Short Biography

Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor. He became known during the 1980s after appearing in several successful films. Quaid was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Juanita Bonniedale "Nita" (née Jordan) Quaid, a real-estate agent, and William Rudy Quaid, an electrician. He is the younger brother of actor Randy Quaid. Quaid has Irish and Cajun ancestry. He attended Pershing Middle School in Houston. He studied drama at Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas, and later in college, at the University of Houston, under drama coach Cecil Pickett.

After his brother, Randy, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Last Detail (1973), Quaid dropped out of the University of Houston before graduating and moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue an acting career of his own.[2] He initially had trouble finding work but began to gain notice when he appeared in Breaking Away (1979); the critically panned but commercially successful Jaws 3-D (1983); and earned good reviews for his role in The Right Stuff (1983). Known for his grin, Quaid has appeared in both comedic and dramatic roles. Quaid had starring roles in the films Enemy Mine (1985) and Innerspace (1987). He also achieved acclaim for his portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis in Great Balls of Fire! (1989). Quaid`s career lost steam in the early 1990s, after he fought and kicked a cocaine addiction. He continued to garner positive reviews in a variety of films, however, such as Doc Holliday in Wyatt Earp (1994). He starred in the remake of The Parent Trap (1998) playing the part of the twins` father. Some of Quaid`s more recent film credits include Far From Heaven (2002), In Good Company (2004), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), Yours, Mine and Ours (2005), Vantage Point (2008), and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009). In 2009 he will portray former U.S. President Bill Clinton, alongside Michael Sheen as Tony Blair and Hope Davis as Hillary Clinton, in the film The Special Relationship.

Quaid was raised Baptist and is a practicing Christian. Quaid and actress P.J. Soles were married on November 25, 1978. The couple were divorced on January 23, 1983. On February 14, 1991 (Valentine`s Day), he and Meg Ryan were married. Quaid and Ryan have a son, Jack Henry (born April 24, 1992). They were divorced on June 16, 2001. Quaid was engaged for three years to actress Lea Thompson, whom he met on the movie set of Jaws 3-D (1983). Quaid married Kimberly Buffington, an Austin, Texas, real-estate agent, on July 4, 2004. Quaid works with the charity "International Hospital for Children in New Orleans, Louisiana." He makes trips to Central America to help build medical clinics and transport sick children back to the U.S. for treatment they cannot get locally. In a 2006 interview with Best Life magazine, Quaid said that in the mid-1990s he suffered from anorexia nervosa saying, "I`d look in the mirror and still see a 180 lb (82 kg) guy, even though I was 138 pounds (62 kg)," and "for many years, I was obsessed about what I was eating, how many calories it had, and how much exercise I`d have to do."

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