Bruce Dern
| Bruce Dern | |
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 Dern at Super-Con 2009 |
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| Born | Bruce MacLeish Dern June 4, 1936 Kenilworth, Illinois, United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1960–present |
| Spouse | Marie Dean (divorced) Diane Ladd (1960–1969; divorced; 2 daughters) Andrea Beckett (1969–present) |
Bruce MacLeish Dern (born June 4, 1936) is an American film actor. He also appeared as a guest star in numerous television shows. He frequently takes roles as a character actor, often playing unstable and villainous characters. Dern has appeared in more than 80 feature films and made for television films.
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[edit] Personal life
Dern was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Jean (née MacLeish) and John Dern.[1] His paternal grandfather was George Henry Dern, a former Utah governor and Secretary of War, and his great-uncle was poet Archibald MacLeish. His godfather was well-known politician Adlai Stevenson and his godmother was Eleanor Roosevelt. Dern attended The Choate School (now Choate Rosemary Hall) and the University of Pennsylvania. Dern is the father of actress Laura Dern (1967), whom he had with his ex-wife Diane Ladd; married 1960-1969. He married his current wife, Andrea Beckett, in 1969.
[edit] Career
Early in his career he acted in the Philadelphia premier of Waiting for Godot opposite Lyle Kessler and first appeared on screen, for an uncredited role, in the 1960 film Wild River.[2] He then appeared, as a guest star, in several popular 1960s television shows, including Route 66, Naked City, Sea Hunt, Surfside 6, 77 Sunset Strip, The Outer Limits, and several others.[2] In 1964, he appeared in a major Alfred Hitchcock film, the psychological thriller Marnie, in a short role as the sailor seen in flashbacks about Marnie's mother.[2] Also in 1964, he had a small but crucial film role in Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte as the lover of the young Charlotte (a role played by Bette Davis). During the next five years, Dern continued appearing in several popular TV war, crime and western shows, but with multiple episodes per show, as different characters,[2] including: Wagon Train (3), The Virginian (3), Rawhide (1), 12 O'Clock High (4), The Fugitive (5), The F.B.I. (2), The Big Valley (5), Gunsmoke (4) and Bonanza (2), among others. During that period, he also appeared in several films, including The Wild Angels (1966), The War Wagon, The Trip (1967), Psych-Out, Will Penny (1968), and the early Clint Eastwood film, Hang 'Em High (1968) as a rustler/murderer.[2]
Among Dern's first 20 film roles was a part in the Sydney Pollack picture They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, in 1969.[2] In 1969, he also co-starred with James Garner and Walter Brennan in the classic film Support Your Local Sheriff! as gunfighter Joe Danby. In 1972, he played in four films: as the enemy and killer of John Wayne's character in The Cowboys notable for his character cold-bloodedly shooting Wayne in the back. Wayne warned Dern, "America will hate you for this." Dern wryly replied, "Yeah, but they'll love me in Berkeley." His best-known role may be that of Freeman Lowell, the caretaker of Earth's last forests in the dark sci-fi film Silent Running (1972).[2] He then starred with Jack Nicholson in The King of Marvin Gardens; and also in Thumb Tripping, after having been seen in over 90 TV episodes or films.[2] Other memorable roles include Tom Buchanan in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby;[2] or a psychotic Goodyear Blimp pilot who launches a terrorist attack at the Super Bowl in 1977's Black Sunday, and as Captain Bob Hyde in 1978's Coming Home,[2] for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In 1976, he appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's final film Family Plot, playing the boyfriend of a medium played by Barbara Harris; Dern told an interviewer that, due to Hitchcock's failing health, the director often asked his assistance during the production.
In 1983, he won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 33rd Berlin International Film Festival for his role in That Championship Season.[3]
His most recent efforts include the independent movies The Astronaut Farmer and Monster, a recurring role on the HBO series Big Love, and the monster movie Swamp Devil for RHI Films New York and the Sci Fi Channel.
On November 1, 2010, he was presented the 2,419th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His daughter Laura Dern and his ex-wife Diane Ladd received stars on the same date. He was honored with a Legend Award at the inaugural Gold Coast International Film Festival on June 1, 2011.
[edit] Filmography
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[edit] References
- ^ Bruce Dern Biography (1936-)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Bruce Dern at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ "Berlinale: 1983 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1983/03_preistr_ger_1983/03_Preistraeger_1983.html. Retrieved 2010-11-20.
