Randy Quaid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Randy Quaid
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Quaid in 2008
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Randy Randall Rudy Quaid
October 1, 1950 Houston, Texas, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of Houston |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian |
| Years active | 1971–present |
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| Children | 1 |
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Randy Randall Rudy Quaid (born October 1, 1950) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his roles in both serious movies and funny comedies.
He was nominated for an Academy Award (also known as an Oscar), a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe Award. These nominations were for his role in the movie The Last Detail in 1973. In 1978, he also acted as a prisoner in Midnight Express. Quaid won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy Award for playing U.S. President Lyndon Johnson in LBJ: The Early Years (1987).
He also received Emmy nominations for his roles in A Streetcar Named Desire (1984) and Elvis (2005). Many people know Quaid as Cousin Eddie from the National Lampoon's Vacation movies. He also played Russell Casse in Independence Day (1996). He lent his voice to the character Alameda Slim in the animated movie Home on the Range (2004).
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Early Life and Learning
Randy Quaid was born in Houston, Texas. His mother, Juanita Bonniedale "Nita" Jordan, was a real estate agent. His father, William Rudy Quaid, was an electrician. Randy Quaid has English, Scots-Irish, and Cajun family roots. His father was a distant cousin of the famous cowboy performer Gene Autry. Randy Quaid grew up in Bellaire, Texas, which is a small city near Houston. He is the older brother of actor Dennis Quaid.
In high school, he decided to take a drama class. He didn't think he would like it much. But after just three days, he loved the class and decided he wanted to be an actor. He kept studying acting at the University of Houston. During one class, his teacher sent him to try out for a movie. The director, Peter Bogdanovich, was looking for actors for The Last Picture Show. Quaid got the part, and it was his first movie role.
Acting Career Highlights
Randy Quaid has acted in more than 90 movies. Peter Bogdanovich found him when Quaid was a student. His first movie was Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show. He also appeared in other Bogdanovich films like What's Up, Doc? and Paper Moon.
Breakthrough Roles in Film
Quaid's first big role that critics praised was in The Last Detail (1973). He played Larry Meadows, a young United States Navy sailor. Larry was on his way to prison for a small theft. Jack Nicholson played a sailor who had to take him to prison. For this role, Quaid was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
In 1975, Quaid acted with Charles Bronson in the action movie Breakout. This movie was about a Mexican prison escape and was based on real events. In 1976, he appeared with Marlon Brando in The Missouri Breaks. In 1978, Quaid had a supporting role in the drama Midnight Express. This film was about Americans and an Englishman who were put in prison in Turkey.
Popular Comedy and Drama Roles
In 1983, Quaid played Cousin Eddie in National Lampoon's Vacation. He appeared in four of the seven movies in the National Lampoon's Vacation film series. He played the funny cousin by marriage to Beverly D'Angelo, who was the wife of Chevy Chase's character, Clark Griswold.
In 1987, he won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Emmy for playing President Lyndon Johnson in LBJ: The Early Years. Quaid said he had always wanted to play Johnson. He felt a strong connection to the character. Quaid also tried to show Johnson's political ideas. He said Johnson was on the side of the people and did a lot for fairness for all races.
After National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), Quaid was in Days of Thunder (1990). He played Tim Daland, a car owner in NASCAR. He also starred in Quick Change with Bill Murray in 1990. He was the main actor in the comedies Martians Go Home and Cold Dog Soup that same year. In 1992, he played the monster in Frankenstein. Quaid wanted to show the monster as a disfigured man, focusing on his human qualities.
In 1994, Quaid played a newspaper writer in The Paper. He also had a small role in Major League II. Later, he starred in Kingpin (1996), playing an Amish bowler named Ishmael. He also played a pilot in the big science fiction movie Independence Day that same year. He appeared in Vegas Vacation (1997). He then got the main role in a Vacation TV movie spin-off, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure (2003). This was his last time playing Cousin Eddie.
Quaid was the voice of the cattle rustler Alameda Slim in Disney's Home on the Range (2004). He also had an important supporting role in Brokeback Mountain (2005) as rancher Joe Aguirre. He played the King of Spain in Goya's Ghosts (2006). Quaid also had a co-starring role in the Canadian comedy Real Time (2008). His acting in this movie earned him an award.
After his work in Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach (2009), Quaid took a break from acting for almost ten years. He was not asked to play Cousin Eddie again in Vacation (2015), but the character was mentioned. He returned to acting in the comedy All You Can Eat (2018). For this film, Quaid was nominated for an award for "Best Supporting Actor".
Television Appearances
In 1981, Quaid co-starred in a TV movie based on John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men. He played the character of Lenny. Quaid also appeared on Saturday Night Live (SNL) for one season (1985–1986). He played the gunslinger John Wesley Hardin in the miniseries Streets of Laredo. He also had starring roles in the TV series The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire (2003) and Davis Rules (1991–1992).
In 2005, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award. This was for his role as Elvis Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, in the TV miniseries Elvis.
He was also in the popular TV movies Category 6: Day of Destruction (2004) and Category 7: The End of the World (2005). He starred in Last Rites, a movie made for cable TV. Quaid was the voice of Colonel Sanders in commercials for Kentucky Fried Chicken. He also did voice-over work for other companies and was a guest voice on The Ren & Stimpy Show. He narrated the 2006 PBS series Texas Ranch House.
Theater Performances
In 2004, Quaid acted on stage in a play called The God of Hell. He played the main role of Frank, a dairy farmer whose home is taken over. Critics in New York City liked his performance. This was the second time Quaid starred in a play by the same writer. The first was the long-running Broadway hit True West.
In 2008, a group called Actors' Equity Association banned Quaid from acting on stage for life. They also fined him money. This happened because of problems during a play called Lone Star Love in Seattle. Quaid was playing the lead role of Falstaff. The play was supposed to go to Broadway, but it was canceled. Quaid said he was only guilty of giving a performance that was very strong.
Music and Personal Life
Randy Quaid has also made music with his band, Randy Quaid & The Fugitives. The band released its first song, "Star Whackers", in March 2011. They also showed a film called Star Whackers in Vancouver in April 2011.
Family Life
Quaid married Ella Marie Jolly in 1980. They had a daughter named Amanda Marie in 1983. They divorced in 1989. Quaid later met Evi Motolanez in 1987 while working on a movie. They got married in 1989. His brother Dennis Quaid and his daughter Amanda were at the wedding.
Political Views
After 2016, Quaid became a supporter of Donald Trump. He also believed in the idea that Trump's loss in the 2020 United States presidential election was due to widespread election fraud. This claim has been shown to be false. Three weeks after the election, Trump shared some of Quaid's videos on his social media. Trump thanked Quaid and said he was working to fix the "2020 Election Hoax."
Images for kids
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Quaid in 2008
See also
In Spanish: Randy Quaid para niños
