Dreyfuss was born on October 29, 1947, inBrooklyn, New York City, the second and younger son of Norman Dreyfuss, an attorney, restaurateur and plastics company owner originally from a "violent gang culture in Brooklyn",[2] and Geraldine (nee Robbins),[3] apeace activist. He is the second of three children. He had an older brother,Lorin, who was an actor, film producer and screenwriter, and a younger sister, Cathy.[4] His father Norman suffered from the debilitating physical effects of a mortar explosion at theBattle of the Bulge inWorld War II, requiring the use of crutches, canes, and special footwear provided by the Army for the rest of his life. He left the family when his son was 21 years old, and remarried more than once; he and his son were not on speaking terms at the time of his death.[2]
Dreyfuss's first film role was a brief, uncredited appearance inThe Graduate (1967), where he came up behind the landlord and said "Shall I get the cops? I'll get the cops," after Elaine's screams in Ben's room had disrupted the boarding house. He was also briefly seen as a stagehand inValley of the Dolls (1967), in which he had a few lines. Dreyfuss featured more prominently inHello Down There (1969) starringTony Randall andJanet Leigh. In mid-1972, Dreyfuss filmed a supporting role inThe Second Coming of Suzanne, but the movie did not premiere for two years.[15] In 1973, he starred in theCBS pilotCatch-22. He subsequently appeared inDillinger, and landed a key role in the 1973George Lucas hitAmerican Graffiti, acting with other future stars such asHarrison Ford.[11] Dreyfuss played his first lead role in the Canadian filmThe Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974), receiving positive reviews, including praise fromPauline Kael.[11]
Dreyfuss went on to star in box office blockbustersJaws (1975) andClose Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), both directed bySteven Spielberg. He won the 1978Academy Award for Best Actor at the50th Academy Awards ceremony for his portrayal of a struggling actor inThe Goodbye Girl (1977), becoming the youngest actor to do so (at the age of 30 years, 125 days old), bestingMarlon Brando, who had won his first Oscar in 1955 at the age of 30 years, 360 days old.[11] This record stood for 25 years until it was broken in 2003 byAdrien Brody, who was three weeks shy of age 30 at the time of the75th Academy Awards ceremony. Dreyfuss is still, however, the shortest to have ever won Best Actor, standing at about 5 foot 4 inches tall.[16] In five years, between 1973 and 1978, the films that Dreyfuss appeared in grossed upwards of $900 million. He made his producing debut withThe Big Fix (1978), in which he also starred.
In 1997, Dreyfuss recorded avoiceover for theApple Computer "Think Different" ad campaign,[19] and also provided the voice of the narrator inThe Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon. In 1999, Dreyfuss made his London West End debut starring alongsideMarsha Mason inNeil Simon'sThe Prisoner of Second Avenue at theTheatre Royal Haymarket.[20] Dreyfuss spent four years as a research adviser atSt Antony's College, Oxford, from 2004 until 2008.[21] He was scheduled to appear in a 2004 production ofThe Producers inLondon, but withdrew from the production a week before opening night. The media noted that Dreyfuss was suffering from problems relating to an operation for aherniated disc, and that the part ofMax 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.[22] After Dreyfuss was officially let go from the production he was replaced byNathan Lane.
Dreyfuss at Italy Lifetime Achievement Awards (2021)
In 2009, he appeared in the playComplicit byJoe Sutton at the Old Vic.[25] 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 anearpiece onstage, owing to his inability to learn his lines.[26][27] In 2017, Dreyfuss' Harry accused Spacey of groping him while he ran lines with the elder Dreyfuss in Spacey's apartment; Spacey denied the allegation. Richard Dreyfuss was focused on learning his lines and was unaware of any harassment.[28]
Dreyfuss married writer and producerJeramie Rain in the early 1980s, and they had three children, Emily Robin, Benjamin Darrow, and Harry Spencer.[32] After his 1995 divorce from Rain, Dreyfuss married Janelle Lacey in 1999. They divorced in 2005.[33]
During his acting career, Dreyfuss had public feuds with some of the people he worked alongside, notably actorsRobert Shaw andBill Murray, who co-starred with him inJaws andWhat About Bob? respectively, and filmmakerOliver Stone, who directed him inW.[38]
In 2017, writer Jessica Teich accused Dreyfuss ofsexual harassment during the filming of anABC special.[39] Dreyfuss denied the allegations, saying he had been overly flirtatious in the past and regretted his behavior, and emphasized that he "value[s] and respect[s] women" and is "not an assaulter".[40] He further stated that he thought they were involved in a "consensual seduction ritual."[41]
Dreyfuss' son Ben said in 2025 that he and his siblings had an estranged relationship with their father.[42]
Dreyfuss seeks to revivecivics education to teach future generations about the power of their citizenship and the principles that hold America together.[43] In 2006, he created The Dreyfuss Civics Initiative (TDCI).[44][45] TDCI is a501(c)3 designated organization, recognized as of 2008.[46]
In 1995, Dreyfuss co-authored (withHarry Turtledove)The Two Georges, a novel in which theAmerican Revolution had been peacefully avoided.[49][50] In 2022, he wroteOne Thought Scares Me...: We Teach Our Children What We Wish Them to Know; We Don't Teach Our Children What We Don't Wish Them to Know about the teaching of civics in American schools.
In May 2023, Dreyfuss spoke out against the Academy Awards' newdiversity guidelines that require films to have met at least two of four benchmarks, including that the lead actors are from underrepresented groups or that at least 30% of the cast and crew come from these groups. During an interview withMargaret Hoover, host of thePBS showThe Firing Line, Dreyfuss said that the new guidelines "make me vomit". He explained that he was opposed to the guidelines because movie-making is "an art form ... and no one should be telling me as an artist that I have to give into the latest, most current idea of what morality is."[53][54]
During a screening ofJaws atThe Cabot theater inBeverly, Massachusetts, on May 27, 2024, Dreyfuss disparaged "diversity initiatives", and launched into what was described as atransphobic,misogynistic,homophobic, andsexist rant, causing many attendees to heckle the actor, and many to leave the venue in disgust. According to eyewitnesses, Dreyfuss mocked theMeToo andLGBTQ movements and expressed contempt for parents oftransgender children, suggesting that supporting a child's transition was indicative of bad parenting.[55][56][57][58][59][60]
Dreyfuss, Richard. (2022)One Thought Scares Me...: We Teach Our Children What We Wish Them to Know; We Don't Teach Our Children What We Don't Wish Them to Know. New York: Skyhorse Publishing.ISBN978-1-5107-7612-8
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