Career: Drefuss's acting career began when he was 15 in the TV production In Mama's House. He was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War, so he worked for two years as a clerk in a Los Angeles hospital instead. His first film was an uncredited role in The Graduate. His big break came when he starred in American Graffiti in 1973. His first lead role was in The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. He then starred in box-office blockbusters Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind and won an Oscar in 1978 for his portrayal of a struggling actor in The Goodbye Girl. After a period in the wilderness, he returned in 1986 with Down and Out in Beverly Hills and Skateout a year later. His other films include What About Bob? and Mr Holland's Opus. He has also maintained a stage career.