Brian Dennehy 

With an impressive six Emmy nominations, one Golden Globe win, and a few Tony Awards thrown in for good measure, Brian Dennehy is one of the most celebrated character actors of screen and stage.

Brian Manion Dennehy was born July 9, 1938 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He is one of three sons to Hannah and Edward Dennehy. Moving to Long Island, New York, Dennehy attended school at Chaminade High School. He pursued his secondary education via a football scholarship at Columbia and emerged with a major in history before finishing his education in the prestigious dramatic arts program at Yale.

Rather than immediately chase his dreams of stage and screen, Dennehy enlisted in the US Marine Corps in 1959, actively serving until 1963. Later, Dennehy sparked controversy when he stated in a several public interviews that he received shrapnel from his time in Vietnam. It was soon revealed, however, Dennehy had never been to Vietnam at all. In 1999, Dennehy apologized for the fabricated stories.

Dennehy made his onscreen debut in 1977 with the television series Kojak starring Telly Savalas. For the remainder of 1977, Dennehy appeared in a slew of TV projects and even won a small role in the film Looking for Mr. Goodbar with Diane Keaton, Richard Gere, Tuesday Weld, Tom Berenger, and LeVar Burton. Although he had many roles in between, including a five-episode stint on Dynasty opposite John Forsythe and Joan Collins, his breakout role was Rambo: First Blood in 1982 with a career defining lead by Sylvester Stallone. Costars also included Richard Crenna and David Caruso.

Dennehy has amassed an impressive repertoire of work for both the small screen and the silver screen, but he is widely known for his work in the 80s such as the Ron Howard directed Cocoon with Don Ameche and Steve Guttenberg as well as Silverado with Kevin Kline, Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, and John Cleese.

Dennehy’s first Emmy nomination came in 1990 with A Killing in a Small Town where he acted beside Barbara Hershey. He wouldn’t have to wait long before the honor was bestowed again. In 1992, he earned not one, but two, Emmy nominations for his made-for-TV films The Burden of Proof with Hector Elizondo and for his portrayal of serial killer John Wayne Gacy in To Catch a Killer. The very next year, he earned another nomination for Murder in the Heartland. He would have to wait until 2000 before another nomination came his way, but it proved worth the wait. Playing the lead in the Arthur Miller adaptation Death of a Salesman, Dennehy still only walked away with an Emmy nomination, but he secured a Golden Globe win. More recently, Dennehy earned his latest Emmy nod with Our Fathers, which detailed sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. It also starred Ted Danson, Christopher Plummer, Daniel Baldwin, and Ellen Burstyn.

Despite all his fine dramatic work, it is still his comedic roles which seem to strike a lasting chord. In particular, it is his turn as Red Finch (playing David Spade’s father) on Just Shoot Me as well as Big Tom Callahan (Chris Farley’s father) in Tommy Boy for which he is most often associated.

With his larger than life persona, it is not surprising Dennehy is drawn to the stage. In recognition of all his hard work at the theater, Dennehy earned two Tonys—one for Death of a Salesman and the other for Long Day’s Journey into Night.

In his personal life, Dennehy has been married twice. His first marriage to Judith Scheff lasted from 1959 to 1974. They had three children before divorcing. His second marriage to Jennifer Arnott began in 1988, and they are currently still together with one child. He is father to actresses Elizabeth Dennehy and Kathleen Dennehy and two adopted children, Cormack and Sarah.