Not tall, dark, handsome, Richard Dreyfuss is an actor who is, in fact, short, pale, and slightly tubby - but with a sweet, cherubic face that is immensely likable. Onscreen, he exudes energy and intelligence, along with a rascally charm, all of which helped him to become one of the hottest stars of the 1970s before he nearly killed himself in a drug-related car accident. He eventually returned to the movies, drug-free, to become one of Hollywood's most accomplished character actorstars of the 1980s.
Born in Brooklyn, Richard Dreyfuss moved with his well-to-do family (his father was an attorney) to Los Angeles when he was nine years old. He began to act at the Beverly Hills Jewish Center. His professional debut was in a local L.A. production of In Mama's House when he was 15 years old. An agent spotted him and soon found him work in TV shows such as Peyton Place and The Big Valley. He continued working in the theater as well during the next several years until he made his film debut in a bit part in Valley of the Dolls (1967), which was followed by a tiny role in The Graduate (1967). His first important film part, and one that suited his cherubic looks, was in the supporting but splashy role of Baby Face Nelson in Dillinger (1969).
After a minor flop in The Second Coming of Suzanne (1973), Richard Dreyfuss won the role of Curt in American Graffiti (1973), joining a superb cast of future stars. But it was he who stood out from the crowd, bringing a thoughtfulness and integrity to the film that was only partly the result of good writing and direction. In his next film, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974), he carried the entire production (as opposed to being part of an ensemble in American Graffiti) and gave one of the greatest performances of the decade. His kinetic, nervous energy was palpable as the pushy, conniving young man who yearns for success but loses his moral bearings along the way. His Duddy was a richly drawn human being played with remarkable sensitivity. The small-budget movie wasn't a big popular success, but it marked the arrival of a giant talent.
Richard Dreyfuss had one of the three lead roles (as the marine biologist) in Jaws (1975). The film's gargantuan success suddenly put the young actor in the category of potential superstar. Instead of making another obviously commercial feature, though, he chose to star in an artsy, low-budget, X-rated film called Inserts (1976). The movie was an intriguing tour de force of anguish and angst, but it bombed at the box office. After appearing in a small role in an all-star TV movie, Victory at Entebbe (1976), Richard Dreyfuss's next two films, both released in 1977, brought him to the apex of his preaccident career. He starred in STEVEN SPIELBERG's uplifting and enchanting Close Encounters of the Third Kind and then easily shifted gears to play a romantic lead (for the first time) in NEIL SIMON's The Goodbye Girl (1977), for which he won an Oscar for Best Actor.
His next projects, among them The Big Fix (1978), The Competition (1980), Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981), and The Buddy System (filmed in 1982 but released in 1984) all featured fine performances, but none of them was a big winner at the box office - and some of them were major disasters. He was supposed to have starred in Bob Fosse's All That Jazz (1979), but he had quit the project at the last minute (replaced by Roy Scheider). Much of what he did (and did not do) during these years was a result of his growing drug dependency. When his car hit a tree and overturned one night in late 1982, he not only ended up in the hospital, but was also arrested for cocaine possession. It took him three years to make a comeback in PAUL MAZURSKY's hit comedy Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), but the film marked the debut of a changed, more mature, Richard Dreyfuss who could still take hold of the screen - no mean feat, considering that he shared the screen with Bette Midler and Mike the Dog.
In Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Richard Dreyfuss had a character part, and it signaled a big change in his approach to the movies. His next film, the critically acclaimed Tin Men (1987), was both a splendid yet touching comedy that was also built on character portrayals rather than star turns. Stakeout (1987) was his third hit in a row, showing that Richard Dreyfuss, in the character part of a regular cop, could be funny, exciting, and sexy.
Then, in yet another character part as a middle-aged attorney, he held his own on screen against BARBRA STREISAND's powerful performance in Nuts (1987). He stumbled with the critically snubbed Let It Ride (1989) but recovered with What About Bob? (1991), in which he plays reluctant psychiatrist to a manic patient played in over-the-top style by Bill Murray; he also assumed the role of psychiatrist in Silent Fall (1994).
Although sentimental, Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) provided him with one of his best performances, as a high school teacher; perhaps his inspired performance and scholarly mien led to his title role, as Max Bickford, in the television series of that name in 2000. During the 1990s, he also returned to familiar ground, Lost in Yonkers (1993), another Neil Simon vehicle, and Another Stakeout (1993), in which he and Emilio Estevez reprise their roles as detectives. Despite the failure of Trigger Happy (1996), in which he was cast as a crime lord, and Krippendorf's Tribe (1999), the 1990s was a good decade for Richard Dreyfuss; in Lansky (1999) he even demonstrated that he could convincingly portray a crime boss, in this case, Meyer Lansky who in his dotage tells his story in flashback.
One of his best roles was as the ruthless and opportunistic right-wing presidential candidate in The American President (1995). In The Crew (2000), a codger caper about aging criminals pulling one last job, Richard Dreyfuss is quite good, retaining the skills that brought him to prominence.
Our website is not responsible for the information contained by this article. Webworldarticles.com is a free articles resource thus practically any visitor can submit an article. However if you notice any copyrighted material, please contact us and we will remove the article(s) in discussion right away.
This article was sent to us by:
Damon C. Mitchell at
08102010
1. Don Ameche was one of the leading men of 20th Century Fox
All articles in this directory are property of their respective authors. Additionally, read our Privacy Policy
© 2010 WebWorldarticles.com - All Rights Reserved. Partners: Gunblade Saga