Bruce MacLeish Dern (born June 4, 1936) is an American film actor. He also appeared as a guest star in numerous television shows. He frequently takes roles as a character actor, often playing unstable and villainous characters. Dern has appeared in more than 80 feature films and made for TV movies.

Personal life

Dern was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Jean and John Dern. His paternal grandfather was George Henry Dern, a former Utah governor and Secretary of War, and his uncle was poet Archibald MacLeish. His godfather was well-known politician Adlai Stevenson and his godmother was Eleanor Roosevelt. Dern attended The Choate School (now Choate Rosemary Hall) and the University of Pennsylvania. Dern is the father of actress Laura Dern (1967), whom he had with his ex-wife Diane Ladd; married 1960-1969. He married his current wife, Andrea Beckett, in 1969.

Career

Early in his career he acted in the Philadelphia premier of Waiting for Godot opposite Lyle Kessler and first appeared on screen, for an uncredited role, in the 1960 film Wild River. He then appeared, as a guest star, in several popular 1960s television shows, including Route 66, Naked City, Sea Hunt, Surfside 6, 77 Sunset Strip, The Outer Limits, and several others. In 1964, he appeared in a major Alfred Hitchcock film, the psychological thriller Marnie, in a short role as the sailor seen in flashbacks about Marnie's mother. Also in 1964, he had a small but crucial film role in Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte as the lover of the young Charlotte (a role played by Bette Davis). During the next five years, Dern continued appearing in several popular TV war, crime and western shows, but with multiple episodes per show, as different characters, including: Wagon Train (3), The Virginian (3), Rawhide (1), 12 O'Clock High (4), The Fugitive (5), The F.B.I. (2), The Big Valley (5), Gunsmoke (4) and Bonanza (2), among others. During that period, he also appeared in several films, including The Wild Angels (1966), The War Wagon, The Trip (1967), Psych-Out, Will Penny (1968), and the early Clint Eastwood film, Hang 'Em High (1968) as a rustler/murderer.

Among Dern's first 20 film roles was a part in the Sydney Pollack picture They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, in 1969. In 1972, he played in four films: as the enemy and killer of John Wayne's character in The Cowboys; then, in the dark sci-fi film Silent Running; next with Jack Nicholson in The King of Marvin Gardens; and also in Thumb Tripping, after having been seen in over 90 TV episodes or films. Dern is generally regarded as a character actor. He has a reputation of playing unstable and villainous characters, although his best-known role may be that of Freeman Lowell, the caretaker of Earth's last forests in Silent Running (1972). Other memorable roles include Tom Buchanan in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby; or a psychotic blimp pilot who launches a terrorist attack at the Super Bowl in 1977's Black Sunday, and as Capt. Bob Hyde in 1978's Coming Home, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In 1976, he appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's final film Family Plot, playing the boy friend of a medium played by Barbara Harris; Dern told an interviewer that, due to Hitchcock's failing health, the director often asked his assistance during the production.

In 1983, he won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 33rd Berlin International Film Festival for his role in That Championship Season.

His most recent efforts include the independent movies The Astronaut Farmer and Monster, a recurring role on the HBO series Big Love, and the monster movie Swamp Devil for RHI Films New York and the Sci Fi Channel.

On November 1, 2010, he was presented the 2,419th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His daughter Laura Dern and his ex-wife Diane Ladd received stars on the same date too.

Filmography

Wild River (1960) ... Jack Roper (uncredited)

The Crimebusters (1961) ... Joe Krajac

The Zanti Misfits (1963) (TV-Outer Limits) ... Ben

Marnie (1964) ... Sailor

Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) ... John Mayhew

The Wild Angels (1966) ... Loser

Waterhole #3 (1967) ... Deputy Sam Tippen

The War Wagon (1967) ... Hammond

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967) ... John May

The Trip (1967) ... John

Will Penny (1968) ... Rafe Quint

Psych-Out (1968) ... Steve Davis

Hang 'Em High (1968) ... Miller, Cooper Hanging Party

Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) ... Joe Danby

Castle Keep (1969) ... Lt. Billy Byron Bix

Number One (1969) ... Richie Fowler

The Cycle Savages (1969) .... Keeg

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) ... James

Bloody Mama (1970) ... Dirkman

The Rebel Rousers (1970) ... J.J. Weston

The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant (1971) ... Roger

Drive, He Said (1971) ... Coach Bullion

The Cowboys (1972) ... Asa Watts ("Long Hair")

Silent Running (1972) ... Freeman Lowell

The King of Marvin Gardens (1972) ... Jason Staebler

Thumb Tripping (1972) ... Smitty

The Laughing Policeman (1973) ... Leo Larsen

The Great Gatsby (1974) ... Tom Buchanan

Posse (1975) ... Jack Strawhorn

Smile (1975) ... Big Bob Freelander

Family Plot (1976) ... George Lumley

Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) ... Grayson Potchuck

Folies bourgeoises (1976) ... William Brandels

Black Sunday (1977) ... Michael Lander

Coming Home (1978) ... Capt. Bob Hyde

The Driver (1978) ... The Detective

Middle Age Crazy (1980) ... Bobby Lee

Tattoo (1981) ... Johnny

That Championship Season (1982) ... George Sitkowski

Harry Tracy, Desperado (1982) ... Harry Tracy

Space (1985) (TV) ... Stanley Mott

Toughlove (1986) (TV) ... Rob Charters

On the Edge (1986) ... Wes Holman

Uncle Tom's Cabin (1987) (TV) ... Augustine St. Claire

The Big Town (1987) ... Mr. Edwards

World Gone Wild (1988) ... Ethan

1969 (1988) ... Cliff

The 'Burbs (1989) ... Mark Rumsfield

After Dark, My Sweet (1990) ... Uncle Bud

Into the Badlands (1991) ... T.L. Barston

Diggstown (1992) ... John Gillon

Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight (1994) (TV) ... George Putnam

A Mother's Prayer (1995) ...Grandpa

Mrs. Munck (1995) ... Patrick Leary

Wild Bill (1995) ... Will Plummer

Mulholland Falls (1996) (uncredited) ... The Chief

Down Periscope (1996) ... Admiral Yancy Graham

Last Man Standing (1996) ... Sheriff Ed Galt

Small Soldiers (1998) (voice) ... Link Static

The Haunting (1999) ... Mr. Dudley

If... Dog... Rabbit... (1999) ... McGurdy

All the Pretty Horses (2000) ... The Judge

Madison (2001) ... Harry Volpi

The Glass House (2001) ... Begleiter

Masked and Anonymous (2003) ... The Editor

Milwaukee, Minnesota (2003) ... Sean McNally

Hard Ground (2003) (TV) ... Nate Hutchinson

Monster (2003) ... Thomas

The Hard Easy (2005) ... Gene

Down in the Valley (2005) ... Charlie

Believe in Me (2006) ... Ellis Brawley

Big Love (2006 – 2011) ... Frank

Walker Payne (2006) ... Unknown

The Astronaut Farmer (2007) ... Hal

The Cake Eaters (2007) ... Easy

The Golden Boys (2008) ... Captain Perez

Swamp Devil (2008) ... Howard Blaime

American Cowslip (2009) ... Cliff

Choose (2009) ... Dr. Ronald Pendleton

Trim (2009) ... Dale Banks

The Lightkeepers (2009) ... Bennie

The Hole 3D (2009) ... Creepy Carl

Twixt Now and Sunrise (2011) ... Bobby LaGrange