Biography
Filmgoers first took notice of the powerfully built Dennehy as the treacherous sheriff in "First Blood" (1982), which led to a number of supporting roles where he was typically cast as a villain or authority figure; sometimes both, as he did in the retro Western "Silverado" (1985). That same year, he was a bemused alien in Ron Howard's acclaimed "Cocoon" (1985), and the following year he was a wisecracking cop in the popular thriller "F/X" …
Latest Tv Credits
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Career Milestones
| Professional stage debut in Chekhov's "Ivanov" | ||
1960 | Served with the Marine Corps | |
1976 | New York stage debut in "Streamers" | |
1977 | First film role was "Semi-Tough" with Burt Reynolds | |
1977 | Played the Fire Chief in first TV-movie "It Happened at Lakewood Manor" (ABC) | |
1978 | Appeared as a police detective in "Foul Play," starring Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase | |
1979 | First role as a series regular, played Arnie Sutter on the short-lived CBS drama "Big Shamus, Little Shamus" | |
1979 | Had a small role as a bartender in "10," starring Dudley Moore | |
1982 | Breakthrough role, playing Sheriff Will Teasle in "First Blood" opposite Sylvester Stallone | |
1982 | Had a supporting role in "Split Image" | |
1982 | Played the lead role on the short-lived ABC series "Star of The Family" | |
1983 | Appeared with William Hurt in "Gorky Park" | |
1985 | Cast as an alien in Ron Howard's "Cocoon" | |
1985 | Portrayed a corrupt sheriff in the Western feature "Silverado" | |
1986 | Co-starred with Bryan Brown in the thriller "F/X" | |
1986 | Portrayed a police detective in Ivan Reitman's "Legal Eagles" | |
1987 | Played the lead role in the thriller "Best Seller" | |
1987 | Starred in the Peter Greenaway film "The Belly of an Architect" | |
1990 | Co-starred with Harrison Ford in "Presumed Innocent" | |
1991 | Reprised his role for "F/X2 - The Deadly Art of Illusion" | |
1992 | Earned an Emmy nomination for his role as notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy in "To Catch a Killer" (CBS) | |
1992 | Earned an Emmy nomination for his supporting role in "The Burden of Proof" (ABC) | |
1992 | Played the title role in HBO's "Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story" | |
1992 | Received another Emmy nomination for his role in "Murder in the Heartland" (ABC) | |
1993 | Producing debut, the NBC TV-movie, "Jack Reed: Badge of Honor"; also starred in the title role | |
1994 | Made directorial debut with "Jack Reed: A Search for Justice"; also scripted and acted in | |
1994 | Played hospital psychiatrist Dr. Brian McKenzie on the short-lived ABC drama "Birdland" | |
1995 | Made his Broadway debut in Brian Friel's "Translations" | |
1995 | Played Big Tom Callahan in the comedy "Tommy Boy," starring Chris Farley and David Spade | |
1996 | Co-starred in the CBS miniseries "A Season in Purgatory," based on a 1993 novel by Dominick Dunne | |
1998 | Landed recurring role as David Spade's father on the NBC sitcom "Just Shoot Me" | |
1998 | Starred in the Chicago production of "Death of a Salesman"; transferred to Broadway in February 1999 | |
1999 | Portrayed Louis Bromfield in the CBS miniseries "Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke" | |
2000 | Reprised role of Willy Loman in the Showtime adaptation of "Death of a Salesman" | |
2001 | Headlined the short-lived NBC sitcom "The Fighting Fitzgeralds" | |
2002 | Portrayed Indiana University basketball coach Bobby Knight in the ESPN biopic "A Season on the Brink" | |
2003 | Won a Tony for Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey into Night" | |
2004 | Cast in Spike Lee's "She Hate Me" | |
2005 | Received an Emmy nomination for his role as Father Domenic Spagnolia in Showtime's "Our Fathers" | |
2005 | Starred with Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne in "Assault on Precinct 13" | |
2006 | Starred in the indie film "10th and Wolf," based on a story by Bobby Moresco and Chazz Palminteri | |
2007 | Appeared on an episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC) as a retired criminal who wants to reconnect with his daughter | |
2007 | Lent his voice to the animated movie "Ratatouille" | |
2007 | Returned to Broadway as Matthew Harrison Brady in "Inherit the Wind," opposite Christopher Plummer | |
2008 | Appeared as the superior officer of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in "Righteous Kill" | |
2008 | Guest starred as a Teamster boss on an episode of "30 Rock" (NBC) | |
2009 | Once again returned to Broadway for a revival of Eugene O'Neill's "Desire Under the Elms" | |
2010 | Played the father of Russell Crowe in the suspense film "The Next Three Days" | |
2011 | Cast in the comedy feature "The Big Year" opposite Owen Wilson, Jack Black, and Steve Martin | |
Awards
1990 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor In a Miniseries or Special in A Killing in a Small Town |
1992 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor In a Miniseries or Special in To Catch a Killer |
1992 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor In a Miniseries or Special in The Burden of Proof |
1993 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor In a Miniseries or Special in Murder in the Heartland |
1999 | Tony Award for Actor (Play) |
2000 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television in Death of a Salesman |
2000 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor In a Miniseries or Movie in Death of a Salesman |
2001 | Producers Guild of America Award for Long-Form Television in Death of a Salesman |
2001 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries in Death of a Salesman |
2003 | Tony Award for Actor (Play) |
2005 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie in Our Fathers |