Dennis William Quaid was born inHouston,Texas, to Juanita Bonnie Dale "Nita" (née Jordan; 1927–2019), a real-estate agent, and William Rudy Quaid (1923–1987), an electrician. He hasEnglish,Irish,Scots-Irish, andCajun (French) ancestry.[2] Through his father, Quaid is a first cousin, twice removed, of cowboy performerGene Autry.[3] Quaid attended Paul W. Horn Elementary School in Bellaire andPershing Middle School in Houston. He studiedMandarin Chinese and dance atBellaire High School inBellaire, Texas, and later in college, at theUniversity of Houston, under drama coach Cecil Pickett, who had previously taught at Bellaire High and whose daughter is actressCindy Pickett. Quaid was raised in theBaptist faith.[4][5] He is the younger brother of actorRandy Quaid.
Known for his grin,[7] Quaid has appeared in both comedic and dramatic roles.[2] His breakout role was for his portrayal of astronautGordon Cooper in the critically acclaimedPhilip Kaufman–directed historical epicThe Right Stuff (1983).[2] The film received positive reviews, earning anAcademy Award for Best Picture nomination. CriticRoger Ebert praised the film, writing, "It contains uniformly interesting performances", naming Quaid,Ed Harris,Scott Glenn, andFred Ward. That same year, Quaid had starring roles in the horror filmJaws 3-D (1983) and the romantic sports dramaTough Enough, acting alongsidePam Grier. He later acted in the science fiction filmsDreamscape (1984),Enemy Mine (1985), andInnerspace (1987).
In 1987, Quaid starred in theneo-noir romance thrillerThe Big Easy (1987) oppositeEllen Barkin. Hal Hinson ofThe Washington Post praised his performance, comparing him toJack Nicholson: "The same is true for Quaid. A gator grin spreading over his face, Quaid is so unabashedly full of himself that you get swept up in his enthusiastic high spirits. He's a life-giver, like Nicholson."[8] For his performance. Quaid received a nomination for theIndependent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. He also achieved acclaim for his portrayal ofJerry Lee Lewis inGreat Balls of Fire! (1989) acting alongsideWinona Ryder.[2] In 1989, Quaid also appeared throughout theBonnie Raitt music video for the song "Thing Called Love."[9]
Quaid's career lost steam in the early 1990s after he foughtanorexia nervosa, brought on when he lost 40 pounds to play the tuberculosis-afflictedDoc Holliday in the Western dramaWyatt Earp (1994),[10] and recovered from acocaine addiction.[2] However, Quaid continued to garner positive reviews in a variety of films.[2] He played the lead role in the 1996 adventure filmDragonheart, and starred in the remake ofThe Parent Trap (1998) directed byNancy Meyers, playing the part of the twins' divorced father. He also starred as an aging pro football quarterback inOliver Stone'sAny Given Sunday (1999) and in the science fiction filmFrequency (2000). He was the guest star of a Season 2 episode ofMuppets Tonight (1997). In 1998, Quaid made his debut as a film director withEverything That Rises, atelevision movie Western in which Quaid also starred.[11]
In 2017, Quaid starred inA Dog's Purpose as Ethan Montgomery, billed as "a celebration of the special connection between humans and their dogs."[12] The following year, Quaid starred inI Can Only Imagine, where he played Arthur Millard, the father of singer and songwriterBart Millard, andKin, where he plays Hal, the father of the film's two protagonists. In 2019, Quaid portrayedVice Admiral William 'Bull' Halsey in the war dramaMidway. In 2022, he voiced a leading role in theWalt Disney Animated filmStrange World. In 2023, Quaid starred in the sports dramaThe Hill (2023).
In March 2018, it was confirmed by directorSean McNamara that Quaid would portray PresidentRonald Reagan in a biopic, titledReagan,[13] the second time Quaid has portrayed a U.S. president.[14] The film was slated to have a summer 2019 release; however, in May 2020 it was still in pre-production[13] and was scheduled to begin filming, but was stopped and postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[15] The film was released in theaters on August 30, 2024.[16] The same year, Quaid starred alongsideDemi Moore andMargaret Qualley in thebody horror filmThe Substance, in which he portrays a sleazy television studio executive named Harvey.[17]
Quaid has been married four times and has three children. He met his first wife, actressP. J. Soles, on the set of the filmOur Winning Season.[18] They were married in 1978 and divorced in 1983.[19]
On February 14, 1991, Quaid married actressMeg Ryan. Quaid and Ryan fell in love during the shooting of their second film together,D.O.A.[20] They have a son,Jack Quaid (born 1992).[21] Quaid and Ryan announced their separation on June 28, 2000, saying they had been separated six weeks by then.[20] Their divorce was finalized in July 2001.[22]
Buffington filed for divorce from Quaid in March 2012.[38] Buffington's attorney then withdrew the divorce papers on April 26, 2012.[39] That summer, Quaid and Buffington moved to California.[40] In October 2012, he and Buffington again decided to separate, and Buffington filed for legal separation, seeking joint legal and sole physical custody of the twins.[41] After waiting to establish the required six months of residency in California, Quaid filed for divorce on November 30, 2012, asking for joint legal and physical custody of the children and offering to pay spousal support to Buffington.[40] They then reconciled, and the divorce was dismissed by September 2013.[42] On June 28, 2016, the couple announced in a joint statement that they were divorcing, citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason, with Buffington asking for full physical custody and joint legal custody.[43][44] The divorce was finalized on April 27, 2018.
Following his separation from Buffington, Quaid dated model Santa Auzina from July 2016 to 2019.[45][46][47]
On October 21, 2019, Quaid confirmed his engagement to Laura Savoie.[48] Their original wedding plans were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[15] and they married on June 2, 2020, in Santa Barbara.[49] Savoie is a CPA and yoga instructor, 39 years his junior, who shares his Christian faith. Quaid says, "God is in the relationship. I've never had a relationship like that before." Together, they launched the production company Bonniedale Films, based in Nashville, where they live.[50]
Quaid is a Christian, coming to faith around 1990 after struggling with addiction.[51] He wrote the Christian song "On My Way to Heaven", dedicated to his mother and included in the filmI Can Only Imagine, in which Quaid starred.[52]
In addition to acting, Quaid is a musician and plays with his band, the Sharks. Quaid wrote and performed the song "Closer to You" in the filmThe Big Easy (1987). He also has a pilot's license and owned aCessna Citation.[53] Quaid is also a one-handicap golfer, and in 2005, he was named the top golfer among the "Hollywood set" byGolf Digest magazine.
Quaid began podcasting in 2020, startingThe Pet Show with Dennis Quaid and Jimmy Jellinek. Its first episode premiered on July 10, 2020.[54] During that podcast, Quaid learned of ashelter cat inLynchburg, Virginia, also named Dennis Quaid.[55] He adopted the cat and flew it out to California to live at his recording studio.[56]
There have been extensive stories about Quaid's past abuse ofcocaine. In a 2002 interview withLarry King on his talk show, after King asked about his motives for using drugs, Quaid responded, "Well, you got to put it in context. Back in the late 1960s, early 1970s. That was back during the time where, you know, drugs were going to expand our minds and everybody was experimenting and everything. We were really getting high, we didn't know it. And cocaine at that time was considered harmless. You know. I remember magazine articles inPeople magazine of doctors saying it is not addicting. It is just—alcohol is worse. So I think we all fell into that. But that's not the way it was."
When Quaid was asked if he believed he had ever been addicted to the drugs, Quaid responded, "It was a gradual thing. But it got to the point where I couldn't have any fun unless I had it. Which is a bad place to be." Later in the interview, he said, "But I saw myself being dead in about five years if I didn't stop."[57]
In a 2018 interview with theNew York Post, Quaid stated he was a registeredindependent and has voted for bothDemocratic andRepublican candidates, saying that he did not consider himself an adherent to any particular ideology; though he did opine thatRonald Reagan was his favorite president of his lifetime.[58] In April 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic, Quaid stated that PresidentDonald Trump was handling the pandemic well, calling him "involved."[59] Quaid subsequently recorded an interview with infectious-disease expertAnthony Fauci as part of an advertising campaign by theDepartment of Health and Human Services to "defeat despair" surrounding COVID-19.[60]
^abSchneider, Karen S. (July 17, 2000)."Sweethearts Sour".People. Vol. 54, no. 3.Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. RetrievedFebruary 15, 2019.
^Fortinsky, Sarah (May 29, 2024)."Dennis Quaid endorses Trump: 'He stands up to people'".The Hill. RetrievedJuly 11, 2024.Hollywood actor Dennis Quaid said in a recent interview that he plans to vote for former President Trump in 2024, describing the presumptive GOP nominee as someone who "stands up to people"...
Silver, Murray (2005).When Elvis Meets the Dalai Lama. Savannah, Georgia: Bonaventure Books. Author describes Quaid's participation in the filmGreat Balls of Fire.
