Beau Bridges | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bridges in 2011 | |
| Born | Lloyd Vernet Bridges III[1] (1941-12-09)December 9, 1941 (age 83) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1948–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 5, includingJordan Bridges |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Jeff Bridges (brother) |
Lloyd Vernet "Beau"Bridges III (born December 9, 1941) is an American actor. He is a three-timeEmmy, two-timeGolden Globe and one-timeGrammy Award winner, as well as a two-timeScreen Actors Guild Award nominee. Bridges also has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to television.[2][3] He is the son of actorLloyd Bridges and the elder brother of fellow actorJeff Bridges.
Bridges was born on December 9, 1941[4] inLos Angeles,California, the son of actorsLloyd Bridges (1913–1998) andDorothy Bridges (née Simpson; 1915–2009).[5] He was nicknamed Beau by his parents afterAshley Wilkes' son inGone with the Wind.[6] His younger brother is actorJeff Bridges, and he has a younger sister, Lucinda. Another brother, Garrett, died in 1948 ofsudden infant death syndrome. Beau has shared a close relationship with Jeff, for whom he acted as a surrogate father during childhood when their father was busy with work.[7] He and his siblings were raised in theHolmby Hills section of Los Angeles.[8]
Wanting to become a basketball star, he played in his freshman year at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) under legendary coachJohn Wooden, where he joinedSigma Alpha Epsilon. He later transferred to theUniversity of Houston, playing under CoachGuy V. Lewis. In 1959, he enlisted in theUnited States Coast Guard Reserve and served for eight years.[9][10]
In 1948, Bridges had an uncredited juvenile role inForce of Evil, and a role as Bertram inNo Minor Vices. In 1949, he played a third juvenile role in the filmThe Red Pony. In the 1962–1963 television season, Bridges, along with his younger brother, Jeff, appeared on their father'sCBSanthology series,The Lloyd Bridges Show. He appeared in other television series too, including:National Velvet,The Fugitive,Combat,Gunsmoke,Bonanza,Mr. Novak andThe Loner. In 1965, he guest-starred as Corporal Corbett in "Then Came the Mighty Hunter", Season 2, Episode 3 of the military series,Twelve O'Clock High. He found steady work in television and film throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He appeared in such feature films during that time asThe Landlord (1970),The Other Side of the Mountain (1975),Greased Lightning (1977),Norma Rae (1979),The Fifth Musketeer (1979),Heart Like a Wheel (1983), andThe Hotel New Hampshire (1984).
In 1989, in perhaps his best-known role, he starred opposite his brother Jeff as one ofThe Fabulous Baker Boys. In the 1993–94 television season, Bridges appeared with his father in the 15-episode CBS comedy/western series,Harts of the West, set at adude ranch in Nevada. In 1995, Bridges starred with his father and his son Dylan in "The Sandkings", the two-partpilot episode of theShowtimescience fiction seriesThe Outer Limits. In 1998, he starred as Judge Bob Gibbs in the one-seasonMaximum Bob onABC. He had a recurring role in the Showtime seriesBeggars and Choosers (1999–2000).
In 2001, he guest-starred as Daniel McFarland, the stepfather ofJack McFarland, in two episodes of theNBC sitcomWill & Grace. He played a single father and college professor in the fantasy adventure filmVoyage of the Unicorn, based on the novel byJames C. Christensen.
From 2002 to 2003, he took on the role of Senator Tom Gage, newly appointed Director of theCentral Intelligence Agency, in over 30 episodes of the drama seriesThe Agency. In January 2005, he was cast asMajor General Hank Landry, the new commander ofStargate Command inStargate SG-1. He also played the character in five episodes of the spin-off seriesStargate Atlantis as well as the twodirect-to-DVD filmsStargate: The Ark of Truth andStargate: Continuum.
In November 2005, he guest-starred as Carl Hickey, the father of the title character in the hitNBC comedyMy Name Is Earl. Bridges' character became recurring. Bridges received a 2007Emmy Award nomination for his performance.
In 2008, Bridges co-starred in the motion pictureMax Payne, based on thevideo game character. The film also starredMark Wahlberg andMila Kunis. Bridges portrayed "BB" Hensley, an ex-cop who aids Wahlberg on his quest to bring down aserial killer. The film received mixed reviews, but Bridges' participation was noted for being a positive one. It was not the first motion picture with Bridges regarding the video game world;The Wizard had him in a role as a landscaping company owner who was later found, like his son Jimmy (played by actor Luke Edwards), to have a skill withNES games.
On February 8, 2009,Cynthia Nixon,Blair Underwood, and Bridges won aGrammy Award forBest Spoken Word Album for their recording ofAl Gore'sAn Inconvenient Truth.
In 2009, Bridges guest-starred as Eli Scruggs onthe 100th episode ofDesperate Housewives and received an Emmy Award nomination for his performance.
In 2010, Bridges signed with Chris Mallick in the production of the filmColumbus Circle. On March 19, 2010, it was announced that Bridges would play the role of Joseph 'Rocky' Rockford, the father of private eyeJim Rockford, on the pilot episode of a new version ofThe Rockford Files,[11] scheduled for production for broadcast in fall 2010. In 2011, he guest-starred as an old boyfriend of matriarch Nora Walker inBrothers and Sisters and as an attorney, estranged from his son Jared Franklin inFranklin & Bash.
On January 3, 2012, Bridges took on the role of J.B. Biggley in the hit revival of theBroadway musicalHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, taking over forJohn Larroquette. He was contracted to play the role until July 1, 2012; however, the revival closed on May 20, 2012.
On October 3, 2013, Bridges became a major character on the CBS television showThe Millers. He plays Tom, the father of two children: son Nathan Miller (Will Arnett) and daughter Debbie (Jayma Mays). Tom, after forty-three years of marriage, has gotten divorced and has moved back in with his daughter, driving her crazy. Bridges joined the series in early March 2013.[12]
Bridges has had several roles in films since then, includingUnderdog Kids andLawless Range in 2016. He has also had guest roles on the showsMasters of Sex andCode Black.[13]
In 2024, Bridges took the role of the managing partner (Howard ‘Senior’ Markeson) of the law firm (Jacobson Moore) where alias Maddy Matlock works in the new Matlock series.
Bridges has 14Emmy Award nominations with three wins.[14] He is one of only two actors to win the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Miniseries Or Special more than once, with two wins,Michael Moriarty is the second.
Bridges married Julie Landfield in 1964, the two divorced in 1974. They have two sons, includingJordan Bridges (b. 1973). He married Wendy Treece on April 10, 1984. They have three children.
Bridges is aChristian. He has stated that if the script calls for his character to sayGod's name in vain, he will ask the director if he can change the line.[6] Bridges has been a vegan since 2004.[15]
Bridges, his brotherJeff Bridges and late fatherLloyd Bridges were among six veterans – the others beingJerry Coleman,Bob Feller andBrian Lamb – honored with the Lone Sailor Award by theUnited States Navy Memorial in 2011. The award recognizes Navy, Marine and Coast Guard veterans who have distinguished themselves in their civilian careers.[16][17]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960–1963 | My Three Sons | Russ Burton | 3 episodes |
| 1960–1961 | Sea Hunt | Warren Tucker | 2 episodes |
| 1961 | The Real McCoys | Randy Cooperton | Episode: "The Rich Boy" |
| 1962 | National Velvet | Mercutio | Episode: "The Star" |
| Wagon Train | Larry Gill | Episode: "The John Bernard Show" | |
| 1962–1963 | Ensign O'Toole | Seaman Howard Spicer | 32 episodes |
| 1963 | Rawhide | Billy Johanson | Episode: "Incident at Paradise" |
| Ben Casey | Larry Masterson | 2 episodes | |
| 1964 | The Eleventh Hour | Leonard | Episode: "Cannibal Plants, They Eat You Alive" |
| Combat! | Private Orville Putnam | Episode: "The Short Day of Private Putnam" | |
| My Three Sons | Howard Sears | 2 episodes | |
| 1965 | Twelve O'Clock High | Cpl. Steven Corbett | Episode: "Then Came the Mighty Hunter" |
| The F.B.I. | Jerry Foley | Season 1, Episode 12: "An Elephant is Like a Rope" | |
| 1966 | Gunsmoke | Jason | Episode: "My Father's Guitar" |
| The Fugitive | Gary Keller | Episode:"Stroke of Genius" | |
| Branded | Lon Allison | Episode:"Nice Day for a Hanging" | |
| The Loner | Johnny Sharp | Episode:"The Mourners of Johnny Sharp" | |
| 1967 | The Fugitive | Larry Corby | Episode: "The Other Side Of The Coin" |
| Bonanza | Horace Perkins | Episode: "Justice" | |
| Cimarron Strip | Billie Joe Show | Episode: "Legend of Jud Starr" | |
| 1971 | Robert Young and the Family | Sketch Actor | Television film |
| 1973 | The Man Without a Country | Frederick Ingham | |
| 1974 | The Stranger Who Looks Like Me | Chris Schroeder | |
| 1978 | The Four Feathers | Harry Faversham | |
| The President's Mistress | Ben Morton | ||
| Mutual Respect | Kevin Pearse | ||
| Hallmark Hall of Fame | Stubby Pringle | Episode: "Stubby Pringle's Christmas" | |
| 1979 | The Child Stealer | David Rodman | Television film |
| 1980 | United States | Richard Chapin | 13 episodes |
| 1982 | The Kid from Nowhere | Bud Herren | Television film |
| Dangerous Company | Ray Johnson | ||
| Witness for the Prosecution | Leonard Vole | ||
| 1984 | The Red-Light Sting | Frank Powell | |
| 1985 | Space | Randy Claggett | Five-part miniseries |
| 1986 | Outrage! | Brad Gordon | Television film |
| 1989 | Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure | Richard Czech | |
| Frederick Forsyth Presents: Just Another Secret | Grant | ||
| 1991 | Without Warning: The James Brady Story | James Brady | |
| 1990 | Women & Men: Stories of Seduction | Gerry Green | |
| Guess Who's Coming for Christmas? | Arnold Zimmerman | ||
| 1991 | Wildflower | Jack Perkins | |
| Tales from the Crypt | Dr. Martin Fairbanks | Episode: "Abra Cadaver" | |
| 1993 | Elvis and the Colonel: The Untold Story | Col. Tom Parker | Television film |
| The Man with Three Wives | Norman Grayson | ||
| The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom | Terry Harper | ||
| 1993–1994 | Harts of the West | Dave Heart | 15 episodes |
| 1994 | Secret Sins of the Father | Tom Thielman | Television film |
| Million Dollar Babies | Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe | ||
| 1995 | Kissinger and Nixon | Richard Nixon | |
| The Outer Limits | Dr. Simon Kress | Episode: "The Sandkings" | |
| 1996 | A Stranger to Love | Allan Grant | Television film |
| Nightjohn | Clel Waller | ||
| Losing Chase | Richard Phillips | ||
| The Uninvited | Charles Johnson | ||
| Hidden in America | Bill Januson | ||
| 1997 | The Second Civil War | Jim Farley | |
| 1998 | Maximum Bob | Judge Bob Gibbs | 7 episodes |
| 1999 | Inherit the Wind | E.K. Hornbeck | Television film |
| P.T. Barnum | P.T. Barnum | ||
| 2000 | The Wild Thornberrys | Hayden Adam | Voice, episode: "Every Little Bit Alps"[18] |
| The Christmas Secret | Nick | Television film | |
| 2001–2003 | The Agency | Tom Gage | 32 episodes |
| 2002 | Will & Grace | Daniel McFarland | Episode: "Moveable Feast" |
| We Were the Mulvaneys | Michael Mulvaney Sr. | Television film | |
| Sightings: Heartland Ghost | Derek | ||
| 2004 | Evel Knievel | John Bork | |
| 2005 | Into the West | Stephen Hoxie | Episode: "Manifest Destiny" |
| 2005–2007 | Stargate SG-1 | Major General Hank Landry | 35 episodes |
| 2005–2006 | Stargate: Atlantis | 5 episodes | |
| American Dad! | Doctor / Lieutenant Eddie Thacker | 2 episodes | |
| 2005–2008 | My Name Is Earl | Carl Hickey | 7 episodes |
| 2006 | 10.5: Apocalypse | President Paul Hollister | Television film |
| 2007 | Two Families | ||
| 2009 | Desperate Housewives | Eli Scruggs | Episode: "The Best Thing That Ever Could Have Happened" |
| The Closer | Detective George Andrews | Episode: "Make Over" | |
| 2011 | Brothers & Sisters | Nick Brody | 5 episodes |
| Game Time: Tackling the Past | Frank Walker | Television film | |
| 2011–2012 | Franklin & Bash | Leonard Franklin | 3 episodes |
| White Collar | Agent Kramer | ||
| 2013 | The Goodwin Games | Benjamin Goodwin | 4 episodes |
| 2013–2016 | Masters of Sex | Barton Scully | 21 episodes |
| 2013–2015 | The Millers | Tom Miller | 34 episodes |
| 2014 | Bubble Guppies | Mr. Claws | Voice, episode: "A Very Guppy Christmas!" |
| 2015–2017 | Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | Sheriff Scaley Briggs | Voice, 4 episodes[18] |
| 2015–2018 | Black-ish | Paul Johnson | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Flower Shop Mysteries | Jeffrey Knight | 3 episodes[23] |
| Code Black | Pete Delaney | Episode: "Hail Mary" | |
| 2016–2017 | Bloodline | Roy Gilbert | 12 episodes |
| 2017 | Christmas in Angel Falls | Michael | Television film |
| 2017–2018 | Mosaic | Alan Pape | 8 episodes |
| 2018–2020 | Homeland | Vice President Ralph Warner | 6 episodes |
| Greenleaf | Bob Whitmore | 5 episodes | |
| 2019 | Goliath | Roy Wheeler | 5 episodes[24] |
| 2020 | Messiah | Edmund DeGuilles | 5 episodes[25] |
| Robbie | Robbie Walton Sr. | 8 episodes[26] | |
| 2021 | Mr. Mayor | Adolphus Hass | Episode: "Avocado Crisis" |
| The Premise | William | Episode: "Moment of Silence" | |
| 2022 | Our Christmas Italian Memories | Vincent Colucci | Television film |
| 2023 | Lessons in Chemistry | Harry Wilson | 3 episodes[27] |
| 2024 | Matlock | Senior |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Goodnight Universe | Angus | [28] |
