Actor Brian Dennehy was born on July 9, 1938 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His father was a wire service doctor for the Associated Press. He has two brothers, Edward and Michael. Though born in Bridgeport Dennehy’s family relocated to New York, specifically Long Island, where Dennehy went to High School in a town called Minehola.

Dennehy had long aspired to be an actor, though he first enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1959, where he served until 1963. From there he went to Columbia on a football scholarship and majored in History. From there he went to Yale and studied drama, simultaneously playing rugby.

Dennehy first broke into the entertainment business appearing on television roles, his earliest coming in Kojak, Lou Grant and Dallas. Eventually he was promoted to television movies and appeared in several prominent ones the likes of The Burden of Proof and Day One. He has since been nominated for six Emmys for his television appearances, though he has yet to win one; he has, however, managed to win a Golden Globe, for his appearance as main character Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman in a Broadway show.

Dennehy appeared in a few early movies in the late 1970’s, including 10 and Foul Play; he didn’t really break into film until 1982, however, until he appeared in the debut Rambo movie First Blood as the sheriff who sparks John Rambo’s rampage. He continued along the sheriff vein in 1985’s Silverado, albeit as a more corrupt official, and in the same year appeared as an alien in the science fiction movie Cocoon. Soon enough Dennehy was being tapped as a character actor.

Dennehy continued to play supporting parts until 1987, when he was a starring player in The Belly of an Architect, for which he won a Chicago International Film Festival Best Actor Award.

Dennehy continues to appear on television and in movies today. His latest television work includes a recurring role in Just Shoot Me! and in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. At the moment he is shooting a mini-series for the History Channel set to be called Brian Dennehy’s America. His movie roles, conversely, have slowed down in recent years, with his latest appearance (if you can call it that) in the animated movie Ratatouille.

He has also been the subject of a bit of parody, both on television and on the big screen, and in both cases animated in nature. In 1999 Dennehy appeared in South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut for a short stint during a song about Brian Boitano. Later he appeared in an episode of The Simpsons, though again it wasn’t Dennehy providing the voice.

Dennehy currently lives in Woodstock, Connecticut. He is the father of two actresses, Elizabeth and Kathleen Dennehy.