Richard Jenkins

Richard Jenkins
Jenkins at the 81st Academy Awards in February 2009
Born	Richard Dale Jenkins (1947-05-04) May 4, 1947 (age 69) DeKalb, Illinois, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Illinois Wesleyan University
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1974–present
Television	Nathaniel Fisher on Six Feet Under
Spouse(s)	Sharon R. Friedrick (m. 1969)
Children	2

Richard Dale Jenkins (born May 4, 1947) is an American actor. Jenkins began his acting career in theatre at the Trinity Repertory Company and later made his film debut in 1974. He has worked steadily in film and television since the 1980s, mostly in supporting roles. His first major role did not come until the early 2000s, in which he played the deceased patriarch Nathaniel Fisher on the HBO funeral drama series Six Feet Under. Jenkins was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for The Visitor and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for Olive Kitteridge.

Jenkins was born and raised in DeKalb, Illinois. His mother, Mary Elizabeth (née Wheeler; 1914-2003), was a housewife, and his father, Dale Stevens Jenkins (1916-1997), was a dentist. He attended DeKalb High School. Before he was an actor, Jenkins drove a linen truck (his boss was actor John C. Reilly's father). Jenkins earned a degree in drama from Illinois Wesleyan University before relocating to Rhode Island.

Jenkins worked with the Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island, while breaking into film with a bit part in Feasting with Panthers (1974), a television film about Oscar Wilde. Jenkins was given the option of joining the Screen Actors Guild. Knowing that it was not that easy to join, Jenkins immediately accepted the offer. He continued as a member of Trinity's resident acting company and served as its artistic director from 1990-94.