Brian Dennehy
Brian Dennehy (born
July 9,
1938) is a Tony award winning American
actor who has appeared in
movies,
television shows, and stage productions.
Early life
Dennehy was born in
Bridgeport, Connecticut to Hannah and Edward
Dennehy; he has two brothers, Michael and Edward, and is of Irish descent. A fine football player, he attended
Columbia University in
New York City on a scholarship, and majored in history, before moving on to
Yale to study dramatic arts. Dennehy joined the
United States Marines in 1959 and served until 1963.
Career
Dennehy is primarily known as a dramatic actor, including his role as the overzealous Sheriff Will Teasle in the
1982 hit movie
First Blood, as Willy Loman in
Arthur Miller's
Death of a Salesman and in
Cocoon (
1985). He won two Tony awards for Best Actor for his role in
Death of a Salesman. During the
1980s, Dennehy gradually became a valuable supporting player in mainstream films and subsequently gained leading man status in the quirky thriller
Best Seller where he appeared alongside
James Woods to memorable effect. Brian played a role in the
Gary Sinise directed farm epic
Miles from Home in 1988. He gained his arthouse spurs during the same year when he starred in the
Peter Greenaway movie
The Belly of an Architect. Commenting upon this unusual venture, Dennehy said, "I've been in a lot of movies but this is the first film I've made."
After his TV performance as
John Wayne Gacy in the chilling TV mini-series
To Catch A Killer, Dennehy starred in other TV movies, including several outings as maverick cop
Jack Reed. He was nominated for an
Emmy Award for his 1993 performance in
Murder in the Heartland. However, his huge success in
1996 playing Willy Loman indicated that he was as powerful an actor on stage as he had been in movies.
He also has acted in several comedies, including the
Chris Farley/
David Spade movie
Tommy Boy. He is also known for his role in
F/X and
F/X 2. On stage, Dennehy made his
Broadway debut in 1995 and in 1999 was the first male actor to be voted the
Sarah Siddons Award for his work in
Chicago theatre.
Dennehy was
parodied in
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999). In the episode "Jaws Wired Shut" of the show
The Simpsons it is revealed by
Apu that the Indian equivalent of Dennehy is an actor known as Otm Shank (an anagram of "
Tom Hanks").
Personal life
In 1989, Dennehy became one of many
Veteran(s) with Disputed Status when he told the
New York Times that he claimed that he received
shrapnel wounds in the
Vietnam War. In
1993, he told
Playboy that he served five years in
Vietnam. However, his only overseas tour was to
Okinawa, though he did play the part of Sergeant Ned T. "Frozen Chosen" Coleman in the television miniseries
A Rumor of War. He apologized for his false claims in
1999.
Dennehy is currently a resident of
Woodstock, Connecticut. He is the father of actresses
Elizabeth Dennehy and
Kathleen Dennehy.
