Richard Dreyfuss

Richard Stephen Dreyfuss ( ; Dreyfus; born October 29, 1947) is an American actor. He emerged from the New Hollywood wave of American cinema, finding fame with a succession of leading man parts in the 1970s. He has received an Academy Award, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe Award.

Dreyfuss rose to promimence with starring roles in '' American Graffiti'' (1973), '' The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' (1974), '' Jaws'' (1975), and '' Close Encounters of the Third Kind'' (1977). He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Elliot Garfield in the 1977 romantic comedy '' The Goodbye Girl'', and was Oscar-nominated in the same category for his title role in the 1995 drama '' Mr. Holland's Opus''. His other film credits include '' The Competition'' (1980), '' Stand by Me'' (1986), '' Down and Out in Beverly Hills'' (1986), '' Stakeout'' (1987), '' Nuts'' (1987), '' Always'' (1989),
'' Postcards from the Edge'' (1990), '' What About Bob?'' (1991), ''The American President'' (1995), and '' W.'' (2008).

On television, Dreyfuss starred as the title character on the CBS drama series '' The Education of Max Bickford'' (2001–2002), for which he was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor. He also portrayed Fagin in the 1997 Disney adaptation of '' Oliver Twist'', Meyer Lansky in HBO's '' Lansky'' (1999), Alexander Haig in Showtime's '' The Day Reagan Was Shot'' (2001), and Bernie Madoff in the ABC miniseries '' Madoff'' (2016).

Early life and education

Dreyfuss was born on October 29, 1947, in Brooklyn, New York City, the second and younger son of Norman Dreyfuss, an attorney, restaurateur and plastics company owner originally from a "violent gang culture in Brooklyn", and Geraldine (''nee'' Robbins), a peace activist. He is the second child of three children. He had an older brother, Lorin, who was an actor, film producer and screenwriter, and a younger sister, Cathy. His father Norman suffered from the debilitating physical effects of a mortar explosion at the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, requiring the use of crutches, canes, and special footwear provided by the Army for the rest of his life. He left the family when his son was 21 years old, and remarried more than once; he and his son were not on speaking terms at the time of his death.

Dreyfuss was raised in the Bayside area of Queens. His family is Jewish, descended from immigrants from Russia and Poland; the Dreyfuss family was from Rzeszow. He has commented that he "grew up thinking that Alfred Dreyfus and eare from the same family" and that his great-grand aunt was Hesya Helfman, one of the assassins of Tsar Alexander II of Russia and the only one to escape execution for the deed. His father disliked New York, and moved the family first to Europe, and later to Los Angeles when Dreyfuss was nine.Stated on '' Inside the Actors Studio'', 2000 Dreyfuss attended Beverly Hills High School.

Career

1964–1974: Rise to prominence

Dreyfuss began acting in his youth, at Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills Arts Center and the Westside Jewish Community Center, under drama teacher Bill Miller. He debuted in the TV production ''In Mama's House'', when he was fifteen. He attended San Fernando Valley State College, now California State University, Northridge, for a year, and was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War, working in alternate service for two years, as a clerk in a Los Angeles hospital. During this time, he acted in a few small TV roles on shows such as '' Peyton Place'', '' Room 222 '', '' Gidget'', '' That Girl'', ''Gunsmoke'', '' Bewitched'', '' The Ghost & Mrs. Muir'', and '' The Big Valley''. He played a larger role in an episode in the second season of '' Judd, for the Defense''. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, he also performed on stage on Broadway, Off-Broadway, repertory, and improvisational theater. Dreyfuss appeared in the play '' The Time of Your Life'', which was revived on March 17, 1972, at the Huntington Hartford Theater in Los Angeles, and directed by Edwin Sherin.

Dreyfuss's first film role was a small, uncredited appearance in ''The Graduate''. He had one line, "Shall I get the cops? I'll get the cops." He was also briefly seen as a stagehand in '' Valley of the Dolls'' (1967), in which he had a few lines. Dreyfuss also featured prominently in a 1969 movie, '' Hello Down There'' with Tony Randall. In mid-1972, Dreyfuss filmed a supporting role in '' The Second Coming of Suzanne'', but the movie did not premiere for two years. In 1973 he starred in the CBS pilot '' Catch-22''. He subsequently appeared in '' Dillinger'', and landed a key role in the 1973 George Lucas hit '' American Graffiti'', acting with other future stars such as Harrison Ford. Dreyfuss played his first lead role in the Canadian film '' The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' (1974), receiving positive reviews, including praise from Pauline Kael.

1975–1995: Career stardom and acclaim

Dreyfuss went on to star in box office blockbusters '' Jaws'' (1975) and '' Close Encounters of the Third Kind'' (1977), both directed by Steven Spielberg. He won the 1978 Academy Award for Best Actor at the 50th Academy Awards ceremony for his portrayal of a struggling actor in '' The Goodbye Girl'' (1977), becoming the youngest actor to do so (at the age of 30 years, 125 days old), besting Marlon Brando, who had won his first Oscar in 1955 at the age of 30 years, 360 days old. This record stood for 25 years until it was broken in 2003 by Adrien Brody, who was three weeks shy of age 30 at the time of the 75th Academy Awards ceremony. Dreyfuss is still, however, the shortest to have ever won Best Actor, standing at about 5 foot 4 inches tall. In five years, between 1973 and 1978, the films that Dreyfuss appeared in grossed upwards of $900 million. He made his producing debut with '' The Big Fix'' (1978), in which he also starred.

Around 1978, Dreyfuss began using cocaine frequently; he claims to not remember anything from the production of the 1981 film '' Whose Life Is It Anyway?''. His addiction came to a head in 1982, when he was arrested for possession of the drug after he blacked out while driving, and his Mercedes-Benz 450 SL struck a tree. He entered rehabilitation and eventually made a Hollywood comeback with the films '' Down and Out in Beverly Hills'' in 1986 and '' Stakeout'' the following year. Dreyfuss appeared as the elder Gordie Lachance (played by his ''Buddy System'' co-star Wil Wheaton) in Rob Reiner's '' Stand by Me'', a coming-of-age drama/comedy adapted from Stephen King's novella '' The Body''. He was nominated for a Golden Globe playing a defense lawyer in the courtroom thriller '' Nuts''. In 1988, he reunited with director Paul Mazursky to star in the political farce ''Moon over Parador''.

In 1989, Dreyfuss reunited with Spielberg on '' Always'', a remake of '' A Guy Named Joe'' in which he co-starred with Holly Hunter, and reunited with his ''Close Encounters'' co-star Teri Garr for the comedy '' Let It Ride''. He had a starring role opposite Bill Murray in the 1991 comedy '' What About Bob?'', as a psychiatrist driven to insanity by a particularly obsessive new patient. That same year, Dreyfuss produced and starred as Georges Picquart in ''Prisoner of Honor'', an HBO movie about the historical Dreyfus Affair. In 1994, he participated in the historic '' Papal Concert to Commemorate the Shoah'' at the Vatican in the presence of Pope John Paul II, Rav Elio Toaff, chief rabbi of Rome, and Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, President of the Italian Republic. He recited Kaddish as part of a performance of Leonard Bernstein's Third Symphony with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Gilbert Levine. The event was broadcast worldwide. Dreyfuss received his second Oscar nomination for his performance as Glenn Holland in '' Mr. Holland's Opus'' (1995). Since then, he has continued working in movies, television and the stage. In 2001–2002, he played Max Bickford in the television drama '' The Education of Max Bickford''. In 2004, he appeared in the revival of '' Sly Fox'' on Broadway (opposite Eric Stoltz, René Auberjonois, Bronson Pinchot and Elizabeth Berkley).

1996–present

In 1997, Dreyfuss recorded a voiceover for the Apple Computer " Think Different" ad campaign, and also provided the voice of the narrator in '' The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon''. In 1999, Dreyfuss made his London West End debut starring alongside Marsha Mason in Neil Simon's '' The Prisoner of Second Avenue'' at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Dreyfuss spent four years as a research adviser at St Antony's College, Oxford, from 2004 until 2008. He was scheduled to appear in a 2004 production of '' The Producers'' in London, but withdrew from the production a week before opening night. The media noted that Dreyfuss was suffering from problems relating to an operation for a herniated disc, and that the part of Max Bialystock in the play was a physically demanding one. Both he and his assistant for the production stated that Dreyfuss was accumulating injuries that required him to wear physical therapy supports during rehearsals. After Dreyfuss was officially let go from the production he was replaced by Nathan Lane. He ultimately made his West End return at The Old Vic in 2009.

In 2006, he appeared as Richard Nelson, a gay architect and one of the survivors in the film ''Poseidon''. Dreyfuss portrayed U.S Vice President Dick Cheney in Oliver Stone's 2008 George W. Bush biopic '' W''.

In 2009, he appeared in the play '' Complicit'' by Joe Sutton at London's Old Vic theatre. The production was directed by the theatre's artistic director, Kevin Spacey. Dreyfuss's performance was subject to some controversy, due to his use of an earpiece onstage, owing to his inability to learn his lines. Spacey reportedly groped one of Dreyfuss's sons while the three of them were alone in Spacey's apartment; the allegation was denied. Richard Dreyfuss was focused on learning his lines and was unaware of any harassment. He guest-voiced as himself in the " Three Kings" episode of ''Family Guy'' in 2009, and later appeared in the episode " Peter-assment". Dreyfuss guest starred in the sixth season of ''Weeds'' as Warren Schiff, Nancy's high school teacher to whom she had lost her virginity.

In 2010, he played Matt Boyd in ''Piranha 3D''. Dreyfuss' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 7021 Hollywood Blvd. Dreyfuss took part in the 2012 Academy Awards Night of 100 Stars.

In 2014, he appeared with best-selling Abraham Lincoln scholar Ronald C. White in a documentary entitled "Lincoln's Greatest Speech", highlighting Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, appearing as host and reciting the speech on camera. Dreyfuss portrayed Bernie Madoff in '' Madoff'' (2016), co-starring Blythe Danner. He followed it up with roles in the hit comedy '' Book Club'' (2018) and the Netflix movie '' The Last Laugh''.

Personal life

Marriages and family

Dreyfuss married writer and producer Jeramie Rain in the early 1980s, and they had three children. After his 1995 divorce from Rain, Dreyfuss married Janelle Lacey in 1999. They divorced in 2005.

In 2006, Dreyfuss discussed his diagnosis of bipolar disorder in the documentary '' Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive'', in which Fry (who also has the disorder) interviewed Dreyfuss about his experience being bipolar.

Dreyfuss and Russian-born Svetlana Erokhin married in 2006 and as of February 2020 they reside in the San Diego area, although they have frequently visited New York City, London, and Sun Valley, Idaho.

During his acting career, Dreyfuss had public feuds with some of the people he worked alongside, notably actors Robert Shaw and Bill Murray, who co-starred with him in ''Jaws'' and ''What About Bob?'' respectively, and filmmaker Oliver Stone, who directed him in ''W''.

In 2017, writer Jessica Teich accused Dreyfuss of sexual harassment during the filming of an ABC special. Dreyfuss denied the allegations, saying he had been overly flirtatious in the past and regretted his behavior, and emphasized that he "value and respect women" and is "not an assaulter." He further stated that he thought they were involved in a "consensual seduction ritual."

Interests

Dreyfuss seeks to revive civics education to teach future generations about the power of their citizenship and the principles that hold America together.http://www.thedreyfussinitiative.org/initiative/ TDCI Website In 2006, he created The Dreyfuss Civics Initiative (TDCI). TDCI is a 501(c)3 designated organization, recognized as of 2008.

In 2006, he spoke at The National Press Club in Washington, D.C., in hopes of prompting a national discussion on impeachment charges against U.S. President George W. Bush. Later that year, Dreyfuss appeared on HBO's ''Real Time with Bill Maher'' as a panel member to discuss teaching Civics in schools. In 2007, Dreyfuss appeared in the youth voting documentary film '' 18 in '08''.

In 1995, Dreyfuss co-authored (with Harry Turtledove) '' The Two Georges'', a novel in which the American Revolution had been peacefully avoided. In 2022, he wrote ''One Thought Scares Me...: We Teach Our Children What We Wish Them to Know; We Don't Teach Our Children What We Don't Wish Them to Know'' about the teaching of civics in American schools.

Political views

In a 2016 interview with TheWrap, Dreyfuss reportedly said, “I haven’t been a Democrat since 2004.”

Dreyfuss has been outspoken regarding the media's influence in shaping public opinion, policy, and legislation. In the 2000s, he expressed his sentiments in favor of right to privacy, freedom of speech, democracy, and individual accountability. In 2011 and 2014, Dreyfuss was elected to the Common Cause National Governing Board.

In May 2023, Dreyfuss spoke out against the Academy Awards' new diversity guidelines that require films to have met at least two of four benchmarks, including that the lead actors are from underrepresented groups or that at least 30% of the cast and crew come from these groups. During an interview with Margaret Hoover, host of the PBS show '' The Firing Line'', Dreyfuss said that the new guidelines "make me vomit". He explained that he was opposed to the guidelines because movie-making is "an art form ... and no one should be telling me as an artist that I have to give into the latest, most current idea of what morality is."

During a screening of ''Jaws'' at The Cabot theater in Beverly, Massachusetts, on May 27, 2024, Dreyfuss disparaged "diversity initiatives", and launched into what was described as a transphobic, misogynistic, homophobic, and sexist rant, causing many attendees to shout at the actor, and many to leave the venue in disgust. According to eyewitnesses, Dreyfuss mocked the MeToo and LGBTQ movements and expressed contempt for parents of transgender children, suggesting that supporting a child's transition was indicative of bad parenting.

Acting credits and accolades

Bibliography

* Dreyfuss, Richard. (2022) ''One Thought Scares Me...: We Teach Our Children What We Wish Them to Know; We Don't Teach Our Children What We Don't Wish Them to Know''. New York: Skyhorse Publishing.
* Dreyfuss, Richard (with Harry Turtledove). (1996) '' The Two Georges''. New York: Tor Books.

References

External links

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THR: Richard Dreyfuss finds 'Happiness'


The Dreyfuss Initiative

Richard Dreyfuss
interview on BBC Radio 4 '' Desert Island Discs'', May 14, 1999
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dreyfuss, Richard
1947 births
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
Alumni of St Antony's College, Oxford
American Ashkenazi Jews
American conscientious objectors
American male film actors
American male television actors
American people of Polish-Jewish descent
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
Best Actor Academy Award winners
Best Actor BAFTA Award winners
Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners
Beverly Hills High School alumni
California State University, Northridge alumni
David di Donatello winners
Jewish agnostics
Jewish American male actors
Jewish American film people
Jewish pacifists
Living people
Male actors from Brooklyn
Male actors from Los Angeles
Male actors from Queens, New York
People from Bayside, Queens
People from Sun Valley, Idaho
People with bipolar disorder