Celebrity Nooz: Brian Dennehy

Brian Dennehy (Actor) - First Blood/Tommy Boy

Updated: 10/8/09

Name: Brian Dennehy

Born: July 9, 1938, Bridgeport, Connecticut

Claim To Fame: His breakthrough role was as the overzealous Sheriff Will Teasle in First Blood (1982), but one of his most well known roles was in the 1995 Chris Farley-David Spade comedy Tommy Boy as Big Tom Callahan.

Family Life: He was married to Judith Scheff from 1959-1974, and they had three daughters together: Elizabeth, Kathleen and Deirdre. He has been married to Jennifer Arnott since 1988 and they have two children - Cormack and Sarah.

Info: After First Blood, more roles came his way, including a corrupt sheriff in the western Silverado, and an alien in Cocoon, both released in 1985. After supporting roles in films like Legal Eagles, F/X - Murder By Illusion, Presumed Innocent and F/X2 - The Deadly Art Of Illusion, he won the leading role in the 1987 thriller Best Seller.

He has also appeared in television movies such as A Rumor of War (1980), Skokie (1981), Day One (1989), A Killing in a Small Town (1990) opposite Barbara Hershey, In Broad Daylight (1991), Scott Turow's The Burden of Proof, and the miniseries A Season in Purgatory.

On stage, Dennehy has made frequent performances in the Chicago theatre world, and made his Broadway debut in 1995 in Brian Friel's Translations. In 1999, he was the first male performer to be voted the Sarah Siddons Award for his work in Chicago theatre.

Trivia: Used to work as a stockbroker at the same firm as Martha Stewart.

Member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.

Attended Chaminade High School.

Graduated with a B.F.A. in Theatre / Performing Arts from Columbia University, New York.

Has won two Tony Awards as Best Actor (Play) on his only two nominations: in 1999 for a revival of Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman," and in 2003 for a revival of Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey into Night."

Loves sailing.

Was nominated for a 1987 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role in a Play for "Galileo" at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

Was awarded the 1999 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role in a Play for "Death of a Salesman" at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

Where Are They Now: Dennehy continues to act, most recently making guest appearances on television shows including Rules of Engagement and 30 Rock. He narrated many television programs and recently narrated the IFTA nominated Canadian-Irish docudrama Death or Canada. He also had a role in the recent movie Ratatouille as Django, Remy's Father.

Currently, Dennehy is shooting footage for his upcoming mini-series on the History Channel called "Brian Dennehy's America." The show follows Dennehy as he explores the states and talks to the locals about why they love their states.

Dennehy also returned to Broadway in 2007 as Matthew Harrison Brady in Inherit the Wind opposite Christopher Plummer. He is scheduled to appear in the upcoming Goodman Theater double bill of Eugene O'Neill's "Hughie" and Samuel Beckett's "Krapp's Last Tape." The production will open first at the Goodman Theater in Chicago in January, and will start performances on Broadway the week of April 12, 2010, at a theater to be announced.

Dennehy is also planning his directing debut, going behind the camera for the drama Redemption. Based on a true story, Redemption will tell the tale of Joyce Ann Brown, a Dallas woman who spent nine years in prison after she was convicted of a fur store robbery and a murder that she didn?t commit.

Write To Brian Dennehy:
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Videos: Tommy Boy Trailer

Official Website: http://www.briandennehy.net/

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