Beau Bridges
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Notes
"Even as a teenager, my attempts to be 'bad' were pretty tame. The big deal back then was to steal a six-pack of beer, then we'd all go out to a vacant lot and split it between 12 guys and maybe take the last can and pour it over our heads so we'd reek of beer... My childhood was a time of very strict codes. This began for me in organized religion and being exposed to the Bible, and I've spent a lot of my life trying to live up to certain ethical standards that I set for myself back then.
"I never use God's name in vain. A lot of times a character I'm playing will be written that way and I have to tell the director I'd rather not say that--can I say 'fucking asshole' instead? It's like taking your clothes off for a scene--yes, okay, if it's an integral part of the scene, but if it's gratuitous . . ."I remember doing an almost completely nude scene in 'Gaily, Gaily', but since I didn't want to show everything, they took this little circle thing . . . ACTUALLY, I meant to say it was this BIG THING! That's all I had on--this big thing over my weiner." --Beau Bridges, quoted in Buzz, c. 1990.
Biography
An Emmy and Golden Globe award winner, actor Beau Bridges - the eldest son of actor Lloyd Bridges and brother of Jeff Bridges - developed into an amiable character actor after beginning his career as a child star in such films as "Force of Evil" (1948) and Lewis Milestone's "The Red Pony" (1949). Graduating into more adult roles in the late 1960s, Bridges was a diversely talented actor who fit comfortably into a number of genres - drama, comedy, historical biopics, and even science-fiction. Following a praised turn as reporter in "Gaily, Gaily" (1969) and a starring role in Hal Ashby's directorial debut, "The Landlord" (1970), he made his first of several collaborations with director Peter Ustinov in the satirical comedy, "Hammersmith Is Out" (1972). Later in the decade, Bridges was the husband of union organizer "Norma Rae" (1979) and entered the following decade with a starring role in the biopic "Heart Like a Wheel" (1983). He joined his brother for the critically hailed romantic drama, "The Fabulous Baker Boys" (1989), which he followed with an Emmy-winning performance in the title role for "Without Warning: The James Brady Story" (HBO, 1991). Bridges also found great success on the small screen, earning critical acclaim for portraying Elvis' manager Colonel Tom Parker, former U.S. President Richard Nixon, and 19th century showman P.T. Barnum. Entering the new millennium, Bridges showed no sign of slowing down with a recurring role on "Stargate: SG-1" (Sci-Fi Channel, 2005-07), a supporting part in Steven Soderberg's World War II drama, "The Good German" (2006), and a guest-starring role on "Desperate Housewives" (ABC, 2004-12). With his modest gravitas, which always made him a favorite of his many collaborators, Bridges quietly became one of the most prolific character performers working in Hollywood.
Born Lloyd Vernet Bridges III on Dec. 9, 1941 in Hollywood, CA, he earned his lifelong nickname as a child, after the fictional son of Ashley Wilkes' in "Gone with the Wind" (1939). After a hopeful career in pro basketball failed to pan out, Bridges returned to acting in his early twenties. In the early 1960s, he appeared in a number of TV shows, including his father's syndicated undersea adventure series "Sea Hunt" (1958- 1961). Seeking to forge his own identity separate from his famous father, however, Bridges began going after more serious, adult-oriented fare toward the end of the decade. Among his most notable credits from this early period was a supporting part as a soldier menaced by hoods during a subway ride in Larry Peerce's "The Incident" (1967). Bridges also gained notice for his gripping portrayal of a fictionalized Ben Hecht in Norman Jewison's "Gaily, Gaily" (1969).
Although he proved himself a capable romantic lead early on - particularly in Hal Ashby's "The Landlord" (1970) - Bridges ultimately found his niche as a character actor. He continued to work steadily, if not spectacularly, throughout the 1970s in features like Sidney Lumet's "Child's Play" (1972) and Peerce's "The Other Side of the Mountain" (1974), before landing the thankless role of Sally Field's husband in director Martin Ritt's pro-union drama "Norma Rae" (1979). While Field's flashier title role nabbed her an Oscar for Best Actress, Bridges' role as her insecure, frustrated spouse, Sonny, was deceptively multi-layered and arguably the more complex of the two.
Bridges became especially prolific during the 1980s, appearing in no less than two dozen features and television productions. In 1981, Bridges earned positive notice for his supporting role as East German baddie Guenter Wentsel in "Night Crossing," an interesting, but ultimately forgettable Cold War drama. Two years later, Bridges gave one of his best performances supporting Bonnie Bedelia in the underrated racecar drama "Heart Like a Wheel" (1983). Around this same period, Bridges branched into directing with the 1982 NBC movie "The Kid from Nowhere," a vehicle which not only saw him act, but also provided roles for sons Casey and Jordan. He later helmed, co-produced and starred in the highly-acclaimed "The Thanksgiving Promise" (ABC, 1986), an even larger family affair featuring three generations of Bridges - father, mother, brother and son Jordan. Bridges made his feature directing debut with "The Wild Pair" (1987), acting opposite father Lloyd and sons Casey and Dylan this time, but neither it nor the subsequent "Seven Hours to Judgment" (1988), which re-teamed him with Leibman, created much excitement.
Fortunately, Bridges managed to close the decade out on an especially high note - starring opposite his brother Jeff in director Steve Kloves' engaging drama, "The Fabulous Baker Boys" (1989). Cast as the low-rent, polyester-clad lounge lizard Frank Baker, Bridges turned in a magnificent performance as the spurned half of a brother-brother nightclub act with both in love with saucy Michelle Pfeiffer. Smart, smooth and unexpectedly poignant, Bridges earned raves for his performance - one that many viewed as partly autobiographical in nature.
Returning to the small screen in the 1990s, Bridges tried to make a go of series television as the star and executive producer of "Harts of the West" (CBS, 1993-94), a dramedy about a city slicker who uproots his family to the Flying Tumbleweed Ranch in Sholo, NV. Unfortunately, the show failed to find an audience. Luckily, Bridges appeared to have better luck in the long-form format. In 1992, Bridges won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Special for his tragic portrayal of James Brady - the former press secretary of President Ronald Reagan who took a bullet from John Hinkley's attempt on the president's life - in "Without Warning." The following year, Bridges took home another Emmy in the same category for his deliciously funny turn in the cable black comedy, "The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleading-Murdering Mom" (HBO, 1993) - based on the true story of accused murderer Wanda Holloway.
Continuing his good luck with politically-themed dramas, Bridges turned in yet another Emmy-nominated performance as disgraced President Richard Nixon in the TNT made-for-TV movie "Kissinger & Nixon (1995). Starting in 1997, Bridges served as co-star and producer on three Showtime telefilms based on the old TV series "The Defenders" (CBS, 1961-64). In the first two, "The Defenders: Payback" (1997) and "The Defenders: Choice of Evils" (1998), original series star E.G. Marshall reprised his role as Lawrence Preston, joined by son Don (Bridges) and granddaughter M J. (Martha Plimpton). When Marshall became too ill to participate in the third installment, "The Defenders: Taking the First" (1998), the focus of the movie shifted to the father-daughter team, indicating that there was still life in the franchise. Bridges also starred in the Barry Sonnenfeld-produced summer series "Maximum Bob" (ABC, 1998), a quirky one-hour drama based on an Elmore Leonard novel, playing Floridian Judge Bob Isom Gibbs, a hard-nose who meets his match in a female lawyer.
In 2005, Bridges was cast as austere Major General Frank Landry on the cable sci-fi adventure series "Stargate SG-1" (Showtime/Sci-Fi Channel, 1997-2007). The following year, Bridges received his third Emmy nod; this time for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as Carl Hickey, the no-goodnick father of the title character played by Jason Lee in the hit NBC sitcom "My Name is Earl" (2005-09). Following supporting turns in Steven Soderbergh's World War II mystery, "The Good German" (2006), and as a Hollywood manager in "Americanizing Shelley" (2007), Bridges co-starred in the video game feature film adaptation, "Max Payne" (2008), playing a former cop and mentor who helps the titular antihero (Mark Wahlberg) find the people responsible for killing his family and partner. On the small screen, Bridges earned an Emmy Award nomination in 2009 for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for playing handyman Eli Scruggs on an episode of "Desperate Housewives" (ABC, 2004-12). Earlier that year, he shared a Grammy Award with Cynthia Nixon and Blair Underwood for Best Spoken Word Album for his reading of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. In another acclaimed guest turn, he played Detective George Andrews - who decides to undergo a transformation into Detective Georgette Andrews - on an episode of "The Closer" (TNT, 2005-2011). His performance earned Bridges an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. He continued amassing Emmy nominations as a guest star with his performance as the old boyfriend of family matriarch Nora Walker (Sally Field) on "Brothers and Sisters" (ABC, 2006-2011). After an appearance in the George Clooney comedy-drama "The Descendants" (2011), Bridges returned to TV with arcs on crime drama "White Collar" (USA 2009-14) and legal comedy "Franklin and Bash" (TNT 2011-14) and a co-starring role as the deceased patriarch on the critically praised but short-lived sitcom "The Goodwin Games" (Fox 2013). He then co-starred on two very different series, working opposite Alison Janney on the period drama "Masters of Sex" (Showtime 2013- ) and against Will Arnett and Margo Martindale on the Greg Garcia-created sitcom "The Millers" (CBS 2013-14). The latter show, suffering from declining ratings and critical apathy, was canceled partway through its second season.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Special Thanks (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Director (Special)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1948
Made feature film debut in Lewis Milestone's "No Minor Vices"
1949
Re-teamed with Milestone for "The Red Pony"
1960
TV debut in "My Three Sons" (ABC), later in same year appeared in "Sea Hunt" (syndicated) with father Lloyd
1962
Debut as series regular on the NBC sitcom "Ensign O'Toole"
1962
Made several appearances on "The Lloyd Bridges Show" (CBS)
1965
Played a teen who grows to very large proportions in "Village of the Giants"
1966
Made Broadway debut in William Inge's "Where's Daddy?"
1967
First adult film role, Larry Peerce's "The Incident"
1969
Won praise for portraying a naive reporter in "Gaily, Gaily"
1970
Starred as "The Landlord" in Hal Ashby's directorial debut
1972
First collaboration with Peter Ustinov in "Hammersmith Is Out"
1972
Played an athletic coach in Sidney Lumet's "Child's Play"
1973
TV-movie debut, The Man Without a Country" (ABC)
1974
Acted in "The Whirlwind" (CBS), playing younger version of father Lloyd's character Benjamin Franklin
1974
Returned to Broadway stage in Peter Ustinov's "Who's Who in Hell"
1974
Second film with Lumet, "Lovin' Molly," an adaptation of Larry McMurtry's novel <i>Leaving Cheyenne</i>
1976
Re-teamed with Peerce for "Two-Minute Warning"
1979
First feature co-starring father, "The Fifth Musketeer"
1979
Played Sally Field's husband in the Academy Award nominated film "Norma Rae"
1980
Cast in the short-lived NBC show "United States"
1981
Starred in Delbert Mann's "Night Crossing"
1982
TV-movie directing debut, "The Kid From Nowhere" (NBC), also acted
1983
Starred opposite Bonnie Bedelia in "Heart Like a Wheel," the biopic of racer Shirley Muldowney
1985
Acted with father in CBS' "Alice in Wonderland"
1986
Directed his father, mother Dorothy and son Jordan in ABC's "The Thanksgiving Promise"; also acted and co-produced
1987
Feature film directing debut, "The Wild Pair"; also acted; father and sons Casey and Dylan had roles
1987
Had co-starring role in the CBS miniseries "Space"
1988
Directed (and acted in) second feature, "Seven Hours to Judgment"
1989
First feature role opposite brother Jeff, "The Fabulous Baker Boys"
1991
Won first Emmy Award for playing the title role in "Without Warning: The James Brady Story" (HBO)
1991
Acted in Diane Keaton's long-format directorial debut, "Wildflower" (Lifetime)
1993
Garnered an Emmy for his role in "The Positively True Story of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom" (HBO)
1993
Portrayed Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker in "Elvis and the Colonel: The Untold Story" (NBC)
1993
Starred in (and co-executive produced) the CBS series, "Harts of the West"; father appeared in a recurring role
1994
Directed his father and son Jordan in "Secret Sins of the Father" (NBC), also acted
1995
Received an Emmy nomination for narrating "5 American Kids - 5 American Handguns" for HBO
1995
Acted with his father and son Dylan in the two-hour pilot episode of Showtime's "The Outer Limits"; received an Emmy nomination
1995
Played former U.S. president Richard Nixon in the TV-movie "Kissinger and Nixon" (TNT), garnered an Emmy nomination
1996
Acted with sons Jordan and Dylan in "A Stranger to Love" (CBS)
1996
Portrayed a laid-off factory worker in Showtime's "Hidden in America"; executive produced by brother Jeff; received an Emmy nomination
1996
Had small role as a young football player's father in the blockbuster "Jerry Maguire"
1996
Portrayed a husband whose wife falls for another woman in Kevin Bacon's directorial debut "Losing Chase"
1997
Collaborated with director Andy Wolk on the Showtime movie, "The Defenders"; aired in three parts titled "Payback," "Choice of Evils" and "Taking the First"
1997
Won third Emmy for his work as the Idaho governor who closed his state off to immigration in HBO's "The Second Civil War"
1998
Final appearance with father, "Meeting Daddy"; Peter Gould's directorial debut
1999
Played the title role in the A&E original miniseries, "P.T. Barnum"; son Jordan played a young version of the title character; earned an Emmy nomination
1999
Portrayed E.K. Hornbeck in the Showtime movie "Inherit the Wind"; earned an Emmy nomination
2002
Cast as Michael Mulvaney in the Lifetime drama "We Were The Mulvaneys"
2002
Cast as the head of the CIA in the CBS drama series "The Agency"
2004
Starred as the President of the United States in the NBC movie "10.5"
2005
Starred opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in "The Ballad of Jack and Rose"
2005
Landed a recurring role as the title character's father on NBC's "My Name is Earl"; received an Emmy Award nomination in 2007 for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
2005
Played the recurring role of Major General Hank Landry in the Sci-Fi Channel's "Stargate: Atlantis" and "Stargate SG-1"
2006
Co-starred in Steven Soderbergh's post WWII drama "The Good German"
2008
Played Major General Landry in the direct-to-DVD movies "Stargate: The Ark of Truth" and "Stargate: Continuum"
2009
Earned an Emmy nomination for his guest-starring role on ABC's "Desperate Housewives " as Eli Scruggs, a handyman
2010
Earned an Emmy nomination for a guest starring-role on TNT's "The Closer"
2010
Joined ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" in a recurring role as a love interest for Sally Field's character
2011
Cast opposite George Clooney in Alexander Payne's "The Descendants"
2012
Appeared opposite Kristen Bell and Bradley Cooper in action comedy "Hit and Run"
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Family
Companions
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Notes
"Even as a teenager, my attempts to be 'bad' were pretty tame. The big deal back then was to steal a six-pack of beer, then we'd all go out to a vacant lot and split it between 12 guys and maybe take the last can and pour it over our heads so we'd reek of beer... My childhood was a time of very strict codes. This began for me in organized religion and being exposed to the Bible, and I've spent a lot of my life trying to live up to certain ethical standards that I set for myself back then.
"I never use God's name in vain. A lot of times a character I'm playing will be written that way and I have to tell the director I'd rather not say that--can I say 'fucking asshole' instead? It's like taking your clothes off for a scene--yes, okay, if it's an integral part of the scene, but if it's gratuitous . . ."I remember doing an almost completely nude scene in 'Gaily, Gaily', but since I didn't want to show everything, they took this little circle thing . . . ACTUALLY, I meant to say it was this BIG THING! That's all I had on--this big thing over my weiner." --Beau Bridges, quoted in Buzz, c. 1990.
About his closeness with brother Jeff: "We see each other quite often at family gatherings, or we just get together. Not long ago, we took off three days, just the two of us, driving around. We used work as an excuse, but mostly we just wanted to spend some time together."--Bridges to Harvey Solomon in Biography Magazine, September 1999.
On his late father Lloyd: "[His spirit] is always with me and my family. He was a great teacher. And I think of him whenever I'm at a crossroads or have to make a choice." --Bridges to Harvey Solomon in Biography Magazine, September 1999.
