If you are familiar with American cinematography, then you’ve definitely heard of Dennis Quaid. This American heartthrob is an award-winning actor, producer, director, singer and activist. Active since the 1980s this celebrity bad boy has shocked the public with his personal life , at the same time starring in a number of films of different genre, receiving critical acclaim for his versatile roles.
In this article you have the opportunity to read more about his life in general, from his early age to the present day. We will tell you about his career development, his personal life. You will have the opportunity to read about his charity work and his life struggles.
Early Years
Dennis William Quaid was born on the 9th of April 1954, in Houston Texas, to a mother Juanita B. “Nita” Quaid, a real estate agent, and father William Rudy Quaid, an electrician. Dennis and his older brother Rudy Quaid, who is also a famous actor were raised in a small city of Bellaire, Texas. Quaid and his brother were raised in a family of Baptist faith, which made spirituality an important part of Quaid’s life, and inspired his soul searching later on in life.
After finishing high school where he got familiar with acting through drama classes, Quaid enrolled at The University of Houston. Just before graduating, following in his brother’s footsteps, Quaid dropped out of college and was headed to Hollywood, with the intention of pursuing an acting career.
Quaid was at first faced with financial challenges, a lot of rejection, and struggled with finding roles, but caught his first big break when landing a role of Mike in Breaking Away (1979), a film directed and produced by Peter Yates.
Career
After his well received role in Breaking Away , came the role of astronaut Gordon Cooper in The Right Stuff (1983), which gained him critical acclaim and propelled him to fame. Dennis Quaid is known for being a versatile actor. His famous grin landed him many roles in both comedies and dramas. During the 1980s he starred successfully in Jaws3D (1983), Innerspace (1987), The Big Easy (1987) , Great Balls of Fire (1989).
With the beginning of a new decade, Quaid’s career hit a hiatus, caused by his battle with anorexia nervosa. This condition was a direct consequence of the fact he had to lose 40 pounds so he could play a role of Doc Holiday in Wyatt Earp , and his previous struggles with addiction.
Coming out strong from these challenging personal situations Quaid regained acclaim and success during the 1990s , taking part of movies such as Dragonheart (1996), The Parent Trap (1998), Any Given Sunday (1999).
His success continued during the new millennium , with films such as Frequency (2000), The Rookie (2002), Cold Greek Manor (2003), The Flight of the Phoenix (2004), The Alamo (2004), In Good Company (2004), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), Yours, Mine and Ours (2005), Vantage Point (2008), G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), Pandorum (2009), Legion ( 2010), Truth (2015), A Dog’s Purpose (2017).
His most critically acclaimed role to this day is the role of Frank Whitaker in Far from Heaven (2002) . Alongside Julianne Moore, Dennis Haysbert and Patricia Clarkson , playing a role of a homosexual man during the 1950s, Quaid brings Frank’s character to life in such a brilliant manner. New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male, nomination for Best Supporting Actor from the Golden Globe Awards were just some of the awards and nominations he received for playing this role.
Despite dropping out of college, Quaid received a Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater The University of Houston.
Personal Life
Being a high profile celebrity, Dennis has been under the public eye almost all of his life. Living in Hollywood during the 1970s and 1980s Dennis became familiar with drugs, and developed a chaotic lifestyle filled with controversies. All this changed with him falling in love with Meg Ryan on the set of their second movie, D.O.A (1988). She conditioned him to face his demons before marrying him. Quaid and Ryan were married from 1991 to 2000 and have a son Jack Henry.
After Ryan Quaid married real- estate agent Kimberly Buffington in 2004, and they were married up until 2016. Their fraternal twins Thomas Boone and Zoe Grace were born in 2007. A mistake that was made by hospital staff with giving the right amount of heparin to his twins led to Quaid becoming an advocate for patient safety, producing several documentaries that aired on The Discovery Channel, as well as co- authoring a medical journal article on positive influence that patient stories have on healthcare.
Quaid is currently dating Santa Auzina .
Raised as a Baptist, Quaid has stated several times how during his family and drug struggles faith in the Lord has been a great comfort for him. He points out exploring different religions while traveling the world is an important spiritual experience for him. Quaid visited India with his Baptist minister who re-baptized him in the Ganges River.
Biography
Full name: Dennis William Quaid
Nick name: Dennis Quand (a nickname earned in high-school due to his obsession with James Bond)
Date of birth: April 9th , 1954
Birth-sign: Aries
Birth place: Houston, Texas
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Age: 63
Occupation: Actor, Producer,Director, Singer
Education: University of Houston
Personal Life and Family
Nationality: American
Ethnicity: White (Caucasian)
Father name: William Rudy Quaid
Mother name: Juanita B. “Nita” Quaid
Brother name: Randy Randall Rudy Quaid
Marital status: Divorced
Girlfriend name: Santa Auzina
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Children: 3
Children names : Jack Henry Quaid, Thomas Boone Quaid, Zoe Grace Quaid
Hobbies: Singing, Piloting, Golf
Personal Look and Measurements
Height: 5 ft 11 in (183cm)
Weight: 189 lbs (86 kg)
Hair Color: light brown
Eye color: blue
Body: Athletic
Net Worth and Salary
Net worth: $40 Million
Dennis Quaid has an estimated net worth of $40 million dollars. He earned his net worth starring in movies and television.
Social networks
Dennis Quaid isn’t active on social media, with the exception of a Facebook page for him and his band The Sharks.
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/dennisquaidandthesharks/
Interesting Facts about Dennis Quaid
Dennis Quaid is in addition to his acting a successful musician. He writes music and performs with his band The Sharks. He is also a very passionate pilot, and he owns a Cessna Citation.
Quaid is devoted to giving back to the community. “ Dennis Quaid Charity Weekend” in Austin is a charity organization he lends his name to. He helps build medical clinics in and transports sick children from Central America to the U.S. , as a part of the International Hospital for Children in New Orleans.
Quick Summary
Dennis Quaid, active since the 1980s , is an American actor, that starred in many films of different genre. His most notable roles are in Breaking Away (1983), The Right Stuff (1983)
The Big Easy (1987) , Great Balls of Fire (1989) and Far from Heaven (2002). He is also a director, producer, singer, songwriter co-author and activist .
Dennis Quaid uses his fame to help others and give back to the community, being the name of “ Dennis Quaid Charity Weekend”, and being a part of the International Hospital for Children in New Orleans .
Even though his personal life has often been controversial, Dennis Quaid overcoming addictions, family struggles and a career hiatus serves as a good example for his fans and the public.