- Has withdrawn from the UK stage run of Broadway hit musical The Producers because of back surgery and a shoulder injury. (2004)
- Leaves film business in 2004.
- Quit the film business to focus on his theatre career. (2004)
- Has reportedly split from his second wife Janelle after a a blazing row in On The Ave Hotel, where the actor has allegedly been staying since moving out of the couple's Manhattan home. (October 28, 2003)
- Uncredited bit part - with a line - in THE GRADUATE (1967). (After Elaine screams while visiting Ben in his apartment at Berkley).
- A conscientious objector during the Vietnam War.
- He has a great dislike for rock music.
- He is left-handed.
- Suffered a well-publicized drug problem in the early 1980s.
- In ANOTHER STEAKOUT (1993), Richard Dreyfuss, as Chris, while standing in front of a line of drying panties, repeats the line And I don't like the panties hanging on the rod that he said in his Oscar-winning role of Elliott in THE GOODBYE GIRL (1977).
- Among kids that auditioned to play one of the Von Trapp children in THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965) were Kurt Rusell (qv), Richard Dreyfuss, Nancy Cartwright, and the four eldest Osmond Brothers, (Alan, Jay, Merrill, and Wayne). Richard Dreyfuss couldn't dance.
- He and Emilio Estevez were having a movie trivia contest on the set one day. Estevez asked Dreyfuss to identify the movie that the line This is no boating accident was from. Dreyfuss didn't recognize the quote, despite the fact that he was the actor who said it in JAWS (1975). Deciding that this was too good to pass up, this incident was re-enacted for STAKEOUT (1987).
- He and Steven Spielberg were approached to direct and star in JAWS 2 but production on CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977) was running behind and they declined to participate.
- His role in NIGHT FALLS ON MANHATTAN (1997) is loosely based on the career of the late celebrity attorney William Kunstler.
- Robert Shaw could not stand Dreyfuss and they argued all the time, which resulted in some good tension between Hooper and Quint in JAWS (1975).
- When Elaine tracks down Ben in his gloomy room and he causes her to scream, a number of other tenants gather behind the landlord in the doorway. One says, Shall I get the cops? I'll get the cops... It's Richard Dreyfuss. (GRADUATE, THE (1967))
- Nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series at Screen Actors Guild Awards for The Education of Max Bickford (2002)
- Nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries at Screen Actors Guild Awards for THE DAY REAGAN WAS SHOT (2002)
- Nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role at Academy Awards for MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS (1996)
- Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama at Golden Globe Awards for MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS (1996)
- Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture at Golden Globe Awards for NUTS (1988)
- Nominated for Best Actor at BAFTA Awards for JAWS (1976)
- Nominated for Best Motion Picture Actor - Musical/Comedy at Golden Globe Awards for AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1974)
Quotes- "Happiness has a bum rap. People say it shouldn't be your goal in life. Oh, yes it should."
- "Actually, when I was a kid I was really more aware of the star and the handprints in Grauman's Chinese more than I was aware of anything else, including the Oscar. I wanted to have a star. I wanted to be able to see, you know, old gum on my star."
- "I really think that living is the process of going from complete certainty to complete ignorance."
- "People who commit adultery must die. Everyone knows that. Any movie tells you that!"
Awards- Golden Satellite Awards: Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television, THE DAY REAGAN WAS SHOT (2002)
- Hollywood Film Festival: Lifetime Achievement Award (2000)
- Montréal World Film Festival: Grand Prix Special des Amériques (1999) - for exceptional contribution to the cinematographic art
- British Academy Award: Best Actor Leading, THE GOODBYE GIRL (1979)
- Hasty Pudding Theatricals: Man of the Year (1978)
- Academy Awards: Best Actor, THE GOODBYE GIRL (1977)
- Golden Globe Awards: Best Actor in a Leading Role-Musical or Comedy, THE GOODBYE GIRL (1977)
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards: Best Actor, THE GOODBYE GIRL (1977)
|
