dern-cowboys.jpgBRUCE DERN
Information from IMDb
Date of birth
4 June 1936
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Birth name
Bruce MacLeish Dern
Height
6' (1.83 m)
Spouse
Andrea Beckett (20 October 1969 - present)
Diane Ladd (1960 - 1969) (divorced) 2 daughters
Marie Dean (? - ?) (divorced)
Trivia
Alumnus of New Trier Township High School East, Winnetka, Illinois. Other New Trier graduates include Ralph Bellamy, Charlton Heston, Rock Hudson, Hugh O'Brien, Ann-Margret, Penelope Milford, Virginia Madsen and Liz Phair.
Born at 3:11am-CDT
Father of Laura Dern.
One of select few to kill actor John Wayne on the silver screen (see the movie The Cowboys (1972)). He even received some death threats out of it.
He had two daughters by Diane Ladd. His eldest daughter, born in 1961, accidentally drowned at 18 months of age, years before his second child, Laura Dern, was born in 1967.
His grandfather was George Dern, former Governor of Utah & FDR's first Secretary of War.
Nephew of poet Archibald Macleish.
Grandchildren of Ellery Walker Harper & Jaya Harper.
Father-in-law of (musician) Ben Harper.
Personal Quotes
"Because I'm the only actor who ever killed John Wayne in a picture, producers have pegged me for a villain."
"I've played more psychotics and freaks and dopers than anyone."
[Talking about his fight scene with John Wayne]: "He walloped me bad."
Mini Biography
Bruce Dern had established himself as the movies' premier heavy, playing sociopaths, psychotics and just plain criminals by the time he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Coming Home (1978). Some perceptive critics had noted that Dern was a finer actor than his roles generally allowed one to believe, repelled as one was by the neurotic persona that Dern was able to project and that casting directors capitalized on.
Jack Nicholson, a close friend, claimed that Dern was the best of the new breed of actors who had been born just before World War II and were coming into their own in the 1970s. Unlike his screen image, Dern had come from a patrician background: his grandfather had been governor of Utah and a secretary of war under Franklin Delano Roosevelt. When allowed to step out of his on-screen persona to assay the millionaire Tom Buchanan in the 1974 remake of The Great Gatsby (1974), he acquitted himself quite well.
Some critics said that "Gatsby" would have been better if Dern rather than Robert Redford had played the title role. Others pointed to his fine work as Nicholson's brother in The King of Marvin Gardens (1972) to establish a case that he was an underappreciated and underutilized talent. By the time Dern appeared as the cuckolded Marine in "Coming Home," a consensus had emerged that Dern was a fine actor. He won an Oscar nod for the role, then fell victim to the infamous "Oscar curse" that has claimed other winners, most famously in the case of 1969 Best Supporting Actor winner Gig Young, Dern's co-star in They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969).
Dern, like Young before him, was determined to break out of supporting roles. Like Young, who had been cast repeatedly as a light comedian in his career, Dern had also become typecast, but as a psycho, surpassing even Anthony Perkins in those types of roles. Dern was determined to break out of the ghetto he had found himself in before "Coming Home." He failed, and his career suffered.
Up through his Oscar nomination, Dern had starred in 26 films in 11 years since graduating to steady employment in A-pictures with Waterhole #3 (1967). After the 1979 Oscar nod, he would appear in only a dozen feature films in the next 11 years, not counting TV movies. None of them brought him stardom or much acclaim, and his attempt at becoming a lead man, Middle Age Crazy (1980), flopped badly (he did received a nomination for Best Performance by a Foreign Actor at the 1981 Genie Awards, the Canadian equivalent of the Oscars, for his work in that picture). It was back to psychos, this time as a lead, in Tattoo (1981). The movie proved to be another flop, and his reputation was further damaged when he bragged that he had actually performed on-screen sexual intercourse with co-star Maud Adams, a boast that Adams heatedly denied. Dern's star was seriously dimmed.
Although he landed a coveted role in the film adaptation of Jason Miller's Pulitzer Prize-winning play That Championship Season (1982), the film was a disappointment with critics and at the box office. He turned in a fine performance three years later in the TV movie Toughlove (1985) (TV), but overall, his career was floundering.
Another psycho role, that of Uncle Bud in After Dark, My Sweet (1990), started buzz about another possible Best Supporting Oscar nod for him, but the film proved a box-office bust and the nomination never materialized. A predicted career renaissance for Dern faded, just as the careers of his ex-wife, Diane Ladd, and their daughter, Laura Dern, kicked into high gear.
Since the 1990 high point of the second wave of his career, Dern has stayed steadily employed, but has never again generated much critical acclaim, nor made any inroads towards reclaiming his crown as the cinema's premier sociopath. A fine actor, who will be remembered most vividly for such psycho/killer roles such as the rustler leader who gunned down John Wayne in The Cowboys (1972), Dern's career serves as a cautionary tale for those actors who try to escape the ghetto of typecasting. While nothing restricts an actor's artistic development as much as typecasting, unless like a Duke Wayne they can turn that type into superstardom, trying to break out of the type can prove to be career suicide.
IMDb mini-biography by Jon C. Hopwood
Filmography
Actor
1. The Astronaut Farmer (2007) (post-production)
2. The Cake Eaters (2007) (post-production) .... Easy Kimbrough
3. "Big Love" .... Frank Harlow
- The Ceremony (2006) TV Episode .... Frank Harlow
- Where There's a Will (2006) TV Episode .... Frank Harlow
- The Baptism (2006) TV Episode .... Frank Harlow
- A Barbecue for Betty (2006) TV Episode .... Frank Harlow
- Easter (2006) TV Episode .... Frank Harlow
(7 more)
4. Walker Payne (2006)
5. Down in the Valley (2005) .... Charlie
6. Believe in Me (2005) .... Ellis Brawley
7. The Hard Easy (2005) .... Gene
8. Monster (2003) .... Thomas
9. Hard Ground (2003) (TV) .... Nate Hutchinson
10. "King of the Hill"
- Boxing Luanne (2003) TV Episode (voice) .... Randy Strickland
11. Milwaukee, Minnesota (2003) .... Sean McNally
12. Masked and Anonymous (2003) .... Editor
13. The Glass House (2001) .... Begleiter
14. Madison (2001) .... Harry Volpi
15. All the Pretty Horses (2000) .... Judge
16. If... Dog... Rabbit... (1999) .... McGurdy
... aka One Last Score (USA: DVD title)
17. The Haunting (1999) .... Mr. Dudley
... aka Maldición, La (USA: Spanish title)
18. Hard Time: The Premonition (1999) (TV) .... Ray Earl Winston
... aka The Premonition (USA)
19. Small Soldiers (1998) (voice) .... Link Static
20. Perfect Prey (1998) (TV) .... Capt. Swaggert
... aka When the Bough Breaks II
21. Comfort, Texas (1997) (TV)
22. Last Man Standing (1996/I) .... Sheriff Ed Galt
23. Mulholland Falls (1996) (uncredited) .... The Chief
24. Down Periscope (1996) .... RAdm. Yancy Graham
25. "Lost Drive-In" (1996) TV Series .... Host
26. Wild Bill (1995) .... Will Plummer
27. Mrs. Munck (1995) .... Patrick Leary
28. A Mother's Prayer (1995) (TV) .... John Walker
29. Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight (1994) (TV) .... George Putnam
30. Dead Man's Revenge (1994) (TV) .... Payton McCay
31. It's Nothing Personal (1993) (TV) .... Billy Archer
32. Diggstown (1992) .... John Gillon
... aka Midnight Sting
33. Carolina Skeletons (1991) (TV) .... Junior Stoker
34. Into the Badlands (1991) (TV) .... T.L. Barston
35. The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson (1990) (TV) .... Scout Ed Higgins
36. After Dark, My Sweet (1990) .... Garrett "Uncle Bud" Stoker
37. The `burbs (1989) .... Mark Rumsfield
38. Trenchcoat in Paradise (1989) (TV) .... John Hollander
39. 1969 (1988) .... Cliff
40. World Gone Wild (1988) .... Ethan
41. The Big Town (1987) .... Mr. Edwards
42. Uncle Tom's Cabin (1987) (TV) .... Augustine St. Claire
43. Roses Are for the Rich (1987) (TV) .... Douglas Osborne
44. Retour (1987)
45. Toughlove (1985) (TV) .... Rob Charters
46. "Space" (1985) (mini) TV Series .... Stanley Mott
... aka James A. Michener's Space
47. On the Edge (1985) .... Wes Holman
48. Harry Tracy, Desperado (1982) .... Harry Tracy
... aka Harry Tracy
... aka Harry Tracy: Dead or Alive (UK)
49. That Championship Season (1982) .... George Sitkowski
50. Tattoo (1981) .... Karl Kinsky
51. Middle Age Crazy (1980) .... Bobby Lee
... aka Heartfarm
52. The Driver (1978) .... The Detective
53. Coming Home (1978) .... Capt. Bob Hyde
... aka Hemkomsten
54. Black Sunday (1977) .... Captain Michael J. Lander
55. Folies bourgeoises (1976) .... William Brandels
... aka Pazzi borghesi (Italy)
... aka The Twist (USA)
... aka Verrückten Reichen, Die (West Germany)
56. Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) .... Grayson Potchuck
... aka Won Ton Ton (USA: poster title)
57. Family Plot (1976) .... George
58. Smile (1975) .... Big Bob Freelander
59. Posse (1975) .... Jack Strawhorn
60. The Great Gatsby (1974) .... Tom Buchanan
61. The Laughing Policeman (1973) .... Insp. Leo Larsen SFPD
... aka An Investigation of Murder (UK)
62. Thumb Tripping (1972) .... Smitty
63. The King of Marvin Gardens (1972) .... Jason Staebler
64. Silent Running (1972) .... Freeman Lowell
65. The Cowboys (1972) .... Long Hair (Asa Watts)
66. The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant (1971) .... Dr. Roger Gerard
... aka The Incredible Transplant
67. Drive, He Said (1971) .... Coach Bullion
68. Sam Hill: Who Killed Mr. Foster? (1971) (TV) .... Deputy Doyle Pickett
... aka Sam Hill: Who Killed the Mysterious Mr. Foster?
69. "The Immortal"
- To the Gods Alone (1970) TV Episode .... Luther Seacombe
70. "The High Chaparral"
- Only the Bad Come to Sonora (1970) TV Episode .... Wade
71. The Rebel Rousers (1970) .... J.J. Weston
72. Bloody Mama (1970) .... Kevin Dirkman
73. "Land of the Giants"
- Wild Journey (1970) TV Episode .... Thorg
74. "Bonanza"
... aka Ponderosa (USA: rerun title)
- The Gold Mine (1970) TV Episode .... Bayliss
- The Trackers (1968) TV Episode .... Cully Maco
75. They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) .... James
76. "Lancer"
- A Person Unknown (1969) TV Episode .... Tom Nevill
- Julie (1968) TV Episode .... Lucas
77. "Then Came Bronson"
- Amid Splinters of the Thunderbolt (1969) TV Episode .... Bucky O'Neill
78. The Cycle Savages (1969) .... Keeg
79. Number One (1969) .... Richie Fowler
80. Castle Keep (1969) .... Lt. Billy Byron Bix
81. Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) .... Joe Danby
82. "Gunsmoke"
... aka Gun Law (UK)
... aka Marshal Dillon (USA: rerun title)
- The Long Night (1969) TV Episode .... Guerin
- The Jailer (1966) TV Episode .... Lou Stone
- South Wind (1965) TV Episode .... Judd Print
- Ten Little Indians (1965) TV Episode .... Doyle Phleger
83. "The Big Valley"
- The Prize (1968) TV Episode .... John Weaver
- Four Days to Furnace Hill (1967) TV Episode .... Gabe Skeels
- Lost Treasure (1966) TV Episode .... Clovis
- By Force and Violence (1966) TV Episode .... Harry Dixon
- Under a Dark Star (1966) TV Episode .... Jack Follet
84. "The F.B.I."
- The Nightmare (1968) TV Episode .... Virgil Roy Phipps
- Pound of Flesh (1965) TV Episode .... PFC Byron Landy
85. Hang 'Em High (1968) .... Miller, One of the 3 rustlers, and murderer
86. Psych-Out (1968) .... Steve Davis
87. Will Penny (1968) .... Rafe Quint
88. "Run for Your Life"
- At the End of the Rainbow There's Another Rainbow (1967) TV Episode .... Alex Ryder
- Trip to the Far Side (1967) TV Episode .... Alex Ryder
- The Treasure Seekers (1966) TV Episode .... Alex Ryder
89. Waterhole #3 (1967) .... Deputy Samuel P. Tippen
... aka Waterhole No. 3
... aka Waterhole Three (UK)
90. The Trip (1967/II) .... John
91. The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967) .... May
92. The War Wagon (1967) .... Hammond
93. "The Fugitive"
- The Devil's Disciples (1966) TV Episode .... Hutch
- The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1965) TV Episode .... Hank
- Corner of Hell (1965) TV Episode .... Cody
- Come Watch Me Die (1964) TV Episode .... Charley
- The Other Side of the Mountain (1963) TV Episode .... Deputy Martin
94. "Disneyland"
... aka Disney's Wonderful World (USA: new title)
... aka The Disney Sunday Movie (USA: new title)
... aka The Magical World of Disney (USA: new title)
... aka The Wonderful World of Disney (USA: new title)
... aka Walt Disney (USA: new title)
... aka Walt Disney Presents (USA: new title)
... aka Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (USA: new title)
- Gallegher Goes West: The Crusading Reporter (1966) TV Episode .... Turk
95. The Wild Angels (1966) .... Loser
96. "The Loner"
- To Hang a Dead Man (1966) TV Episode .... Merrick
97. "Branded"
- The Wolfers (1966) TV Episode .... Les
98. "Gallegher Goes West"
- The Crusading Reporter (1966) TV Episode .... Turk, Gunslinger
99. "Twelve O'Clock High"
- The Jones Boys (1965) TV Episode .... Tech. Sgt. Jones
- The Mission (1965) TV Episode .... Lt. Michaels
- The Lorelei (1965) TV Episode .... Lt. Danton
- Golden Boy Had Nine Black Sheep (1964) TV Episode .... Lt. Michaels
100. "A Man Called Shenandoah"
- The Verdict (1965) TV Episode .... Bobby Ballantine
101. "Laredo"
- Rendezvous at Arillo (1965) TV Episode .... Durkee
102. "Rawhide"
- Walk into Terror (1965) TV Episode .... Ed Rankin
103. "The Virginian"
... aka The Men from Shiloh (USA: new title)
- A Little Learning (1965) TV Episode .... Bert Kramer
- The Payment (1964) TV Episode .... Lee Darrow
- First to Thine Own Self (1964) TV Episode .... Pell
104. "Wagon Train"
... aka Major Adams, Trail Master
- The Indian Girl Story (1965) TV Episode .... Wilkins
- Those Who Stay Behind (1964) TV Episode .... Jud Fisher
- The Eli Bancroft Story (1963) TV Episode .... Seth Bancroft
105. Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) .... John Mayhew
... aka What Ever Happened to Cousin Charlotte?
106. "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour"
- Lonely Place (1964) TV Episode .... Jesse
- Night Caller (1964) TV Episode .... Roy Bullock
107. Marnie (1964) .... Sailor
108. "The Greatest Show on Earth"
- The Last of the Strongmen (1964) TV Episode .... Vernon
109. "77 Sunset Strip"
- Lover's Lane (1964) TV Episode .... Ralph Wheeler
110. "The Outer Limits"
- The Zanti Misfits (1963) TV Episode .... Ben Garth
111. "Kraft Suspense Theatre"
- The Hunt (1963) TV Episode .... Maynard
112. "The Dick Powell Show"
... aka The Dick Powell Theatre (USA: new title)
- The Old Man and the City (1963) TV Episode
- Squadron (1962) TV Episode .... Deering
113. "Stoney Burke" (1962) TV Series .... E.J. Stocker (1962-1963)
114. "Ripcord"
- Sentence of Death (1962) TV Episode
115. "The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor"
... aka Robert Taylor's Detectives (new title)
... aka The Detectives
... aka The Detectives, Starring Robert Taylor
- Act of God (1961) TV Episode .... Jud Treadwell
116. "Thriller"
... aka Boris Karloff's Thriller
- The Remarkable Mrs. Hawk (1961) TV Episode .... Johnny Norton
117. "Ben Casey"
- A Dark Night for Billy Harris (1961) TV Episode .... Billy Harris
118. "Surfside 6"
- Daphne, Girl Detective (1961) TV Episode .... Johnny Page
119. "Cain's Hundred"
- Crime and Commitment: Part 1 (1961) TV Episode .... Hood
120. "Sea Hunt"
- Crime at Sea (1961) TV Episode
121. "Naked City"
- The Fault in Our Stars (1961) TV Episode (uncredited) .... Hollis
- Bullets Cost too Much (1961) TV Episode
122. The Crimebusters (1961) .... Joe Krajac
123. Wild River (1960) (uncredited) .... Jack Roper
