Dreyfuss was born on October 29, 1947, in Brooklyn, New York, the second and younger son of Norman Dreyfuss, an attorney, restaurateur and plastics company owner originally from a "violent gang culture in Brooklyn",[2] and Geraldine (nee Robbins),[3] a peace activist. He is the second child of three children. He had an older brother, Lorin, who was an actor, film producer and screenplay writer, and a younger sister, Cathy.[4] His father Norman suffered from the debilitating physical effects of a mortar explosion at the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, requiring the use of crutches, canes, and special footwear provided by the Army for the rest of his life. He left the family when his son was 21 years old, and remarried more than once; he and his son were not on speaking terms at the time of his death.[2]
Dreyfuss's first film role was a small, uncredited appearance in The Graduate. He had one line, "Shall I get the cops? I'll get the cops." He was also briefly seen as a stagehand in Valley of the Dolls (1967), in which he had a few lines. In mid-1972, Dreyfuss filmed a supporting role in The Second Coming of Suzanne, but the movie did not premiere for two years.[15] In 1973 he starred in the CBS pilot Catch-22. He subsequently appeared in Dillinger, and landed a key role in the 1973 George Lucas hit American Graffiti, acting with other future stars such as Harrison Ford.[11] Dreyfuss played his first lead role in the Canadian film The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974), receiving positive reviews, including praise from Pauline Kael.[11]
1975–1995: Career stardom and acclaim
Dreyfuss went on to star in box office blockbusters Jaws (1975) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), both directed by Steven Spielberg. He won the 1978 Academy Award for Best Actor at the 50th Academy Awards ceremony for his portrayal of a struggling actor in The Goodbye Girl (1977), becoming the youngest actor to do so (at the age of 30 years, 125 days old), besting Marlon Brando, who had won his first Oscar in 1955 at the age of 30 years, 360 days old.[11] This record stood for 25 years until it was broken in 2003 by Adrien Brody, who was three weeks shy of age 30 at the time of the 75th Academy Awards ceremony. Dreyfuss is still, however, the shortest to have ever won Best Actor, standing at about 5 foot 4¼ inches tall.[16] In five years, between 1973 and 1978, the films that Dreyfuss appeared in grossed upwards of $900 million. He made his producing debut with The Big Fix (1978), in which he also starred.
In 1997, Dreyfuss recorded a voiceover for the Apple Computer "Think Different" ad campaign,[19] and also provided the voice of the narrator in The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon. In 1999, Dreyfuss made his London West End debut starring alongside Marsha Mason in Neil Simon's The Prisoner of Second Avenue at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.[20] Dreyfuss spent four years as a research adviser at St Antony's College, Oxford, from 2004 until 2008.[21] He was scheduled to appear in a 2004 production of The Producers in London, but withdrew from the production a week before opening night. The media noted that Dreyfuss was suffering from problems relating to an operation for a herniated disc, and that the part of Max Bialystock in the play was a physically demanding one. Both he and his assistant for the production stated that Dreyfuss was accumulating injuries that required him to wear physical therapy supports during rehearsals.[22] After Dreyfuss was officially let go from the production he was replaced by Nathan Lane. He ultimately made his West End return at The Old Vic in 2009.[23]
Dreyfuss at Italy Lifetime Achievement Awards (2021)
In 2009, he appeared in the play Complicit by Joe Sutton at London's Old Vic theatre. The production was directed by the theatre's artistic director, Kevin Spacey. Dreyfuss's performance was subject to some controversy, owing to his use of an earpiece onstage, reportedly because of his inability to learn his lines in time.[26][27] According to an article published in 2017, Kevin Spacey groped one of Dreyfuss's sons while the three of them were alone in Spacey's apartment, an allegation that a lawyer representing Kevin Spacey denied. Richard Dreyfuss was focused on learning the lines of his script at the time and did not notice any harassment.[28] He guest-voiced as himself in the "Three Kings" episode of Family Guy in 2009, and later appeared again in the episode "Peter-assment". Dreyfuss guest starred in the sixth season of Weeds as Warren Schiff, Nancy's high school teacher to whom she had lost her virginity.[29]
In 2010, he played Matt Boyd in Piranha 3D.[30] Dreyfuss was inducted as a "star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 10, 1996. It is located at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.[31] Dreyfuss was among 99 other stars at the 2012 Academy Awards – Night of 100 Stars. He did an interview for the Bill Zucker Show with actor/singer Bill Zucker.[32]
Dreyfuss married writer and producer Jeramie Rain in the early 1980s, and they had three children. After his 1995 divorce from Rain, Dreyfuss married Janelle Lacey in 1999. They divorced in 2005.[33]
During his acting career, Dreyfuss had public feuds with some of the people he worked alongside, notably actors Robert Shaw and Bill Murray, who costarred with him in Jaws and What About Bob? respectively, and filmmaker Oliver Stone, who directed him in W.[38]
In 2017, writer Jessica Teich accused Dreyfuss of sexual harassment during the filming of an ABC special.[39] Dreyfuss denied the allegations. He said he had been overly flirtatious in his past, and that he regretted that behavior, but he emphasized that he "value[s] and respect[s] women" and is "not an assaulter."[40] He thought they were involved in a "consensual seduction ritual."[41]
Interests
Dreyfuss seeks to revive civics education to teach future generations about the power of their citizenship and the principles that hold America together.[42] In 2006, he created The Dreyfuss Civics Initiative (TDCI).[43][44] TDCI is a 501(c)3 designated organization, recognized as of 2008.[45]
In 1995, Dreyfuss co-authored with science-fiction writer Harry Turtledove the book The Two Georges, a novel set in the year 1995 of a timeline in which the American Revolution was peacefully avoided.[48][49] In 2022, he authored One Thought Scares Me...: We Teach Our Children What We Wish Them to Know; We Don't Teach Our Children What We Don't Wish Them to Know about the teaching of civics in American schools.
Political views
In a 2016 interview with TheWrap, Dreyfuss reportedly said, “I haven’t been a Democrat since 2004.”[50]
Dreyfuss has been outspoken regarding the media's influence in shaping public opinion, policy, and legislation. In the 2000s, he expressed his sentiments in favor of right to privacy, freedom of speech, democracy, and individual accountability.[51] In 2011 and 2014, Dreyfuss was elected to the Common Cause National Governing Board.
In May 2023, Dreyfuss spoke out against the Academy Awards' new diversity guidelines that require films to have met at least two of four benchmarks, including that the lead actors are from underrepresented groups or that at least 30% of the cast and crew come from these groups. During an interview with Margaret Hoover, host of the PBS show The Firing Line, Dreyfuss said that the new guidelines "make me vomit". He explained that he was opposed to the guidelines because movie-making is "an art form ... and no one should be telling me as an artist that I have to give into the latest, most current idea of what morality is."[52][53]
During a screening of Jaws at The Cabot theater in Beverly, Massachusetts, on May 27, 2024, Dreyfuss criticised "diversity initiatives", and launched into what was described as a transphobic, misogynistic, homophobic, and sexist rant, causing many attendees to shout at the actor, and many to leave the venue in dismay. According to eyewitnesses, Dreyfuss criticized the MeToo and LGBTQ movements and disparaged parents of transgender children, suggesting that supporting a child's transition was indicative of bad parenting.[54][55][56][57][58][59]
Award for lifetime contribution to the art of film
Won
Bibliography
Dreyfuss, Richard. (2022) One Thought Scares Me...: We Teach Our Children What We Wish Them to Know; We Don't Teach Our Children What We Don't Wish Them to Know. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN978-1-5107-7612-8
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