One of America’s most respected and prolific actors since the mid-1980s, Brian Dennehy was a supporting actor and occasional leading man whose work in film, television and on stage earned him numerous awards. Filmgoers first took notice of the powerfully built actor as the villainous sheriff in “First Blood” (1982), but in the years that followed, Dennehy showed his versatility in everything from classical drama to science fiction and even broad comedy. Off screen, his acclaimed stage performances in “Death of a Salesman” and “Long Day’s Journey into Night” netted him two Tony Awards.
Born July 9, 1938 in Bridgeport, CT, Dennehy’s father was a correspondent for the Associated Press. He spent his adolescence and teen years in Brooklyn, where his broad frame was put to good use on the football team of Chaminade High School. Dennehy, however, harbored an interest in acting, tackling the lead role in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” while still in high school. He gained entry into Columbia University on a football scholarship, where he earned a BA in history before enrolling at Yale and studying drama. A five-year stint in the Marines followed. Later in the late 1970s into the early 1980s, Dennehy would catch flack for claiming that he had seen combat in Vietnam during his marine stint, but later recanted when it was revealed that he had only served in Okinawa, Japan.
Dennehy returned to the States and worked in a string of jobs – including a stint as stockbroker with Martha Stewart, who remained a close friend – while appearing off-Broadway in numerous productions beginning in 1976. Supporting roles and guest shots on television series soon followed, as did a substantial role in the Vietnam War drama “A Rumor of War” (1980), based on the best-selling novel of the same name. More substantial roles on television soon followed, including a lead as famed Southern lawman Buford Pusser in “A Real American Hero” (1978). Supporting roles in theatrical features like “F.I.S.T.” (1978) and “Semi-Tough” (1977) utilized Dennehy’s brawny build in physical roles.
Dennehy’s stage work continued to attract critical attention in the early 1980s; his appearances on film and television building at a steady rate as well. Finally, in 1982, Dennehy got his breakout performance as a small-town lawman and sadist who regrets his decision to hassle Vietnam Vet John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) in “First Blood” (1982). His blend of bone-deep badness and folksy charm caught the attention of casting agents and producers, who busied the next few years of Dennehy’s life with a variety of roles. He was the offbeat bush pilot who deposits Charles Martin Smith in the Alaskan wilderness in “Never Cry Wolf” (1983); the New York detective who aids Soviet policeman William Hurt in the thriller “Gorky Park” (1983); a casually cruel lawman in Lawrence Kasdan’s revisionist Western “Silverado” (1985); and he gave a memorable turn as the bemused alien leader in Ron Howard’s “Cocoon” (1985). He also earned a few rare leads, most notably as the wisecracking cop who aids Bryan Brown’s special effects whiz in “F/X” (1986) and a rough-hewn driver in Africa who romances Brooke Adams in HBO’s telefilm, “The Lion of Africa” (1986).
Dennehy garnered further acclaim as a famed American architect who unravels, physically and emotionally, in Peter Greenaway’s challenging “The Belly of an Architect” (1987), and more than held his own against raging hitman James Woods who shares his experiences with Dennehy’s inquisitive author in John Flynn’s underrated “Best Seller” (1987). Dennehy continued to appear in episodic television and made-for-TV productions during this period, most notably as General Leslie Groves, the military representative during the creation of the atomic bomb, in the Emmy-winning “Day One” (1989). More plum movie roles soon followed, including Harrison Ford’s boss in “Presumed Innocent” (1990), and a showy bit as a crooked boxing promoter in “Gladiator” (1992), for which he dropped 35 pounds.
Dennehy chilled audiences as serial killer John Wayne Gacy in a suspenseful Canadian-made miniseries called “To Catch a Killer” (1992), which brought him an Emmy nomination. He scored several more times in roles based on true-life personalities, including union leader Jackie Presser in “Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story” (1992); as a lawyer involved in the Charles Starkweather murder spree in “Murder in the Heartland” (1993), which brought him another Emmy nod); and as a polygamist cult leader in “Prophet of Evil: The Ervil LeBaron Story” (1993).
Amidst all these serious, even sinister, characters, Dennehy also charmed in “Foreign Affairs” (1993), a gentle period romance with Joanne Woodward, and got to show off his comedy skills (as well as a song and dance number) in what was arguably his most popular film, the Chris Farley comedy “Tommy Boy” (1994). He also scored as the avuncular head of the Montague clan in Baz Luhrmann’s feature film adaptation of “Romeo + Juliet” (1996). Dennehy also found time to make his Broadway debut during this period in a 1995 production of “Translations.”
That same year, Dennehy starred in and executive-produced the first of a series of popular TV movies about a tough cop named Jack Reed. Over the next few years, Dennehy returned to the role four times, serving as writer and director on each of the productions. He also starred in and wrote and directed the TV movies “Shadow of a Doubt” (1995) and “Indefensible: The Truth about Edward Brannigan” (1997), as well as executive-produced the Western “The Warden of Red Rock” (2001) and “Three Blind Mice” (2001) –the latter, based on the popular detective procedural novel by Ed McBain.
In 1998, Dennehy returned to the stage in Chicago for the 50th anniversary production of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman.” The production was a critical and box office hit, eventually making its way to Broadway for even more applause, as well as a Tony and Olivier Award for Dennehy’s moving portrayal of the universal working man, Willy Loman. A 2000 TV movie version – which Dennehy co-produced – brought him Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards, as well as an Emmy nomination and further acclaim.
Dennehy also served as executive producer on one of his few forays into a weekly television series, “The Fighting Fitzgeralds” (NBC, 2001). Dennehy starred as a New York firefighter whose large and combative family prevented him from enjoying his retirement. Despite decent reviews, the show’s network run was short-lived. Undaunted, he continued to contribute rave-worthy performances on television, including a turn as controversial college basketball coach Bobby Knight in “A Season on the Brink” (2002) and as Helen Mirren’s husband, whose illness forces her to take a lover, in the TV remake of “The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone” (2003). He also appeared on a semi-regular basis on the sitcom “Just Shoot Me!” (NBC, 1997-2003), starring as the fireman dad of snarky Finch, played by David Spade, who had co-starred with Dennehy in “Tommy Boy.”
In 2003, Dennehy brought home another Tony for his performance in Eugene O’Neil’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” which, like “Salesman,” began in a production in Chicago. He soon picked up his busy television schedule after its theatrical run with several impressive movies, including “The Exonerated” (2003) for Court TV, and “Our Fathers,” about the sex scandals that rocked the Catholic Church; the later earning him another Emmy nominations.
Dennehy took on another challenging role on Broadway in 2006 as Matthew Harrison Brady, the fundamentalist lawyer who battles with a thinly disguised Clarence Darrow in the classic play, “Inherit the Wind.” He also added voice-over actor to his long and varied list of credits with performances as Babe Ruth in the little-seen animated film “Everybody’s Hero” (2006) and as the father of an aspiring chef in Pixar’s “Ratatouille” (2007).