BRIAN DENNEHY BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Brian Dennehy was born on July 9th, 1938 in Bridgeport, Connecticut with the birth name Brian Manion Dennehy.  He grew up in Mineola, New York and as a student in High School was very interested in football as well as acting.  After High School he earned a football scholarship to Columbia University in New York City and chose to major in history.  He then decided to transfer to Yale and study Dramatic Arts.
 
He then began working directly in the film industry with roles on such films as, "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" (1977), "Semi-Tough" (1977), "Foul Play" (1978) and one of his better films, "First Blood" (1982).
 
Critics were really beginning to take notice of him and he continued to be cast in the industry in more prominent roles.  Some of his better films were, "Gorky Park" (1983), "Cocoon" (1985), "Silverado" (1985), "FIX" (1986) and "Best Seller" (1987).
 
One of Dennehy's best performances was portraying an architect who was diagnosed with cancer in the film, "The Belly of an Architect" (1987).  He won a Best Actor Award at the 1987 Chicago Film Festival for his role in this film. 
 
As his career progressed, Dennehy had no problem taking on more challenging roles and continued to earn praise from critics.  He was seen in the films, "Cocoon: The Return" (1988) and such television movies as, "In Broad Daylight" (1991), "To Catch a Killer" (1992) and "Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story" (1992).
 
Along with working as an actor, Dennehy also became involved in the other side of the industry working as a director, co producer and screen writer.
 
Some of his later film roles were in, "Romeo & Juliet" (1996), "She Hate Me" (2004) and his latest role in the film, "The Big Year" (2011). 
 
He also pursued a career as a stage performer in such productions as, "Death of a Salesman" (1999), "A Touch of the Poet" and "Long Day's Journey into Night" (both 2003).
 
He has been married twice, first to Judith Scheff in 1959 and they had three children together, two that he adopted, before divorcing in 1974.  His second and current wife is Jennifer Arnott whom he married in 1988 and they have one child together. 

He currently resides in Woodstock, Connecticut. 

Filmography

2011 The Big Year
2010 The Next Three Days 
2010 Rizzoli & Isles
2010 Meet Monica Velour
2010 Every Day 
2010 Alleged
2009 Rules of Engagement
2009 Bunker Hill
2008 Righteous Kill 
2008 Cat City
2008 30 Rock
2007 War Eagle, Arkansas 
2007 Welcome to Paradise
2007 Masters of Science Fiction 
2007 Ratatouille
2007 Marco Polo 
2007 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
2006 The Ultimate Gift
2006 Everyone's Hero 
2006 The 4400 
2006 10th & Wolf 
2005 Our Fathers 
2005 The West Wing
2005 The Exonerated
2005 Assault on Precinct 13 
2004 Category 6: Day of Destruction 
2004 She Hate Me 
2003 Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Three's Company'
1998-2003 Just Shoot Me!
2003 The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
2003 The Agency
2003 The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron 
2002 Great Performances 
2002 A Season on the Brink
2002 Stolen Summer
2001 Three Blind Mice
2001 Summer Catch
2001 Night Visions
2001 The Fighting Fitzgeralds 
2001 Warden of Red Rock
2000 Dish Dogs 
2000 Fail Safe 
2000 Death of a Salesman 
2000 The American Experience 
1999 Silicon Towers 
1999 Sirens
1999 Out of the Cold 
1999 Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke 
1999 NetForce 
1998 Voyage of Terror
1998 Thanks of a Grateful Nation
1997 Indefensible: The Truth About Edward Brannigan
1996 Jack Reed: Death and Vengeance
1996 Romeo + Juliet 
1996 Undue Influence 
1996 Dead Man's Walk
1996 A Season in Purgatory 
1996 Jack Reed: A Killer Among Us
1996 Nostromo
1995 Shadow of a Doubt 
1995 Jack Reed: One of Our Own 
1995 The Stars Fell on Henrietta
1995 Tommy Boy
1994 Midnight Movie
1994 Jack Reed: A Search for Justice 
1994 Leave of Absence 
1994 Birdland
1993 Jack Reed: Badge of Honor 
1993 Final Appeal 
1993 Prophet of Evil: The Ervil LeBaron Story 
1993 Murder in the Heartland 
1993 Foreign Affairs
1992 Deadly Matrimony 
1992 Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story 
1992 The Diamond Fleece
1992 To Catch a Killer 
1992 Gladiator 
1992 The Burden of Proof 
1991 F/X2 
1991 In Broad Daylight 
1990 Presumed Innocent 
1990 Rising Son 
1990 A Killing in a Small Town 
1990 The Last of the Finest 
1990 Pride and Extreme Prejudice
1989 Perfect Witness
1989 Seven Minutes 
1989 Indio 
1989 Day One
1988 Cocoon: The Return
1988 Miles from Home
1988 Return to Snowy River
1988 A Father's Revenge
1988 The Lion of Africa
1987 Miami Vice
1987 Best Seller
1987 The Belly of an Architect 
1987 Faerie Tale Theatre
1986 Legal Eagles
1986 The Check Is in the Mail...
1986 Acceptable Risks
1986 F/X
1985 Tall Tales & Legends
1985 Twice in a Lifetime
1985 Silverado
1985 Cocoon
1985 Evergreen
1985 The Ferret
1985 The Last Place on Earth 
1984 The River Rat 
1984 Hunter 
1984 Pigs vs. Freaks
1984 Finders Keepers
1984 Cagney & Lacey
1983 Gorky Park
1983 Never Cry Wolf
1983 Blood Feud
1983 I Take These Men 
1982 Star of the Family 
1982 First Blood
1982 Split Image
1981 Darkroom 
1981 Skokie 
1981 Dynasty 
1981 Fly Away Home
1981 The Girls in Their Summer Dresses and Other Stories by Irwin Shaw
1980 Knots Landing
1980 A Rumor of War 
1980 The Seduction of Miss Leona 
1980 Little Miss Marker 
1979 Big Shamus, Little Shamus
1979 10 
1979 Butch and Sundance: The Early Days 
1979 Dummy
1979 The Jericho Mile 
1979 Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story 
1978 A Real American Hero 
1978 Pearl 
1978 Foul Play 
1978 Dallas 
1978 F.I.S.T 
1978 A Death in Canaan
1978 Ruby and Oswald 
1978 The Tony Randall Show
1977 It Happened at Lakewood Manor 
1977 Semi-Tough 
1977 Looking for Mr. Goodbar 
1977 Lou Grant 
1977 The Fitzpatricks 
1977 Lucan 
1977 M*A*S*H
1977 Lanigan's Rabbi
1977 Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye
1977 Serpico
1977 Kojak