Bruce Dern facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bruce Dern
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![]() Dern in 2015
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Born |
Bruce MacLeish Dern
June 4, 1936 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1960–present |
Spouse(s) |
Marie Dawn Pierce
(m. 1957; div. 1959)Andrea Beckett
(m. 1969) |
Children | 2, including Laura Dern |
Relatives |
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Bruce MacLeish Dern (born June 4, 1936) is an American actor. He has won many awards, including the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. He was also nominated for an Academy Award twice. Once for Best Supporting Actor in Coming Home (1978) and once for Best Actor in Nebraska (2013). He has also been nominated for BAFTA Awards, Genie Awards, and Golden Globe Awards.
Bruce Dern became famous during the New Hollywood era. This was a time in the 1960s and 1970s when new, exciting filmmakers changed how movies were made. He starred in films like The Trip (1967), They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), and The Cowboys (1972). He also played Frank Harlow in the TV show Big Love (2006–2011).
He is the father of the well-known actress Laura Dern.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Bruce Dern was born in Chicago, Illinois. His mother was Jean MacLeish and his father was John Dern. He grew up in Kenilworth, Illinois. His grandfather, George Dern, was a governor of Utah and later served as the United States Secretary of War.
Bruce Dern's great-grandfather, Andrew MacLeish, helped start the Carson, Pirie and Scott stores. His grand-uncle was the famous poet Archibald MacLeish. Even the governor and two-time presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson II was his godfather!
Bruce went to New Trier High School and the University of Pennsylvania. He was a very good runner in high school. He even tried to qualify for the Olympics in 1956.
Acting Career Highlights
Bruce Dern studied acting at the Actors Studio. This is a famous place where many great actors learn their craft. He worked with important people like Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg. He also acted in plays on Broadway, including Sweet Bird of Youth with Paul Newman.
Starting Out in the 1960s
In the 1960s, Bruce Dern appeared in many films. He often played interesting or challenging characters. He was a sailor in Marnie and a murdered lover in Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte. He also played a cattle thief in the Western film The Cowboys, where he acted alongside John Wayne.
Key Roles in the 1970s
Dern took on a leading role in the science-fiction film Silent Running. He also co-starred with Jack Nicholson in The King of Marvin Gardens. In 1974, he played Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby.
He worked with famous director Alfred Hitchcock in his last film, Family Plot. Bruce Dern also played a detective in The Driver and a Vietnam War veteran in Black Sunday. For his role as a disturbed husband in Coming Home, he was nominated for an Academy Award.
Later Career and Awards
In 1982, Bruce Dern won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 33rd Berlin International Film Festival. This was for his role in That Championship Season.
Over the next few decades, he continued to act in many films. He played a neighborhood survivalist in The 'Burbs and a crime boss in Diggstown. He also worked with director Quentin Tarantino in films like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, where he played George Spahn.
In 2013, Bruce Dern starred in the film Nebraska. He played an older man who believes he has won a million dollars and goes on a road trip to get his prize. For this role, he won the Best Actor Award at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. He was also nominated for another Academy Award for Best Actor.
Working with Directors
Bruce Dern has worked with many great directors throughout his career. These include Walter Hill, Joe Dante, and Quentin Tarantino. He has said that he feels lucky to have worked with six "geniuses" in film: Elia Kazan, Alfred Hitchcock, Douglas Trumbull, Alexander Payne, Quentin Tarantino, and Francis Ford Coppola. He also shared that films by David Lean, like Lawrence of Arabia, inspired him.
Bruce Dern has no plans to retire. He wants to keep acting until he is 100 years old! He enjoys playing older characters and hopes to do roles that other actors haven't had the chance to do.
Personal Life
Bruce Dern has been married three times. He was married to Marie Dawn Pierce from 1957 to 1959. He then married actress Diane Ladd in 1960. They had two daughters. Their first daughter, Diane Elizabeth, sadly passed away at a young age in 1962. Their second daughter is the famous actress Laura Dern, born in 1967. After divorcing Diane Ladd, Bruce Dern married Andrea Beckett in 1969.
Filmography
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Denotes works that have not yet been released |
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1960 | Wild River | Jack Roper | Uncredited |
1962 | The Crimebusters | Joe Krajac | |
1964 | Marnie | Sailor | |
Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte | John Mayhew | ||
1966 | The Wild Angels | Joe "Loser" Kearns | |
1967 | The War Wagon | Hammond | |
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre | John May | ||
The Trip | John | ||
Waterhole No. 3 | Deputy Sam Tippen | ||
Will Penny | Rafe Quint | ||
1968 | Psych-Out | Steve Davis | |
Hang 'Em High | Miller | ||
1969 | Support Your Local Sheriff! | Joe Danby | |
Castle Keep | Lt. Billy Byron Bix | ||
Number One | Richie Fowler | ||
The Cycle Savages | Keeg | ||
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? | James Bates | ||
1970 | Bloody Mama | Kevin Dirkman | |
The Rebel Rousers | J.J. Weston | ||
1971 | The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant | Dr. Roger Girard | |
Drive, He Said | Coach Bullion | ||
1972 | The Cowboys | Asa Watts (Long Hair) | |
Silent Running | Freeman Lowell | ||
Thumb Tripping | Smitty | ||
The King of Marvin Gardens | Jason Staebler | ||
1973 | Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid | Deputy | Uncredited |
The Laughing Policeman | Leo Larsen | ||
1974 | The Great Gatsby | Tom Buchanan | |
1975 | Posse | Jack Strawhorn | |
Smile | Big Bob Freelander | ||
1976 | Family Plot | George Lumley | |
Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood | Grayson Potchuck | ||
The Twist | William Brandels | ||
1977 | Black Sunday | Michael Lander | |
1978 | Coming Home | Captain Bob Hyde | |
The Driver | The Detective | ||
1980 | Middle Age Crazy | Bobby Lee Burnett | |
1981 | Tattoo | Karl Kinsky | |
1982 | That Championship Season | George Sitkowski | |
Harry Tracy, Desperado | Harry Tracy | ||
1986 | On the Edge | Wes Holman | |
1987 | The Big Town | Mr. Edwards | |
World Gone Wild | Ethan | ||
1988 | 1969 | Cliff Denny | |
1989 | The 'Burbs | Mark Rumsfield | |
1990 | After Dark, My Sweet | Garrett "Uncle Bud" Stoker | |
1992 | Diggstown | John Gillon | |
1995 | Wild Bill | Will Plummer | |
1996 | Down Periscope | Admiral Yancy Graham | |
Mulholland Falls | The Chief | Uncredited | |
Last Man Standing | Sheriff Ed Galt | ||
1998 | Small Soldiers | Link Static (Voice) | |
1999 | The Haunting | Mr. Dudley | |
If... Dog... Rabbit... | McGurdy | ||
2000 | All the Pretty Horses | The Judge | |
2001 | The Glass House | Alvin Begleiter | |
2003 | Masked and Anonymous | Editor | |
Milwaukee, Minnesota | Sean McNally | ||
Monster | Thomas | ||
2005 | Madison | Harry Volpi | |
Down in the Valley | Charlie | ||
2006 | Believe in Me | Ellis Brawley | |
Walker Payne | Chester | ||
The Astronaut Farmer | Hal | ||
The Hard Easy | Gene | ||
2007 | The Cake Eaters | Easy Kimbrough | |
The Death and Life of Bobby Z | Hippy Narrator | Uncredited | |
2008 | Swamp Devil | Howard Blame | |
The Golden Boys | Captain Perez Ryder | ||
2009 | American Cowslip | Cliff | |
The Hole 3D | Creepy Carl | ||
The Lightkeepers | Bennie | ||
2010 | Trim | Dale Banks | |
2011 | Choose | Dr. Ronald Pendleton | |
Inside Out | Vic Small | ||
Twixt | Bobby LaGrange | ||
2012 | From Up on Poppy Hill | Yoshio Onodera (voice) | English dub |
Hitting the Cycle | James | ||
Django Unchained | Curtis Carrucan | ||
2013 | Coffin Baby | Vance Henrickson | |
Northern Borders | Austin Kittredge Sr. | ||
Nebraska | Woody Grant | ||
Fighting for Freedom | Christian Dobbe | ||
2014 | Cut Bank | Georgie Wits | |
2015 | The Hateful Eight | General Sanford Smithers | |
2017 | American Violence | Richard Morton | |
Class Rank | Oswald Flannigan | ||
The Lears | Davenport Lear | ||
Hickok | Doc Rivers O'Roark | ||
Our Souls at Night | Dorlan Becker | ||
Chappaquiddick | Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. | ||
2018 | Nostalgia | Ronnie Ashemore | |
White Boy Rick | Ray Wershe | ||
Freaks | Alan/Mr. Snowcone | ||
Warning Shot | Calvin | ||
American Dresser | King | ||
Lez Bomb | Grandpa | ||
2019 | The Mustang | Myles | |
The Peanut Butter Falcon | Carl | ||
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | George Spahn | ||
Remember Me | Claude | ||
Swing Low | Mallinckroft | ||
Inherit the Viper | Clay Carter | ||
QT8: The First Eight | Himself | Documentary | |
The Artist's Wife | Richard Smythson | ||
Badland | Reginald Cooke | ||
2020 | Emperor | Levi Coffin | |
Death in Texas | Reynolds | ||
2021 | Last Call | Coach Finnegan | |
Buck Alamo | Death | ||
Overrun | Arkadi Dubkova | ||
The Gateway | Marcus | ||
Hands That Bind | Hank | ||
Christmas vs. the Walters | Cliff Walters | ||
Last Shoot Out | Blair Callahan | ||
2022 | The Hater | Frank | |
Hellblazers | Bill Unger | ||
Mid-Century | Emil Larson | ||
The Most Dangerous Game | Whitney Tyler | ||
2023 | The Weapon | Doris | |
Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch | Mike Cassidy | ||
Accidental Texan | Scheermeyer | ||
Butch vs. Sundance | Mike Cassidy | ||
Hunting Games | Henry | ||
Old Dads | Richie Jacobs | ||
2024 | Bloodline Killer | Dr. Lucien | |
2025 | Reminisce ![]() |
Papa Joe | Post-production |
The Devil's Trap ![]() |
TBA | ||
Feathered ![]() |
Rock |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1960 | Route 66 | Albert | Season 1 Episode 4: "The Man on the Monkey Board" |
1961 | Naked City | Nicky | Season 2 Episode 10: "Bullets Cost Too Much" |
Hollis | Season 2 Episode 20: "The Fault in Our Stars" (uncredited) | ||
Sea Hunt | FBI Agent John Furillo | Season 4 Episode 37: "Crime at Sea" | |
Surfside 6 | Johnny Page | Season 2 Episode 4: "Daphne, Girl Detective" | |
Thriller | Johnny Norton | Season 2 Episode 13: "The Remarkable Mrs. Hawk" | |
Ben Casey | Billy Harris | Season 1 Episode 12: "A Dark Night for Billy Harris" | |
The Detectives | Jud Treadwell | Season 3 Episode 12: "Act of God" | |
Cain's Hundred | Joe Krajac | Season 1 Episode 1: "Crime and Commitment: Part 1" | |
1962 | Cain's Hundred | Eddie Light | Season 1 Episode 29: "The Left Side of Canada" |
The Dick Powell Show | Deering | Season 1 Episode 19: "Squadron" | |
1962–1963 | Stoney Burke | E.J. Stocker | 17 episodes |
1963 | The Dick Powell Show | Hank Fairbrother | Season 2 Episode 29: "The Old Man and the City" |
Kraft Suspense Theatre | Maynard | Season 1 Episode 9: "The Hunt" | |
The Outer Limits | Ben Garth | Season 1 Episode 14: "The Zanti Misfits" | |
Wagon Train | Seth Bancroft | Season 7 Episode 9: "The Eli Bancroft Story" | |
The Fugitive | Deputy Martin | Season 1 Episode 3: "The Other Side of the Mountain" | |
1964 | The Virginian | Pell | Season 2 Episode 20: "First to Thine Own Self" |
Lee Darrow | Season 3 Episode 14: "The Payment" | ||
Wagon Train | Jud Fisher | Season 8 Episode 8: "Those Who Stay Behind" | |
The Fugitive | Charley | Season 1 Episode 17: "Come Watch Me Die" | |
77 Sunset Strip | Ralph Wheeler | Season 6 Episode 15: "Lovers' Lane" | |
The Greatest Show on Earth | Vernon | Season 1 Episode 22: "The Last of the Strongmen" | |
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Roy Bullock | Season 2 Episode 15: "Night Caller" | |
Jesse | Season 3 Episode 6: "Lonely Place" | ||
12 O'Clock High | Lieutenant Michaels | Season 1 Episode 1: "Golden Boy Had Nine Black Sheep" | |
1965 | Lieutenant Danton | Season 1 Episode 18: "The Lorelei" | |
Lieutenant Michaels | Season 1 Episode 27: "The Mission" | ||
Technical Sergeant Frank Jones | Season 2 Episode 13: "The Jones Boys" | ||
The Virginian | Bert Kramer | Season 4 Episode 3: "A Little Learning" | |
Wagon Train | Wilkins | Season 8 Episode 24: "The Indian Girl Story" | |
The Fugitive | Cody | Season 2 Episode 21: "Corner of Hell" | |
Hank | Season 3 Episode 13: "The Good Guys and the Bad Guys" | ||
Rawhide | Ed Rankin | Season 8 Episode 4: "Walk into Terror" | |
Laredo | Joe Durkee | Season 1 Episode 4: "Rendezvous at Arillo" | |
A Man Called Shenandoah | Bobby Ballantine | Season 1 Episode 7: "The Verdict" | |
The F.B.I. | Private First Class Byron Landy | Season 1 Episode 14: "Pound of Flesh" | |
Gunsmoke | Doyle Phleger | Season 11 Episode 4: "Ten Little Indians" | |
Judd Print | Season 11 Episode 11: "South Wind" | ||
1966 | Lou Stone | Season 12 Episode 3: "The Jailer" | |
The Fugitive | Hutch | Season 4 Episode 12: "The Devil's Disciples" | |
Branded | Les | Season 2 Episode 17: "The Wolfers" | |
The Loner | Lud Grant | Season 1 Episode 26: "To Hang a Dead Man" | |
Disneyland | Turk | Season 13 Episode 8: "Gallegher Goes West: Crusading Reporter" | |
Run for Your Life | Alex Ryder | Season 2 Episode 9: "The Treasure Seekers" | |
The Big Valley | Jack Follet | Season 1 Episode 20: "Under a Dark Star" | |
Harry Dixon | Season 1 Episode 26: "By Force and Violence" | ||
Clovis | Season 2 Episode 1: "The Lost Treasure" | ||
1967 | Gabe Skeels | Season 3 Episode 12: "Four Days to Furnace Hill" | |
Run for Your Life | Alex Ryder | Season 3 Episode 5: "Trip to the Far Side" Season 3 Episode 7: "At the End of the Rainbow There's Another Rainbow" |
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1968 | Lancer | Lucas Thatcher | Season 1 Episode 6: "Julie" |
The Big Valley | John Weaver | Season 4 Episode 11: "The Prize" | |
The F.B.I. | Virgil Roy Phipps | Season 4 Episode 7: "The Nightmare" | |
Bonanza | Cully Maco | Season 9 Episode 15: "The Trackers" | |
1969 | Lancer | Tom Nevill | Season 2 Episode 9: "A Person Unknown" |
Gunsmoke | Guerin | Season 14 Episode 21: "The Long Night" | |
Then Came Bronson | Bucky O'Neill | Season 1 Episode 6: "Amid Splinters of the Thunderbolt" | |
1970 | Bonanza | Bayliss | Season 11 Episode 23: "The Gold Mine" |
Land of the Giants | Thorg | Season 2 Episode 24: "Wild Journey" | |
The High Chaparral | Wade | Season 4 Episode 3: "Only the Bad Come to Sonora" | |
The Immortal | Luther Seacombe | Season 1 Episode 13: "To the Gods Alone" | |
1985 | Space | Stanley Mott | 5 episodes: "Part I", "Part II", "Part III", "Part IV", "Part V" |
Toughlove | Rob Charters | Television film | |
1987 | Roses Are for the Rich | Douglas Osborne | |
Uncle Tom's Cabin | Augustine St. Claire | ||
1989 | Trenchcoat in Paradise | John Hollander | |
1990 | The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson | Scout Ed Higgins | |
1991 | Into the Badlands | T.L. Barston | |
Carolina Skeletons | Junior Stoker | ||
1993 | It's Nothing Personal | Billy Archer | |
1994 | Dead Man's Revenge | Payton McCay | |
Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight | George Putnam | ||
1995 | A Mother's Prayer | John Walker | |
Mrs. Munck | Patrick Leary | ||
1999 | Hard Time: The Premonition | Winston | |
2003 | King of the Hill | Randy Strickland (voice) | Season 7 Episode 11: "Boxing Luanne" |
Hard Ground | Nate Hutchinson | Television film | |
2006–2011 | Big Love | Frank Harlow | 29 episodes |
2007 | CSI: NY | Vet | Season 4 Episode 6: "Boo" |
2013 | Pete's Christmas | Grandpa | Television film |
2016 | The Cowboy | Himself | Television series documentary, 2 episodes |
2019 | Black Monday | Rod "The Jammer" Jaminski | Season 1 Episode 5: "243" Season 1 Episode 10: "0" |
Mr. Mercedes | John Rothstein | 8 episodes | |
2021 | Goliath | Frank Zax | 8 episodes |
2024 | Palm Royale | Skeet | Miniseries Season 1 Episode 4: "Maxine Rolls the Dice" Season 1 Episode 5: "Maxine Shakes the Tree" Season 1 Episode 6: "Maxine Takes a Step" |
Video games
Year | Title | Role |
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2020 | Shadow Stalkers | The Director |
2020 | MegaRace: DeathMatch | Rabies |
Awards and Nominations
Year | Title | Award |
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1972 | Drive, He Said | National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor |
1973 | The Cowboys | Bronze Wrangler for Best Theatrical Motion Picture |
1975 | The Great Gatsby | Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture |
1979 | Coming Home | Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture |
1983 | That Championship Season | Silver Bear for Best Actor |
2009 | Swamp Devil | Philadelphia Film Festival Jury Prize |
2014 | Nebraska | AARP Annual Movies for Grownups Award for Best Actor Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cast Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award Dublin Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor National Board of Review Award for Best Actor Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated – Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Actor Nominated – Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Ensemble Cast Nominated – American Comedy Award for Comedy Actor – Film< Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast Nominated – Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble Nominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated – Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated – Gold Derby Award for Best Actor Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated – Guardian Film Award for Best Actor Nominated – Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead Nominated – London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year Nominated – San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Nominated – St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture |
2019 | Freaks | Best Actor at Horrorant International Film Festival |
See also
In Spanish: Bruce Dern para niños