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Richard Dreyfuss Biography

Birth Name:Richard Stephen Dreyfuss

Birth Place:Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States

Profession Actor, Producer, Soundtrack

Fast Facts

Served on the board of trustees of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia
When he won his Academy Award for best actor for "The Goodbye Girl" in 1978, he was the youngest actor to ever win the award at the age of 29
Suffers from bipolar disorder and discussed his experiences in the documentary "Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive․"
Made his feature film debut in 1967 with an uncredited part in "Valley of the Dolls," followed by his single-line role in "The Graduate․"
Interested in acting at a young age, he participated in productions at the West Side Jewish Community Center in Beverly Hills, California
Quote: "I really think that living is the process of going from complete certainty to complete ignorance․"
Best known for playing Roy Neary in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and Hooper in "Jaws․"
Became a senior associate member of St․ Antony's College at the University of Oxford in 2007
The son of a peace activist, he was a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War and instead spent his two years of service as a hospital clerk
He and director John Badham wanted to make a film where people would walk out arguing when they made "Whose Life Is It, Anyway?"

Awards

1974Golden Globe-Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical: nominated
1974NYFCC Award-Best Actor: nominated
1976BAFTA Film Award-Best Actor: nominated
1977KCFCC Award-Best Actor: winner
1977LAFCA Award-Best Actor: winner
1978Oscar-Best Actor in a Leading Role: winner
1978Saturn Award-Best Actor: nominated
1978David-Best Foreign Actor (Migliore Attore Straniero): winner
1978Golden Globe-Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical: winner
1978Gold Medal-Favorite Movie: nominated
1978Gold Medal-Favorite Movie: nominated
1979BAFTA Film Award-Best Actor: winner
1980Stinker Award-Worst On-Screen Couple: nominated
1981Razzie Award-Worst Actor: nominated
1988Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture: nominated
1990Pasinetti Award-Best Actor: winner
1996Oscar-Best Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
1996Annie-Best Individual Achievement: Voice Acting: nominated
1996Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: nominated
1998Stinker Award-Worst Actor: nominated
2002Actor-Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series: nominated
2002Actor-Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries: nominated
2002Golden Satellite Award-Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television: winner
2004FCCA Award-Best Actor - Male: nominated
2011Movies for Grownups Award-Best Grownup Love Story: nominated
2011Saturn Award-Best Guest Performance in a Television Series: winner
2011Scream Award-Best Cameo: nominated
2014Best of the Fest: Feature Film-Best Actor: winner
2015Jury Prize-Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Northern Ontario Production: winner
2020National Film Award-Best Actor: nominated
2024Festival Prize-Best Ensemble Cast: winner