Born:
May 09, 1954
in
Houston, Texas
Best Known For:
A string of movies.
Early-life:
Dennis William Quaid was born in Houston, Texas, on April 9, 1954. His mother was an estate agent, his father an electrician who was related to Western star Gene Autry. Dennis's older brother, Randy, is also an actor. They have a half-sibling called Buddy. Dennis studied acting at university, but dropped out so he could begin his career after seeing Randy's success in the early 1970s.
Career:
After an initial struggle to find work, Quaid had a number of small roles on TV and in film before enjoying success with 1979's Breaking Away. He co-starred with Randy, as well as the Keach brothers and the Carradines, in the Western The Long Riders a year later. Quaid gained great reviews for the movie The Right Stuff in 1983, the same year he made the disastrous Jaws 3-D. The late-1980s brought him a series of box-office hits, such as Enemy Mine (1985), The Big Easy (1986), Innerspace (1987), Suspect (1987) and DOA (1988). Movies since then include Great Balls of Fire (1989), Wyatt Earp (1994), Traffic (2000) and Far from Heaven (2002), for which he won a clutch of awards. More recent offerings include GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra (2009), Pandorum (2009) and the remake of Footloose (2011). He starred in short-lived period drama Vegas, which ran for one season before being cancelled.
Quote:
"There are three things being a celebrity is good for: raising money for charity, dinner reservations and tee times."
Trivia:
Quaid is a keen musician and also passionate about golf.