Richard Jenkins | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Jenkins in 2015 | |
| Born | Richard Dale Jenkins (1947-05-04)May 4, 1947 (age 78) DeKalb, Illinois, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Illinois Wesleyan University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Richard Dale Jenkins (born May 4, 1947) is an American actor. He began his career in theater at theTrinity Repertory Company and made his film debut in 1974. He has worked steadily in film and television since the 1980s, mostly in supporting roles.
His body of work includes such films asThe Witches of Eastwick (1987),Little Nikita (1988),Flirting with Disaster (1996),Snow Falling on Cedars (1999),The Mudge Boy (2003),Cheaper By The Dozen (2003),Burn After Reading (2008),Step Brothers (2008),Let Me In (2010),Jack Reacher (2012),The Cabin in the Woods (2012),White House Down (2013),Bone Tomahawk (2015),The Last Shift (2020),The Humans (2021), andNightmare Alley (2021). On television, he playedNathaniel Fisher in theHBO drama seriesSix Feet Under (2001-2005).
Jenkins received nominations for theAcademy Award,Spirit Award, andScreen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor for the drama filmThe Visitor (2007).[1] He won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for the limited drama seriesOlive Kitteridge (2014). For his performance in the fantasy drama filmThe Shape of Water (2017), he was nominated for theAcademy Award,Golden Globe, andScreen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor. TheNetflix miniseriesDahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022) garnered him bothGolden Globe andEmmy nominations for Best Supporting Actor, plus an additional Emmy nod forproducing the series.
Jenkins was born and raised inDeKalb, Illinois. His mother, Mary Elizabeth (née Wheeler), was a housewife, and his father, Dale Stevens Jenkins, was a dentist.[2][3] He attendedDeKalb High School. Before he became a professional actor, Jenkins drove alinen truck; his boss was the father of actorJohn C. Reilly.[4][5] He earned a degree in drama fromIllinois Wesleyan University before relocating toRhode Island.
Jenkins worked with theTrinity Repertory Company inProvidence, Rhode Island, while breaking into film with a bit part inFeasting with Panthers (1974), a television film aboutOscar Wilde. When he was given the option of joining theScreen Actors Guild, he accepted immediately.[6] He continued as a member of Trinity's resident acting company and served as its artistic director from 1990 to 1994.[7]
Since his debut in the television movieFeasting with Panthers (1974), Jenkins has worked steadily infilm. His earlier film credits includeSilverado (1985),Hannah and Her Sisters (1986),The Witches of Eastwick (1987),Sea of Love (1989),Blue Steel (1990),How to Make an American Quilt(1995),Flirting with Disaster (1996), andSnow Falling On Cedars (1999).
He has worked with the director siblings theFarrelly brothers inThere's Something About Mary (1998),Outside Providence (1999),Me, Myself & Irene (2000),Say It Isn't So (2001) andHall Pass (2011). He has also appeared in three Coen Brothers movies:The Man Who Wasn't There (2001),Intolerable Cruelty (2003), andBurn After Reading (2008). He is inNorth Country (2005), has three memorable scenes as FBI Director James (Robert) Grace inThe Kingdom (2007), and Dr. Robert Dobeck inStep Brothers (2008).
Although primarily known for supporting parts, Jenkins had a lead role inThe Visitor (2007) for which he was nominated for theIndependent Spirit Award and anAcademy Award for Best Actor.[8] Jenkins won theInternational Press Academy'sSatellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture.
In 2010, Jenkins costarred inDear John, as the father of John Tyree (Channing Tatum), and also co-starred withJulia Roberts andJavier Bardem inEat Pray Love. In 2012, he appeared in theJoss Whedon andDrew Goddard horror filmThe Cabin in the Woods and the action filmJack Reacher. He then appeared in the action filmsWhite House Down (2013) andKong: Skull Island (2017).
Jenkins co-starred inGuillermo del Toro's fantasy romance drama filmThe Shape of Water (2017), for which he received critical acclaim. For his performance, he garneredAcademy Award,Golden Globe andScreen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor.
Jenkins playedNathaniel Fisher in theHBO drama seriesSix Feet Under. His character is the deceased patriarch of the Fisher family and regularly appears to his family as a ghost or in dreams. He played the role for the show's entire run. He and his castmates received aScreen Actors Guild Award forOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2002.
Jenkins portrayed a DEA agent in one episode ofMiami Vice and a mob boss in a later episode.[9]
In 2015, Jenkins won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his performance as Henry Kitteridge in theHBO miniseriesOlive Kitteridge.[10]
In 2022, Jenkins portrayedLionel Dahmer, father of notorious serial killerJeffrey Dahmer, in Netflix's limited seriesDahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Starring alongsideEvan Peters andMolly Ringwald, Jenkins appears in all ten episodes of the series created byRyan Murphy.[11] His performance was described inThe New Yorker as "brilliant,"[12] and he was nominated for the 2023Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie.[13]
Jenkins is married to choreographer Sharon R. Friedrick, with whom he has two children.[14][15]
In 2014, Jenkins and his wife Sharon received the Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement from Trinity Repertory Company in Providence.[16][17]
