Bruce Dern | |
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Dern at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con International promoting The Hateful Eight
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Born |
Bruce MacLeish Dern June 4, 1936 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Education | The Choate School |
Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1960–present |
Spouse(s) |
Marie Dean (m. 1957–59) Diane Ladd (m. 1960–69) Andrea Beckett (m. 1969) |
Children | 2 |
Bruce MacLeish Dern (born June 4, 1936) is an American actor, often playing supporting villainous characters of unstable nature. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Coming Home (1978) and the Academy Award for Best Actor for Nebraska (2013). He also won the 1983 Silver Bear for Best Actor for That Championship Season, and the 2013 Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for Nebraska. His other film appearances include The Cowboys (1972), Black Sunday (1977), Monster (2003), and The Hateful Eight (2015).
Dern was born in Chicago, the son of Jean (née MacLeish) and John Dern, a utility chief and attorney. He grew up in Kenilworth, Illinois. His paternal grandfather, George, was a former Utah governor and Secretary of War (he was serving in the latter position during the time of Bruce's birth). Dern's maternal grandfather was a chairman of the Carson, Pirie and Scott stores, his maternal granduncle was poet Archibald MacLeish, and his maternal great-grandfather was Scottish-born businessman Andrew MacLeish. Dern's godfather was former Illinois governor and two-time presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson II. His ancestry includes Dutch, English, German and Scottish. He attended The Choate School (now Choate Rosemary Hall) and the University of Pennsylvania. He starred in the Philadelphia premiere of Waiting for Godot.