Dennis Quaid - Definition and Overview

Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954 in Houston, Texas) is an American actor.

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).

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). In 2004, he married real estate agent Kimberly Buffington. 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.

Selected filmography

• Flight of the Phoenix (2004)
• The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
• The Alamo (2004)
• Cold Creek Manor (2003)
• Traffic (2000)
• Frequency (2000)
• Any Given Sunday (1999)
• Savior (1998)
• The Parent Trap (1998)
• Dragonheart (1996)
• Postcards From the Edge (1990)
• The Big Easy (1987)
• Innerspace (1987)
• The Right Stuff (1983)
• Breaking Away (1979)

Resources

• "Dennis Quaid". The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) (http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000598/). Retrieved Sep. 21, 2004.