Denis Arndt Biography

Fast Facts

• In 1986, he won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role in a Play for his performance in "Puntila and His Hired man" at the Remains Theatre in Chicago
• Spent 11 years in the Army, and upon his resignation, he became a commercial helicopter pilot
• Quote: "A great performance is the one that does not draw attention to itself at the expense of the greater 'reality' in the play, does not get in the way of the script, of the total experience of the play․"
• Quote: "I loved the military․ The costumes were great and nobody had props like these guys․ One of my best roles was Combat Helicopter Pilot․"
• His theater credits include productions of "Dealer's Choice," "The Ballad of Soapy Smith," "Richard II" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf․"
• Was a member of the Oregon Shakespearean Festival in the 1980s
• Though he did not become a professional actor until later in life, he credits one of his high school teachers for instilling a love of the theater in him