52 Facts About Dennis Quaid

Dennis William Quaid was born on April 9,1954 and is an American actor.

Dennis Quaid acted in The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, Jaws 3-D, Come See the Paradise, Any Given Sunday, Traffic, American Dreamz, Footloose, Playing for Keeps, Truth, Midway, Strange World, and The Substance.

Dennis Quaid portrayed President Bill Clinton in the HBO film The Special Relationship, earning nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Dennis Quaid portrayed Deputy US Marshal Sherrill Lynn in the Paramount+ Western series Lawmen: Bass Reeves, and President Ronald Reagan in the biopic Reagan.

Dennis William Quaid was born in Houston, Texas, to Juanita Bonnie Dale "Nita", a real-estate agent, and William Rudy Quaid, an electrician.

Dennis Quaid studied Mandarin Chinese and dance at Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas, and later in college, at the University of Houston, under drama coach Cecil Pickett, who had previously taught at Bellaire High and whose daughter is actress Cindy Pickett.

Dennis Quaid is the younger brother of actor Randy Quaid.

Dennis Quaid dropped out of the University of Houston before graduating and moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career.

Dennis Quaid made his film debut in an uncredited role in the action comedy film Crazy Mama starring Cloris Leachman.

Dennis Quaid then acted in the psychological drama I Never Promised You a Rose Garden and the drama September 30,1955.

Dennis Quaid initially had trouble finding work but began to gain notice after appearing in Breaking Away and the musical drama The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, During this time, Quaid appeared in a variety of films, such as the drama Our Winning Season, the comedy The Seniors, the romantic comedy All Night Long, and the slapstick comedy Caveman.

That same year, Dennis Quaid had starring roles in the horror film Jaws 3-D and the romantic sports drama Tough Enough, acting alongside Pam Grier.

Dennis Quaid later acted in the science fiction films Dreamscape, Enemy Mine, and Innerspace.

In 1987, Dennis Quaid starred in the neo-noir romance thriller The Big Easy opposite Ellen Barkin.

Dennis Quaid received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead.

Dennis Quaid's career lost steam in the early 1990s after he fought anorexia nervosa, brought on when he lost 40 pounds to play the tuberculosis-afflicted Doc Holliday in the Western drama Wyatt Earp, and recovered from a cocaine addiction.

However, Dennis Quaid continued to garner positive reviews in a variety of films.

Dennis Quaid played the lead role in the 1996 adventure film Dragonheart, and starred in the remake of The Parent Trap directed by Nancy Meyers, playing the part the twins' divorced father.

Dennis Quaid starred as an aging pro football quarterback in Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday and in the science fiction film Frequency.

Dennis Quaid was the guest star of a Season 2 episode of Muppets Tonight.

In 1998, Dennis Quaid made his debut as a film director with Everything That Rises, a television movie Western in which Dennis Quaid starred.

In 2000, Dennis Quaid acted in Steven Soderbergh's critically acclaimed crime drama Traffic.

Dennis Quaid earned a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture along with the ensemble.

In 2002, Dennis Quaid portrayed former baseball pitcher Jim Morris in the Walt Disney sports drama The Rookie.

Dennis Quaid played the president in the political comedy American Dreamz with Hugh Grant, Mandy Moore, Marcia Gay Harden, and Willem Dafoe.

In 2008, Dennis Quaid starred in the political action thriller Vantage Point alongside Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt, and Forest Whitaker.

Dennis Quaid acted in Pandorum and guest starred in an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, playing Mr Krabs' grandfather, Captain Redbeard.

Dennis Quaid returned to television, portraying US President Bill Clinton alongside Michael Sheen as Tony Blair and Hope Davis as Hillary Clinton, in the HBO film The Special Relationship.

Dennis Quaid received acclaim as well as nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie as well as a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

In 2012 and 2013, Dennis Quaid played Sheriff Ralph Lamb in the CBS TV drama series Vegas.

From 2015 to 2016, Dennis Quaid played Samuel Brukner in the Crackle series The Art of More.

Dennis Quaid played Michael Lennox in the British series Fortitude in 2017, and Wade Blackwood in the Amazon Prime legal series Goliath in 2019.

In 2019, Dennis Quaid portrayed Vice Admiral William 'Bull' Halsey in the war drama Midway.

In 2023, Dennis Quaid starred in the sports drama The Hill.

In March 2018, it was confirmed by director Sean McNamara that Dennis Quaid would portray President Ronald Reagan in an upcoming biopic, titled Reagan, the second time Dennis Quaid has portrayed a US president.

Dennis Quaid has been married four times and has three children.

Dennis Quaid met his first wife, actress P J Soles, on the set of the film Our Winning Season.

Dennis Quaid dated model Shanna Moakler from February to October 2001.

Dennis Quaid married Texas real estate agent Kimberly Buffington on July 4,2004, at his ranch in Paradise Valley, Montana.

The babies recovered, but Dennis Quaid filed a lawsuit against the drug manufacturer, Baxter Healthcare, claiming that packaging for the two doses of heparin are not different enough.

The incident led Dennis Quaid to become a patient-safety advocate, producing a series of documentaries on preventable medical errors that aired on the Discovery Channel, as well as co-authoring a medical-journal article addressing the positive influence of patient stories in motivating change in healthcare.

On October 21,2019, Dennis Quaid confirmed his engagement to Laura Savoie.

Dennis Quaid is a Christian, coming to faith around 1990 after struggling with addiction.

Dennis Quaid wrote the Christian song "On My Way to Heaven", dedicated to his mother and included in the film I Can Only Imagine, in which Quaid starred.

Dennis Quaid wrote and performed the song "Closer to You" in the film The Big Easy.

Dennis Quaid has a pilot's license and owned a Cessna Citation.

Dennis Quaid is a one-handicap golfer, and in 2005, he was named the top golfer among the "Hollywood set" by Golf Digest magazine.

Dennis Quaid adopted the cat and flew it out to California to live at his recording studio.

In May 2024, Dennis Quaid endorsed Donald Trump for president during an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, and later appeared at a Trump rally.

For Far from Heaven, Dennis Quaid won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor, and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male.

Dennis Quaid received nominations for Best Supporting Actor from the Golden Globe Awards, the Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Dennis Quaid was honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater, the University of Houston, in April 2012.