Dennis Quaid | |
---|---|
Quaid at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival
|
|
Born |
Dennis William Quaid April 9, 1954 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
Alma mater | University of Houston |
Occupation | Actor, producer, director, singer |
Years active | 1975–present |
Spouse(s) |
|
Children | 3 including Jack Quaid (son) |
Relatives | Evi Quaid (sister-in-law) Randy Quaid (brother) |
Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor known for a wide variety of dramatic and comedic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the 1980s, his career rebounded in the 1990s after he overcame an addiction to drugs and an eating disorder. Some of his notable credits include Breaking Away, The Right Stuff, Wyatt Earp, The Rookie, The Day After Tomorrow, Traffic, Vantage Point, Footloose, Frequency, The Parent Trap, Yours, Mine & Ours and Soul Surfer. For his role in Far from Heaven (2002) he won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor and several other accolades.
Quaid was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Juanita B. "Nita" Quaid, a real estate agent, and William Rudy Quaid, an electrician. Quaid has English, Irish, Scots-Irish, and Cajun (French) ancestry.
Quaid dropped out of the University of Houston before graduating and moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. He initially had trouble finding work but began to gain notice when he appeared in Breaking Away (1979) and earned good reviews for his role in The Right Stuff (1983).