Island, New York, where Brian went to Chaminade High School.

He went to Columbia University in New York City in 1956 with a scholarship to play football. He paused his college studies to serve for five years in the U.S. Marines. During this time, he was stationed in the U.S., Japan, and Korea. He returned to Columbia in 1960 and finished his degree in history in 1965. While starting his acting career in local theaters, he worked jobs like driving a taxi and bartending to support his family. He later shared that he learned a lot about acting by watching plays during the day: "I never went to acting school—I was a truck driver and I used to go see everything I could see—Wednesday afternoons." In the 1970s, his stage performances in New York led to opportunities in television and movies.

Acting Career

Brian Dennehy was known for his strong acting in many different types of roles.

Film Roles

His big break in movies came when he played the strict sheriff Will Teasle in First Blood (1982), starring opposite Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo.

Before that, he appeared in several comedies. These included Semi-Tough with Burt Reynolds, Foul Play with Chevy Chase, and 10. In 1985, he played a dishonest sheriff in the western movie Silverado and an alien in Cocoon.

Dennehy also had important supporting roles in films like Legal Eagles (1986), Presumed Innocent (1990), and F/X2: The Deadly Art of Illusion (1991). He became a valuable character actor, meaning he was great at playing many different kinds of characters. He also had a main role in the thriller Best Seller (1987) with James Woods. He won the Best Actor Award at the 1987 Chicago International Film Festival for his role in The Belly of an Architect.

In 1988, he starred as Harrison in the Australian film The Man from Snowy River II. One of his most famous roles for younger audiences was in the 1995 comedy Tommy Boy, where he played Big Tom Callahan. He also voiced Django, the father of the rat chef Remy, in the popular animated movie Ratatouille. Later, he appeared with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in the 2008 police drama Righteous Kill. He also played the father of Russell Crowe in the 2010 movie The Next Three Days.

Dennehy also starred as Clarence Darrow in Alleged, a movie about the famous Scopes Monkey Trial. This trial was a big court case about whether evolution could be taught in American public schools.

Television Roles

Brian Dennehy started his TV career with small guest roles in shows like Kojak, Dallas, and Miami Vice in the 1970s and 1980s.

Dennehy in 2003

He also appeared in many TV movies. He played Sergeant Ned Coleman in A Rumor of War (1980) and the main role in HBO's Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story. He starred as a fire chief in the 1982 series Star of the Family, and later in the Jack Reed crime drama TV movies.

Dennehy in 2009

Dennehy was nominated for Emmy Awards six times for his TV movie performances. He won a Golden Globe Award for his role as Willy Loman in the TV version of Death of a Salesman in 2000. He also had a recurring role in the NBC comedy show Just Shoot Me!.

A cartoon version of Brian Dennehy appeared in the 1999 film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and in an episode of The Simpsons. In 2007, he guest-starred in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as a retired criminal. He also appeared in 30 Rock and Rules of Engagement. From 2016 until his death, Dennehy played Elizabeth Keen's grandfather, Dominic Wilkinson, on the NBC series The Blacklist.

He also narrated many TV programs, including the docudrama Death or Canada.

Theater Roles

Brian Dennehy won two Tony Awards, which are very important awards for theater actors. Both times, he won for Best Lead Actor in a Play. His first win was for Death of a Salesman in 1999, and his second was for Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night in 2003. Both of these plays were first performed at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. His acting in Death of a Salesman was called "the performance of Dennehy's career."

Dennehy often performed in Chicago theater. He made his first appearance on Broadway in 1995 in Translations. In 1999, he was the first male actor to win the Sarah Siddons Award for his work in Chicago theater. He returned to Broadway in 2007 in Inherit the Wind and again in 2009 in Desire Under the Elms.

In 2008, Dennehy performed at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Canada. He played the King of France in All's Well That Ends Well and also appeared in two plays by Samuel Beckett and Eugene O'Neill. In 2010, he was added to the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

Personal Life

Brian Dennehy married his first wife while he was in the Marines in the early 1960s. They had three daughters, and two of them, including Elizabeth Dennehy, became actresses. After his first marriage ended in 1987, he married Jennifer Arnott in 1988. They had two children, a son and a daughter.

Death

Brian Dennehy passed away on April 15, 2020, in New Haven, Connecticut. He was 81 years old. He was survived by his wife and his five children.

Filmography

Movies

Television Films

Television Series

Video Games

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Dennehy at the Majestic Theatre, N.Y., in 1988

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  Dennehy in 2003

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  Dennehy in 2009

See also

In Spanish: Brian Dennehy para niños