Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954 in Houston, Texas) is an American actor.
Dennis Quaid: Biography
Quaid studied drama at Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas and later in college. He dropped out of the University of Houston before graduating and moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue an acting career. Dennis initially had trouble finding work but began to gain notice when he appeared in Breaking Away (1979) and earned good reviews for his role in The Right Stuff (1983).
A talented actor who can change between leading and supporting roles. Quaid has proven his chops in a variety of films who seems to be on a career resurgence during the late nineties. Some of Quaid's most recent film credits include Traffic (2000) as a lowlife attorney, Far From Heaven (2002) as a closeted husband (a role which many felt the actor was overlooked in the Oscar category), and In Good Company (2004), as an aging ad executive whose new boss is a young kid.
Aside from acting, Quaid is also a musician, and plays with his band the Sharks. Randy Quaid, Dennis' older brother, is also an actor.
Quaid was married to actress Meg Ryan from 1991 to 2001 (divorced). They have one child together, Jack Henry (born April 24, 1992). His first marriage, from 1978 to 1983, was to actress P. J. Soles.
Quaid works with the charity "International Hospital for Children in New Orleans." He makes trips to Central America to help build medical clinics and transport sick children back to the United States for treatment they cannot get locally.
Quaid is an avid golfer and lends his name to the annual "Jiffy Lube/Dennis Quaid Charity Classic" in Austin, Texas. The golf tournament attracts numerous celebrities with the proceeds split between three local children's charities.
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