Paul Dooley Biography

Fast Facts

• Won Best Supporting Actor for "Breaking Away" from the National Board of Review in 1979
• Won third place in the Best Supporting Actor category at the 1980 National Society of Film Critics Awards for "Breaking Away․"
• Earned his degree from West Virginia University in 1952
• Since his family didn't have a television when he was growing up, he first developed an affinity for radio comedians like Red Skelton, Jack Benny, Burns and Allen and Jimmy Durante
• When he was a youth, he drew a comic strip for a local Parkersburg, W․V․, paper
• Quote: "People in life purposefully or accidently effect each other's actions․ We can change people's lives for the better․"
• Got his big break in 1977 when director Robert Altman saw him in a stage production called "Hold Me," and signed him to play the father of the bride in "A Wedding" on the spot
• His entertainment gigs have included acting, standup comedy, writing and working as a magician and a clown
• Advertised a cleaner called Top Job on television in the 1960s
• Made friends with future actor James Dukas in high school