Brian Dennehy

Date of Birth

9 July 1938, Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA

Imposing, barrel-chested and now silver-haired Brian Dennehy is a prolific US actor, well respected on both screen and stage for the best part of 25 years. He was born in July 1938 in Bridgeport, CT, and attended Columbia University in New York City on a football scholarship. He majored in history, before moving onto to Yale to study dramatic arts. He first appeared in minor screen roles in such fare as Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), Semi-Tough (1977) and Foul Play (1978) and proved popular with casting directors, leading to regular work. However, he really got himself noticed by movie audiences in the box-office hit First Blood (1982) as the bigoted sheriff determined to run Vietnam veteran John Rambo (played by Sylvester Stallone) out of his town. Dennehy quickly escalated to stronger supporting or co-starring roles in films including the Cold War thriller Gorky Park (1983), as a benevolent alien in Cocoon (1985), a corrupt sheriff in the western Silverado (1985), a tough but smart cop in F/X (1986) and a cop turned writer alongside hitman James Woods in Best Seller (1987). In 1987 Dennehy turned in one of his finest performances as cancer-ridden architect Stourley Kracklite in Peter Greenaway's superb The Belly of an Architect (1987), for which he won the Best Actor Award at the 1987 Chicago Film Festival. More strong performances followed. He reprised prior roles for Cocoon: The Return (1988) and F/X2 (1991), and turned in gripping performances in three made-for-TV films: a sadistic small-town bully who gets his grisly comeuppance in In Broad Daylight (1991) (TV), real-life serial killer John Wayne Gacy in the chilling To Catch a Killer (1992) (TV) and a corrupt union boss in Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story (1992) (TV). In 1993 Dennehy appeared in the role of police Sgt. Jack Reed in the telemovie Jack Reed: Badge of Honor (1993) (TV), and reprised the role in four sequels, which saw him for the first time become involved in co-producing, directing and writing screen productions! Demand for his services showed no signs of abating, and he has put in further memorable performances in Romeo + Juliet (1996), as bad-luck-ridden Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman (2000) (TV) (which earned him a Golden Globe Award), he popped up in the uneven Spike Lee film She Hate Me (2004) and appears in the remake Assault on Precinct 13 (2005). The multi-talented Dennehy has also had a rich theatrical career and has appeared both in the United States and internationally in dynamic stage productions including "Death of a Salesman" (for which he picked up the 1999 Best Actor Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award), "A Touch of the Poet", "Long Day's Journey into Night" (for which he picked up another Tony Award in 2003) and in Eugene O'Neill (I)'s heart-wrenching "The Iceman Cometh".

Used to work as a stockbroker at the same firm as Martha Stewart. The two remain good friends.

On March 14, 1999, three performances of the Broadway production of "Death of a Salesman" had to be canceled because Dennehy had been unable to sleep and didn't feel well. After a check-up in the hospital, he was diagnosed with hypertension.

He served in the US Marine Corps, but contrary to previous press releases never saw any combat nor was he wounded.

Daughter is actress Elizabeth Dennehy.

Attended Columbia University.

Father of Kathleen Dennehy.

Member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.

Attended Chaminade High School

Lives in Woodstock, Connecticut. [2008]

While performing in "Death Of A Salesman" and "Long Day's Journey into Night" on Broadway, so many of his fans wanted to meet him after the show that producers had to hire extra security to keep the crowds in control near the stage door.

Joked on "The Tonight Show" that he is often mistaken for Charles Durning.

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

Has stated that On the Waterfront (1954) is his favorite movie.

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."

Father of two adopted children: Cormack (b. 1993) and Sarah (b. 1995).

He is the only actor to appear in both Presumed Innocent (1990) and its made-for-television sequel, The Burden of Proof (1992) (TV), and plays a different role in each.

Began his stage career performing in both summer stock and Off-Broadway productions.

His younger brother is an FBI agent.

Once owned a home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and a little cottage in Ireland.

Loves sailing.

He 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.

Grew up in Mineola NY on Macatee Pl.

He 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.

His high school football coach and English teacher turned him on to both sports and acting. While there he played both tackle and the title role of Macbeth.

He had been a primary consideration for the original role of Hannibal Lecktor in Manhunter (1986), that is, until he recommended Scotsman Brian Cox to director Michael Mann.

James Woods

Date of Birth

18 April 1947, Vernal, Utah, USA

James Woods grew up in Warwick, Rhode Island, USA, where he graduated from Pilgrim High School in 1965 near the top of his class. Afterwards, he attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. He dropped out to pursue his acting career shortly before his scheduled graduation in 1969.

Leanly built, strangely handsome actor-producer-director with intense eyes, swarthy complexion, and a sometimes untrustworthy grin has been impressing audiences for over three decades with his compelling performances. The son of a US Intelligence officer, he earned a scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, completed a degree in political science, and then headed off to New York to pursue aspirations to appear on the stage. After appearing in a handful of New York City theater productions, Woods scored his first film role in All the Way Home (1971) (TV) and followed that up with meager supporting roles in The Way We Were (1973) and The Choirboys (1977). However, it was Woods cold blooded performance as the cop killer in The Onion Field (1979), based on a Joseph Wambaugh novel, that seized the attention of cinema-goers to his on-screen power.

Woods quickly followed up with another role in another Joseph Wambaugh film adaptation, The Black Marble (1980), as a sleazy and unstable cable-TV-station owner in David Cronenberg's mind-bending and prophetic Videodrome (1983), as gangster Max Bercovicz in Sergio Leones mammoth epic Once Upon a Time in America (1984), and scored a best actor Academy Award nomination as abrasive journalist Richard Boyle in Oliver Stones gritty and unsettling Salvador (1986).

There seemed to be no stopping the rise of this star as he continued to amaze cinema-goers with his remarkable versatility and his ability to create such intense, memorable characters. The decade of the 1990s started off strongly with high praise for his role as Roy Cohn in the TV production of Citizen Cohn (1992) (TV). Woods was equally impressive as slimy hustler Lester Diamond who cons Sharon Stone in Casino (1995), made a tremendous H.R. Haldeman in Nixon (1995), portrayed serial killer Carl Panzram in Killer: A Journal of Murder (1996), and then as accused civil rights assassin Byron De La Beckwith in Ghosts from the Past (1996).

Not to be typecast solely as hostile hoodlums, Woods has further expanded his range to encompass providing voice-overs for animated productions including Hercules (1997), Hooves of Fire (1999) (TV), and Stuart Little 2 (2002). Woods also recently appeared in the critically praised The Virgin Suicides (1999), in the coming-of-age movie Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), as a corrupt medico in Any Given Sunday (1999), and in the comedy-horror spoof Scarier Movie (2001). A remarkable performer with an incredibly diverse range of acting talent, Woods remains one of Hollywood's outstanding leading men.

10/15/98: Received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

A reserve officer in the Los Angeles Police Dept.

He appeared in the music video and sang in the choir on the song "Voices That Care."

Fired his agent for not telling him of Quentin Tarantino's offer to star as Mr. Orange/Freddie in Reservoir Dogs (1992).

Dated actress Heather Graham

Majored in Political Science at M.I.T.

Older brother of actor Michael Jeffrey Woods.

Was allegedly harassed and stalked by Sean Young after their dating relationship ended.

Member of Theta Delta Chi Fraternity.

1997: Was engaged to actress Missy Crider; they met when she played his daughter in the TV movie Jane's House (1994) (TV).

2001: While on a commercial flight from Boston to Los Angeles in August, he noticed a group of men acting suspiciously on the plane and informed a flight attendant that he felt they were planning to hijack the plane. He has thus been in several interviews with FBI agents since the September 11 attacks.

Provided the voice of Carl, the straight-laced rabbit in the pet store across the street from a rental station, in a series of Blockbuster commercials.

Is ambidextrous (as seen in The Virgin Suicides (1999), writes on chalkboard with both hands).

Is the son of a U.S. Army intelligence officer.

The high school in the animated show "Family Guy" (1999) was named after him (James Woods High School).

Visits his family in Rhode Island frequently.

Loves cooking and is an excellent chef.

Enjoys playing golf.

Quit smoking cigarettes in 1993. Played as a man trying to break the habit using drastic, preventive measures in Stephen King's Cat's Eye (1985).

Loves photography.

He was accepted into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a full scholarship, majoring not in the physical sciences but in political science. He also pursued acting, appearing in 36 plays at MIT, Harvard, and the Theater Company of Boston and also performed in summer stock at the Provincetown Playhouse. He dropped out of MIT during his last year to move to New York and pursue acting full-time.

Got his third TV role, as a thug on "Kojak" (1973), after Richard Dreyfuss and Martin Sheen had turned it down.

Referred to composer Howard Shore as the Bernard Herrmann of the synthesizer.

Is a member of MENSA (as are Geena Davis, Cy Frost, Chino XL, Ben Rollins and Alan Rachins).

He was considered a brilliant student, enrolling in a UCLA linear algebra course while still attending high school. He scored a perfect 800 on the verbal SAT and a 779 on the math portion.

Childhood friend of Wall Street Journal personal technology columnist Walt Mossberg.

Hades from the Disney franchise is his favorite role and he states that he'll continue playing the character, whenever needed, until the day he dies because he loves the character so very much.

Is against capital punishment.

Is good friends with Sharon Stone and told Cigar Aficionado in an interview that he considers her one of the smartest women in the movie business.

Writes with his right hand mostly but does pretty much everything else with his left.

He plays a character who works for Richard Nixon in Nixon (1995) and played one of a band of men who wore Nixon masks when they robbed a police depository in Best Seller (1987).

Is an avid video gamer

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