Editing Richard Dreyfuss (section)

==Career==
{{see also|List of performances by Richard Dreyfuss}}

=== 1964–1974: Rise to prominence ===
[[File:Richard Dreyfus and Allan Carr at the Governor's Ball party after the 1989 Academy Awards.jpg|thumb|Dreyfuss (left) and producer [[Allan Carr]] at the Governor's Ball after the [[61st Academy Awards|1989 Academy Awards]]]]

Dreyfuss began acting in his youth, at [[Temple Emanuel (Beverly Hills, California)|Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills]] Arts Center and the Westside Jewish Community Center, under drama teacher Bill Miller.<ref name="tca" /><ref>Personal interview</ref> He debuted in the TV production ''In Mama's House'', when he was fifteen. He attended San Fernando Valley State College, now [[California State University, Northridge]], for a year, and was a [[conscientious objector]] during the [[Vietnam War]], working in alternate service for two years, as a clerk in a Los Angeles hospital. During this time, he acted in a few small TV roles on shows such as ''[[Peyton Place (TV series)|Peyton Place]]'', ''[[Room 222 ]]'', ''[[Gidget (TV series)|Gidget]]'', ''[[That Girl]]'', ''[[Gunsmoke]]'', ''[[Bewitched]]'', ''[[The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (TV series)|The Ghost & Mrs. Muir]]'', and ''[[The Big Valley]]''. He played a larger role  in an episode in the second season of ''[[Judd, for the Defense]]''. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, he also performed on stage on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], [[Off-Broadway]], repertory, and [[Improvisational theatre|improvisational theater]]. Dreyfuss appeared in the play ''[[The Time of Your Life]]'', which was revived on March 17, 1972, at the [[Huntington Hartford Theater]] in Los Angeles, and directed by [[Edwin Sherin]].<ref>{{cite book|title=WorldCat|publisher=Worldcat.org|oclc = 611053954}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2211&dat=19720408&id=FCcmAAAAIBAJ&pg=781,2046468|publisher=The Afro American|title=Hollywood Beat|date=April 8, 1972|access-date=January 22, 2012}}</ref>

Dreyfuss's first film role was a small, uncredited appearance in ''[[The Graduate]]''. He had one line, "Shall I get the cops? I'll get the cops." He was also briefly seen as a stagehand in ''[[Valley of the Dolls (film)|Valley of the Dolls]]'' (1967), in which he had a few lines. Dreyfuss also featured prominently in a 1969 movie, ''[[Hello Down There]]'' with Tony Randall. In mid-1972, Dreyfuss filmed a supporting role in ''[[The Second Coming of Suzanne]]'', but the movie did not premiere for two years.<ref>Lomax, Michele (October 21, 1974). {{"'}}Suzanne' fails to speak out". ''San Francisco Examiner''. p. 33.</ref> In 1973 he starred in the [[CBS]] pilot ''[[Catch-22]]''. He subsequently appeared in ''[[Dillinger (1973 film)|Dillinger]]'', and landed a key role in the 1973 [[George Lucas]] hit ''[[American Graffiti]]'', acting with other future stars such as [[Harrison Ford]].<ref name="tca" /> Dreyfuss played his first lead role in the Canadian film ''[[The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (film)|The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz]]'' (1974), receiving positive reviews, including praise from [[Pauline Kael]].<ref name="tca" />

=== 1975–1995: Career stardom and acclaim ===
Dreyfuss went on to star in box office blockbusters ''[[Jaws (film)|Jaws]]'' (1975) and ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]'' (1977), both directed by [[Steven Spielberg]]. He won the 1978 [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] at the [[50th Academy Awards]] ceremony for his portrayal of a struggling actor in ''[[The Goodbye Girl]]'' (1977), becoming the youngest actor to do so (at the age of 30 years, 125 days old), besting [[Marlon Brando]], who had won his first Oscar in 1955 at the age of 30 years, 360 days old.<ref name="tca" /> This record stood for 25 years until it was broken in 2003 by [[Adrien Brody]], who was three weeks shy of age 30 at the time of the [[75th Academy Awards]] ceremony. Dreyfuss is still, however, the shortest to have ever won Best Actor, standing at about 5 foot 4 inches tall.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000377/bio?ref_=nm_ql_1|title=Richard Dreyfuss Biography Page|website=[[IMDb]]}}</ref> In five years, between 1973 and 1978, the films that Dreyfuss appeared in grossed upwards of $900 million. He made his producing debut with ''[[The Big Fix (1978 film)|The Big Fix]]'' (1978), in which he also starred.

Around 1978, Dreyfuss began using [[cocaine]] frequently; he claims to not remember anything from the production of the 1981 film ''[[Whose Life Is It Anyway? (film)|Whose Life Is It Anyway?]]''. His addiction came to a head in 1982, when he was arrested for possession of the drug after he blacked out while driving, and his [[Mercedes-Benz R107 and C107|Mercedes-Benz 450 SL]] struck a tree.<ref name="tca" /><ref name="lmtcoc">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1qpfAAAAIBAJ&pg=3621%2C3765642 |newspaper=Lewiston Morning Tribune |title=Actor faces cocaine charge |date=November 13, 1982 |page=2A }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/77809/bio.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050109212035/http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/77809/bio.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 9, 2005|title=News - Entertainment, Music, Movies, Celebrity|publisher=MTV News}}</ref> He entered [[Drug rehabilitation|rehabilitation]] and eventually made a Hollywood comeback with the films ''[[Down and Out in Beverly Hills]]'' in 1986 and ''[[Stakeout (1987 film)|Stakeout]]'' the following year.<ref name="tca" /> Dreyfuss appeared as the elder Gordie Lachance (played by his [[The Buddy System (film)|''Buddy System'']] co-star [[Wil Wheaton]]) in [[Rob Reiner]]'s ''[[Stand by Me (film)|Stand by Me]]'', a [[Coming of age|coming-of-age]] drama/comedy adapted from [[Stephen King]]'s novella ''[[The Body (novella)|The Body]]''. He was nominated for a Golden Globe playing a defense lawyer in the courtroom thriller ''[[Nuts (1987 film)|Nuts]]''. In 1988, he reunited with director [[Paul Mazursky]] to star in the political farce ''[[Moon over Parador]]''.

In 1989, Dreyfuss reunited with Spielberg on ''[[Always (1989 film)|Always]]'', a remake of ''[[A Guy Named Joe]]'' in which he co-starred with [[Holly Hunter]], and reunited with his ''Close Encounters'' co-star [[Teri Garr]] for the comedy ''[[Let It Ride (film)|Let It Ride]]''. He had a starring role opposite [[Bill Murray]] in the 1991 comedy ''[[What About Bob?]]'', as a [[psychiatrist]] driven to insanity by a particularly obsessive new patient. That same year, Dreyfuss [[Film producer|produced]] and starred as [[Georges Picquart]] in ''[[Prisoner of Honor]]'', an [[HBO]] movie about the historical [[Dreyfus Affair]]. In 1994, he participated in the historic ''[[Papal Concert to Commemorate the Shoah]]'' at the [[Apostolic Palace|Vatican]] in the presence of [[Pope John Paul II]], Rav [[Elio Toaff]], [[chief rabbi]] of Rome, and [[Oscar Luigi Scalfaro]], President of the Italian Republic. He recited [[Kaddish]] as part of a performance of [[Leonard Bernstein]]'s [[Symphony No. 3 (Bernstein)|Third Symphony]] with the [[Royal Philharmonic Orchestra]] under the baton of [[Gilbert Levine]]. The event was broadcast worldwide. Dreyfuss received his second Oscar nomination for his performance as Glenn Holland in ''[[Mr. Holland's Opus]]'' (1995).<ref name="tca" /> Since then, he has continued working in movies, television and the stage. In 2001–2002, he played Max Bickford in the television drama ''[[The Education of Max Bickford]]''. In 2004, he appeared in the revival of ''[[Sly Fox]]'' on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] (opposite [[Eric Stoltz]], [[René Auberjonois (actor)|René Auberjonois]], [[Bronson Pinchot]] and [[Elizabeth Berkley]]).

=== 1996–present ===
[[File:Richard Dreyfuss.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Dreyfuss in 1997]]
In 1997, Dreyfuss recorded a [[Voice-over|voiceover]] for the [[Apple Inc.|Apple Computer]] "[[Think Different]]" ad campaign,<ref>[http://www.geekologie.com/2011/10/touching-steve-jobs-voicing-apples-iconi.php "Touching: Steve Jobs Voicing One Of Apple's Iconic 'Think Different' Campaign Commercials"]. [[Geekologie]]. October 7, 2011</ref> and also provided the voice of the narrator in ''[[The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon]]''. In 1999, Dreyfuss made his London West End debut starring alongside [[Marsha Mason]] in [[Neil Simon]]'s ''[[The Prisoner of Second Avenue]]'' at the [[Theatre Royal Haymarket]].<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Matt |last=Wolf |title=The Prisoner of Second Avenue |url=https://variety.com/1999/legit/reviews/the-prisoner-of-second-avenue-4-1117491982/ |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=June 28, 2024 |date=March 30, 1999}}</ref> Dreyfuss spent four years as a research adviser at [[St Antony's College, Oxford]], from 2004 until 2008.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Smith |first1=David |date=June 24, 2020 |title=Richard Dreyfuss: 'I was a bad guy for a number of years' |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jun/24/richard-dreyfuss-bad-guy-hollywood-hellraising-metoo |access-date=May 19, 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> He was scheduled to appear in a 2004 production of ''[[The Producers (musical)|The Producers]]'' in [[London]], but withdrew from the production a week before opening night. The media noted that Dreyfuss was suffering from problems relating to an operation for a [[spinal disc herniation|herniated disc]], and that the part of [[List of The Producers characters|Max Bialystock]] in the play was a physically demanding one. Both he and his assistant for the production stated that Dreyfuss was accumulating injuries that required him to wear physical therapy supports during rehearsals.<ref>Adam, Karla. [http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,,1394899,00.html "My musical hell"]. ''[[The Guardian]]''. January 21, 2005</ref> After Dreyfuss was officially let go from the production he was replaced by [[Nathan Lane]]. He ultimately made his West End return at [[The Old Vic]] in 2009.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7706274.stm "Dreyfuss in London stage return"], [[BBC News]], November 3, 2008.</ref>

In 2006, he appeared as Richard Nelson, a gay architect and one of the survivors in the film ''[[Poseidon (film)|Poseidon]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.livescience.com/768-poseidon-packs-punch-real-science.html |title='Poseidon' Packs Punch of Real Science |first=Tariq |last=Malik |date=May 12, 2006 |access-date=April 21, 2019 |work=[[Live Science]] |publisher=[[Purch]]}}</ref> Dreyfuss portrayed U.S Vice President [[Dick Cheney]] in [[Oliver Stone]]'s 2008 [[George W. Bush]] biopic ''[[W. (film)|W]]''.<ref>[https://comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=45367 "Richard Dreyfuss is Dick Cheney"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725223754/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=45367 |date=July 25, 2014 }}, comingsoon.net, ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'', May 22, 2008.</ref>

[[File:Italy RD smile.jpg|thumb|Dreyfuss at Italy Lifetime Achievement Awards (2021)]]
In 2009, he appeared in the play ''[[Complicit (play)|Complicit]]'' by [[Joe Sutton]] at London's Old Vic theatre. The production was directed by the theatre's artistic director, [[Kevin Spacey]]. Dreyfuss's performance was subject to some controversy, due to his use of an [[In-ear monitor|earpiece]] onstage, owing to his inability to learn his lines.<ref>Thompson, Warwick. [https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=at.CnEGmT0Tk&refer=muse "Richard Dreyfuss, Sporting Earpiece, Triumphs in New Play"], [[Bloomberg News]]. January 29, 2009.</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article5608196.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616213319/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article5608196.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 16, 2011|newspaper=[[The Times]]|title=Wired for sound how Richard Dreyfuss remembers his lines|first1=Kaya|last1=Burgess|first2=Jack|last2=Malvern|date=January 29, 2009|access-date=May 22, 2010}}</ref> Spacey reportedly groped one of Dreyfuss's sons while the three of them were alone in Spacey's apartment; the allegation was denied. Richard Dreyfuss was focused on learning his lines and was unaware of any harassment.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/harrydreyfuss2/actor-harry-dreyfuss-when-i-was-18-kevin-spacey-groped-me |title=Actor Harry Dreyfuss: When I Was 18, Kevin Spacey Groped Me |work=[[Buzzfeed News]] |date= November 4, 2017|accessdate=June 25, 2022}}</ref> He guest-voiced as himself in the "[[Three Kings (Family Guy)|Three Kings]]" episode of ''[[Family Guy]]'' in 2009, and later appeared in the episode "[[Peter-assment]]". Dreyfuss guest starred in the [[List of Weeds episodes#Season 6 (2010)|sixth season]] of ''[[Weeds (TV series)|Weeds]]'' as [[List of Weeds characters#Warren Schiff|Warren Schiff]], [[Nancy Botwin|Nancy]]'s high school teacher to whom she had lost her virginity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tvguide.com/News/Richard-Dreyfuss-Weeds-1020226.aspx|author=Joyce Eng|title=Richard Dreyfuss to Appear on ''Weeds''|publisher=[[TVGuide]].com|access-date=December 12, 2019|archive-date=December 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218202242/http://www.tvguide.com/news/richard-dreyfuss-weeds-1020226.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2010, he played Matt Boyd in ''[[Piranha 3D]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodnews.com/2010/05/05/richard-dreyfuss-reveals-why-he-made-%E2%80%98piranha-3-d%E2%80%99-%E2%80%9Cto-get-money%E2%80%9D/ |title=Richard Dreyfuss reveals why he made 'Piranha 3-D:' "to get money" |newspaper=[[Hollywood News]] |access-date=September 25, 2017 |date=May 5, 2010 |archive-date=August 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806181511/http://www.hollywoodnews.com/2010/05/05/richard-dreyfuss-reveals-why-he-made-%e2%80%98piranha-3-d%e2%80%99-%e2%80%9cto-get-money%e2%80%9d/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Dreyfuss' star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] is located at 7021 [[Hollywood Boulevard|Hollywood Blvd]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.walkoffame.com/richard-dreyfuss|title=Richard Dreyfuss |publisher=Hollywood Walk of Fame|date=October 25, 2019|access-date=February 24, 2020}}</ref> Dreyfuss took part in the 2012 Academy Awards Night of 100 Stars.

In 2014, he appeared with best-selling [[Abraham Lincoln]] scholar [[Ronald C. White]] in a documentary entitled "Lincoln's Greatest Speech", highlighting Lincoln's [[Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address|Second Inaugural Address]], appearing as host and reciting the speech on camera. Dreyfuss portrayed [[Bernie Madoff]] in ''[[Madoff (miniseries)|Madoff]]'' (2016), co-starring [[Blythe Danner]]. He followed it up with roles in the hit comedy ''[[Book Club (film)|Book Club]]'' (2018) and the [[Netflix]] movie ''[[The Last Laugh (2019 film)|The Last Laugh]]''.