Dennis Quaid facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dennis Quaid
Quaid in 2024
Born	Dennis William Quaid (1954-04-09) April 9, 1954 (age 71) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Houston
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1975–present
Spouse(s)	P. J. Soles ​ ​ (m. 1978; div. 1983)​ Meg Ryan ​ ​ (m. 1991; div. 2001)​ Kimberly Buffington ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2018)​ Laura Savoie ​ (m. 2020)​
Children	3, including Jack Quaid
Relatives	Randy Quaid (brother) Gene Autry (first cousin twice removed)

Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor. He is famous for his many roles in movies and TV shows. Some of his well-known films include Breaking Away (1979), The Right Stuff (1983), The Parent Trap (1998), Frequency (2000), and The Day After Tomorrow (2004).

Quaid has played many different kinds of characters. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his role in Far from Heaven (2002). He also played President Bill Clinton in the HBO film The Special Relationship (2010). More recently, he played President Ronald Reagan in the movie Reagan (2024).

Early Life and Education

Dennis William Quaid was born in Houston, Texas. His mother, Juanita Bonnie Dale "Nita" Quaid, was a real-estate agent. His father, William Rudy Quaid, was an electrician. Dennis has English, Irish, Scots-Irish, and Cajun (French) family roots. He is also a distant cousin of the famous cowboy performer Gene Autry.

Quaid went to elementary and middle school in Houston. He studied Mandarin Chinese and dance at Bellaire High School. Later, he continued his studies at the University of Houston. His drama coach, Cecil Pickett, also taught his daughter, actress Cindy Pickett. Dennis Quaid was raised in the Baptist faith. His older brother, Randy Quaid, is also an actor.

Career Highlights

Starting His Acting Journey

Quaid left the University of Houston to become an actor in Hollywood. He first appeared in a small, uncredited role in Crazy Mama (1975). He then acted in dramas like I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977).

He started to get more attention after starring in Breaking Away (1979). During this time, he appeared in various films. These included the drama Our Winning Season (1978) and the comedy Caveman (1981). He also played outlaw Ed Miller in the Western drama The Long Riders (1980).

Becoming a Star

Quaid in 2012

Dennis Quaid is known for his friendly smile and has acted in both funny and serious roles. His big breakthrough came when he played astronaut Gordon Cooper in The Right Stuff (1983). This movie was highly praised and was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.

In the same year, Quaid starred in the horror film Jaws 3-D (1983). He also appeared in science fiction movies like Dreamscape (1984) and Innerspace (1987). In 1987, he starred in the romantic thriller The Big Easy. Critics praised his performance, and he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. He also earned praise for playing Jerry Lee Lewis in Great Balls of Fire! (1989).

Continuing Success

After a brief period of health challenges, Quaid continued to receive good reviews for his acting. He played the main character in the adventure film Dragonheart (1996). He also starred as the divorced father in the popular remake of The Parent Trap (1998).

In 1999, he played an older football quarterback in Any Given Sunday. He also starred in the science fiction film Frequency (2000). In 1998, Quaid directed his first film, a TV Western called Everything That Rises, in which he also acted.

In 2000, Quaid was part of the cast of the crime drama Traffic. The cast received a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, Quaid played former baseball pitcher Jim Morris in the Walt Disney sports drama The Rookie. That same year, he was highly praised for his role in Far From Heaven. For this role, he won an Independent Spirit Award and a New York Film Critics Circle Award. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

An Established Actor

Quaid continued to act in many different types of films. These included the disaster film The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and the family comedy Yours, Mine & Ours (2005). He played the president in the comedy American Dreamz (2006). In 2008, he starred in the political action thriller Vantage Point.

He returned to television, playing U.S. President Bill Clinton in the HBO film The Special Relationship (2009). He received nominations for an Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for this role. From 2012 to 2013, Quaid played Sheriff Ralph Lamb in the CBS TV series Vegas.

In 2017, Quaid starred in A Dog's Purpose, a movie about the special bond between humans and dogs. He also played Arthur Millard, the father of singer Bart Millard, in I Can Only Imagine (2018). In 2019, Quaid played Vice Admiral William 'Bull' Halsey in the war drama Midway. In 2022, he voiced a main character in the Walt Disney Animated film Strange World.

In 2024, Quaid starred in the film Reagan, where he played President Ronald Reagan. This was the second time he played a U.S. president. He also appeared in the film The Substance (2024).

Personal Life

Family and Relationships

Dennis Quaid has been married four times and has three children. His first wife was actress P. J. Soles. They were married in 1978 and divorced in 1983.

On February 14, 1991, Quaid married actress Meg Ryan. They met while filming D.O.A.. They have a son named Jack Quaid, who was born in 1992 and is also an actor. Quaid and Ryan divorced in July 2001.

Quaid married Kimberly Buffington, a real estate agent, on July 4, 2004. They have twins, born in November 2007. In 2007, his twins received an incorrect dosage of medicine at the hospital. The babies recovered, and Quaid became a strong supporter of patient safety. He produced documentaries on preventing medical errors, which aired on the Discovery Channel. He also wrote an article about how patient stories can help improve healthcare. Quaid and Buffington divorced in April 2018.

On October 21, 2019, Quaid announced his engagement to Laura Savoie. They married on June 2, 2020. Laura is a CPA and yoga instructor. They share a strong Christian faith. Quaid has said, "God is in the relationship. I've never had a relationship like that before." They started a film production company called Bonniedale Films.

Beliefs and Interests

Dennis Quaid is a Christian. He wrote a Christian song called "On My Way to Heaven," which was featured in his film I Can Only Imagine.

Besides acting, Quaid is also a musician. He plays with his band, the Sharks. He wrote and performed the song "Closer to You" in the film The Big Easy (1987). Quaid also has a pilot's license. He is a skilled golfer and was named a top golfer among Hollywood stars in 2005.

Quaid is a big fan of the Houston Astros baseball team. He narrated their commemorative DVD after their 2005 championship season.

In 2020, Quaid started a podcast called The Pet Show with Dennis Quaid and Jimmy Jellinek. During the podcast, he learned about a shelter cat in Virginia also named Dennis Quaid. He adopted the cat and brought it to live at his recording studio in California.

Political Views

Dennis Quaid has stated that he is an independent voter. He has voted for both Democratic and Republican candidates. He has said that Ronald Reagan is his favorite president. In May 2024, Quaid publicly supported Donald Trump for President.

Filmography

Movies

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref(s)
1975	Crazy Mama	Bellhop	Uncredited
1977	I Never Promised You a Rose Garden	Shark, Baseball Pitcher
	September 30, 1955	Frank
1978	Our Winning Season	Paul Morelli
	The Seniors	Alan Darby
1979	Breaking Away	Mike
1980	The Long Riders	Ed Miller
	Gorp	"Mad" Grossman
1981	All Night Long	Freddie Dupler
	Caveman	Lar
	The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia	Travis Child
	Stripes	Extra at Graduation Ceremony	Uncredited
1983	Tough Enough	Art Long
	Jaws 3-D	Michael "Mike" Brody
	The Right Stuff	Gordon Cooper
1984	Dreamscape	Alex Gardner
1985	Enemy Mine	Willis "Will" Davidge
1987	The Big Easy	Detective Lieutenant Remy McSwain
	Innerspace	Lieutenant Tuck Pendleton
	Suspect	Eddie Sanger
1988	D.O.A.	Professor Dexter Cornell
	Everybody's All-American	Gavin "Grey Ghost" Grey
1989	Great Balls of Fire!	Jerry Lee Lewis
1990	Come See the Paradise	Jack McGurn / McGann
	Postcards from the Edge	Jack Faulkner
1993	Wilder Napalm	Wallace Foudroyant / Biff The Clown
	Undercover Blues	Jefferson "Jeff" Blue
	Flesh and Bone	Arlis Sweeney
1994	A Century of Cinema	Himself	Documentary
	Wyatt Earp	Doc Holliday
1995	Something to Talk About	Eddie Bichon
1996	Dragonheart	Sir Bowen
1997	Gang Related	Joe Doe / William McCall
	Switchback	FBI Special Agent Frank LaCrosse
1998	The Parent Trap	Nicholas "Nick" Parker
	Savior	Joshua Rose / Guy
	Playing by Heart	Hugh
1999	Any Given Sunday	Jack "Cap" Rooney
2000	Frequency	Frank Sullivan
	Traffic	Arnie Metzger
2002	The Rookie	Jim Morris
	Far from Heaven	Frank Whitaker
2003	Cold Creek Manor	Cooper Tilson
2004	The Alamo	Sam Houston
	The Day After Tomorrow	Jack Hall
	In Good Company	Dan Foreman
	Flight of the Phoenix	Captain Franklin "Frank" Towns
2005	Yours, Mine & Ours	Rear Admiral Frank Beardsley, USCG
2006	American Dreamz	President Joseph Staton
2007	Battle for Terra	Roven	Voice role
2008	Vantage Point	Secret Service Agent Thomas Barnes
	Smart People	Lawrence Wetherhold
	The Express: The Ernie Davis Story	Ben Schwartzwalder
2009	Horsemen	Aidan Breslin
	G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra	General Clayton M. Abernathy / Hawk
	Pandorum	Lieutenant Payton / Older Corporal Gallo
2010	Legion	Bob Hanson
2011	Soul Surfer	Tom Hamilton
	Footloose	Reverend Shaw Moore
	Beneath the Darkness	Vaughn Ely
2012	What to Expect When You're Expecting	Ramsey Cooper
	The Words	Clay Hammond
	Playing for Keeps	Carl King
	At Any Price	Henry Whipple
2013	Movie 43	Charlie Wessler	Segment: "The Pitch"
2015	Truth	Colonel Roger Charles
2017	A Dog's Purpose	Adult Ethan Montgomery
2018	I Can Only Imagine	Arthur Millard
	Kin	Hal Solinski
	Pretenders	Joe
2019	The Intruder	Charlie Peck
	A Dog's Journey	Ethan Montgomery
	Midway	Vice Admiral William "Bull" Halsey
2021	Born a Champion	Mason
	Blue Miracle	Captain Wade Malloy
	American Underdog	Dick Vermeil
2022	The Tiger Rising	Beauchamp
	Strange World	Jaeger Clade	Voice role
2023	The Long Game	Frank Mitchell
	On a Wing and a Prayer	Doug White
	Strays	The Birdwatcher
	The Hill	Pastor James Hill
2024	The Substance	Harvey
	Reagan	Ronald Reagan
2025	Broke	George Brandywine	Video on demand
	Sovereign	0TBA	Post-production
2026	I Can Only Imagine 2	Arthur Millard
TBA	War Machine	0TBA
	The Florist	Carl Rikker

Television Shows

Theatre

Awards and Nominations

For his role in Far from Heaven (2002), Dennis Quaid won several awards. These included the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2012, his alma mater, the University of Houston, honored him with a Distinguished Alumni Award.

Images for kids

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  Quaid in 2024

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  Quaid in 2012

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  Quaid with the cast from Midway in 2019

See also

In Spanish: Dennis Quaid para niños