--- name: "Richard Dreyfuss" canonical: "https://film.one/person/richard-dreyfuss" fi1m_id: "richard-dreyfuss" imdb_id: "nm0000377" tmdb_id: 3037 wikidata_id: "Q181799" roles: ["Actor"] born: "29 October 1947" reviewed_on_fi1m: 12 average_fi1m_score: 75 average_as: "actor" average_over: 10 updated: "2026-10-05T00:42:03.793916+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Richard Dreyfuss ## Identity Richard Dreyfuss - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/richard-dreyfuss - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** richard-dreyfuss - **IMDb ID:** nm0000377 - **TMDB ID:** 3037 - **Wikidata ID:** Q181799 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dreyfuss, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q181799, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000377/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/3037 Actor. Born 29 October 1947 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 29 October 1947, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA - **Active:** 1973–2006 - **Also known as:** Richard Stephen Dreyfuss - **Titles on Fi1m:** 12: 10 acting, 1 producing, 1 other - **Frequently works with:** [Steven Spielberg](https://film.one/person/steven-spielberg.md) - **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 1 nominated) - **Average Fi1m score:** 75, as actor, over 10 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1960s 86 (1), 1970s 82 (4), 1980s 71 (4), 1990s 84 (1), 2000s 66 (2) - **Fi1m against the critics:** 76 to 69 across 9 titles - **Score spread:** 4 at 80+, 5 at 60–79, 1 under 60 - **Lead roles:** 5 of 8 acting credits billed first or second - **Genres:** Drama 7, Comedy 5, Adventure 3, Romance 3, Action 2, Thriller 2 - **Screen time:** 17 hours of reviewed films - **Box office:** $1,455m across 9 films with figures - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dreyfuss, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q181799, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000377/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/3037 ## Streaming the US now - **Netflix:** [*Jaws*](https://film.one/film/jaws.md) (93), [*Always*](https://film.one/film/always.md) (62) - **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Close Encounters of the Third Kind*](https://film.one/film/close-encounters-of-the-third-kind.md) (85), [*Stakeout*](https://film.one/film/stakeout.md) (70) - **Tubi:** [*The Goodbye Girl*](https://film.one/film/the-goodbye-girl.md) (68) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Richard Dreyfuss > Richard Dreyfuss plays men who cannot stop talking and cannot stop thinking, and whether that is a pleasure or a trial depends on who is directing him. For Spielberg in the 1970s it was the same thing, and it was a pleasure. Watch Richard Dreyfuss listen. He does not do it for long. His characters have usually worked out where a conversation is going before the other person has finished, and they say so, and the film then has to decide whether to admire this or to wish him quiet. As Hooper in *Jaws* (1975) his confidence is lively and, in small doses, irritating, and Spielberg uses the irritation, because it stops the cleverest man on the boat from being the dullest. As Roy Neary in *Close Encounters of the Third Kind* (1977) he has stopped checking how he sounds to other people altogether. That is the whole performance, and it is a good one. He arrived with the New Hollywood crowd. *American Graffiti* (1973) gave him Curt Henderson, a young man whose hesitancy we found appealing, and it is the one early part where the thinking happens behind the face rather than out loud. *The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz* (1974) and *The Goodbye Girl* (1977) followed, and by the end of the decade he was being cast, again and again, as the hustler or the wisecracking everyman with too much going on upstairs. Spielberg directed him three times and got the best of him. Hooper and Roy are still the parts people mean when they say his name. The 1980s brought *Down and Out in Beverly Hills* (1986), *Stakeout* (1987) and the narration of *Stand by Me* (1986), where the same quick intelligence, heard rather than seen, does the reflecting for the boys on screen. Paul Mazursky directed him twice. *Mr. Holland's Opus* (1995) put him behind a teacher's desk, a music man weighing his work against his family, and it is quieter and more controlled than the parts that made him. He has kept working since, mostly in support, on film and on television. The complaint that has followed him is that the persona can tip into smugness, that his men are pleased with themselves in a way that makes an audience want to hit them, and *Tin Men* (1987) is the film usually held up as the exhibit. Some of the later work has been called overplayed, and we would not argue. But the fault and the gift are the same thing, and *Close Encounters* shows both. When Roy's obsession has taken over the household and Teri Garr's Ronnie is left to cope with it, we found ourselves on her side, and more firmly than we expected. That is Dreyfuss's doing as much as Spielberg's: he plays the wonder without once softening it for the people who have to live with him, and the film is more honest for it, even when the script is not. He said in 2016: "I think I have the finest body of work of any American actor." We would not go that far. But it is the sort of thing one of his characters would say, without first checking how it sounds to anyone else, and it is why we kept watching them. ## Biography Richard Dreyfuss is an American actor. Born on 29 October 1947 in Brooklyn, New York City, he began his career with small roles in films including *The Graduate* (1967) and gained prominence in *American Graffiti* (1973) and *The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz* (1974). He played Hooper in *Jaws* (1975) and Roy Neary in *Close Encounters of the Third Kind* (1977). Dreyfuss won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in *The Goodbye Girl* (1977) and received a nomination for *Mr. Holland's Opus* (1995). He has also won a BAFTA Film Award and a Golden Globe Award. *Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org.* ## On Fi1m (12) ### Performed in (10) — the average rests on these - *Poseidon* (2006), Fi1m 55, as Richard Nelson — [page](https://film.one/film/poseidon.md) - *Weeds* (2005), Fi1m 76, as Warren Schiff — [page](https://film.one/tv/weeds.md) - *Always* (1989), Fi1m 62, as Pete Sandich — [page](https://film.one/film/always.md) - *Stakeout* (1987), Fi1m 70, as Det. Chris Lecce — [page](https://film.one/film/stakeout.md) - *Down and Out in Beverly Hills* (1986), Fi1m 65, as Dave Whiteman — [page](https://film.one/film/down-and-out-in-beverly-hills.md) - *Stand by Me* (1986), Fi1m 88, as The Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/stand-by-me.md) - *Close Encounters of the Third Kind* (1977), Fi1m 85, as Roy Neary — [page](https://film.one/film/close-encounters-of-the-third-kind.md) - *The Goodbye Girl* (1977), Fi1m 68, as Elliot Garfield — [page](https://film.one/film/the-goodbye-girl.md) - *Jaws* (1975), Fi1m 93, as Hooper — [page](https://film.one/film/jaws.md) - *American Graffiti* (1973), Fi1m 84, as Curt Henderson — [page](https://film.one/film/american-graffiti.md) ### Produced (1) - *Quiz Show* (1994), Fi1m 84, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/quiz-show.md) ### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited - *The Graduate* (1967), Fi1m 86, as Boarding House Resident (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/the-graduate.md) ## Complete filmography (137) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Waltzing with Brando* (2025), as Seymour Kraft - *Into the Deep* (2025), as Seamus - *Sweetwater* (2023), as Maurice Podoloff - *Nazis at Nuremberg: The Lost Testimony* (2022), as Narrator (voice) - *Save Christmas* (2022), as Santa - *Murder at Yellowstone City* (2022), as Edgar · Executive Producer - *Every Last One of Them* (2021), as Murphy · Executive Producer - *Crime Story* (2021), as Ben Myers · Executive Producer - *Astronaut* (2019), as Angus · Executive Producer - *Daughter of the Wolf* (2019), as Father - *Polar* (2019), as Porter - *The Last Laugh* (2019), as Buddy Green - *Asher* (2018), as Avi - *Bayou Caviar* (2018), as Yuri - *Book Club* (2018), as George - *Shots Fired* (2017), series, as Arlen Cox - *Madoff* (2016), series, as Bernie Madoff - *Zipper* (2015), as George Hiller - *Your Family or Mine* (2015), series, as Louis - *Squatters* (2014), as David Silverman - *Caserta Palace Dream* (2014), as Luigi Vanvitelli - *Cas & Dylan* (2013), as Dr. Cas Pepper - *Paranoia* (2013), as Frank Cassidy - *Very Good Girls* (2013), as Danny - *Coma* (2012), series, as Professor Hillside - *The Two Million Year Old Boy* (2011), as Narrator - *Bubble Guppies* (2011), series, as Captain Acrab - *RED* (2010), as Alexander Dunning - *Piranha 3D* (2010), as Matthew Boyd - *Parenthood* (2010), series, as Gilliam T. Blount - *The Lightkeepers* (2009), as Seth - *Leaves of Grass* (2009), as Pug Rothbaum - *Waking Sleeping Beauty* (2009), as David 'Dave' Whiteman (archive footage) - *My Life in Ruins* (2009), as Irv Gideon - *W.* (2008), as Dick Cheney - *America Betrayed* (2008), as Narrator - *Tin Man* (2007), series, as Mystic Man - *Ocean of Fear* (2007), as Narrator - *The Dish on Dolls* (2006), as Assistant Stage Manager (archive footage) - *Poseidon* (2006), as Richard Nelson — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/poseidon.md) - *Weeds* (2005), series, as Warren Schiff — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/tv/weeds.md) - *Silver City* (2004), as Chuck Raven - *A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope* (2004), as Narrator - *Coast to Coast* (2004), as Barnaby Pierce - *Teddy Roosevelt: An American Lion* (2003), as Theodore Roosevelt - *Teddy Roosevelt: An American Lion* (2003), series, as Voice of Theodore Roosevelt - *The Johnstown Flood* (2003), as narrator - *Manassas: End of Innocence* (2002), as Narrator - *The Day Reagan Was Shot* (2001), as Alexander Haig - *Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & the Island of Misfit Toys* (2001), as Scoop the Snowman (voice) - *The Education of Max Bickford* (2001), series, as Max Bickford - *In Search of Peace* (2001), as Yitzhak Rabin (voice) - *Who Is Cletis Tout?* (2001), as Micah Donnelly - *The Old Man Who Read Love Stories* (2001), as Antonio Bolivar - *The Crew* (2000), as Bobby Bartellemeo / Narrator - *Fail Safe* (2000), as President - *Lansky* (1999), as Meyer Lansky - *Family Guy* (1999), series, as Richard Dreyfuss / Narrator (voice), Richard Dreyfuss (voice) — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/tv/family-guy.md) - *Lost at Sea: The Search for Longitude* (1998), as Narrator - *Krippendorf's Tribe* (1998), as Prof. Krippendorf - *The Wonderful World of Disney* (1997), series, Actor - *The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon* (1997), as Narrator (voice) - *Oliver Twist* (1997), as Fagin · Co-Producer - *Night Falls on Manhattan* (1997), as Sam Vigoda - *Mad Dog Time* (1996), as Vic - *James and the Giant Peach* (1996), as Centipede (voice) - *TFI Friday* (1996), series, Actor - *Mr. Holland's Opus* (1995), as Glenn Holland - *The American President* (1995), as Senator Rumson - *The Last Word* (1995), as Larry - *Present Tense, Past Perfect* (1995), Director - *Silent Fall* (1994), as Dr. Jake Rainer - *Quiz Show* (1994), Executive Producer — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/quiz-show.md) - *Another Stakeout* (1993), as Det. Chris Lecce - *Lost in Yonkers* (1993), as Louie Kurnitz - *Lincoln* (1992), as William Tecumsah Sherman (voice) - *Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories* (1992), series, as Narrator (voice) - *Prisoner of Honor* (1991), as Col. Picquart - *What About Bob?* (1991), as Dr. Leo Marvin - *Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead* (1991), as The Player - *Once Around* (1991), as Sam Sharpe · Co-Producer - *Postcards from the Edge* (1990), as Dr. Frankenthal - *American Chronicles* (1990), series, as narrator - *Always* (1989), as Pete Sandich — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/always.md) - *Let It Ride* (1989), as Jay Trotter - *Moon Over Parador* (1988), as Jack Noah - *Nuts* (1987), as Aaron Levinsky - *Funny, You Don't Look 200: A Constitutional Vaudeville* (1987), Writer, Producer - *Stakeout* (1987), as Det. Chris Lecce — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/stakeout.md) - *Tin Men* (1987), as Bill 'BB' Babowsky - *Citizen Steve* (1987), as Jedediah - *Stand by Me* (1986), as The Writer — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/stand-by-me.md) - *Down and Out in Beverly Hills* (1986), as Dave Whiteman — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/down-and-out-in-beverly-hills.md) - *An All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.* (1986), Actor - *The Buddy System* (1984), as Joe - *Whose Life Is It Anyway?* (1981), as Ken Harrison - *The Competition* (1980), as Paul Dietrich - *The Big Fix* (1978), as Moses Wine · Producer - *Close Encounters of the Third Kind* (1977), as Roy Neary — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/close-encounters-of-the-third-kind.md) - *The Goodbye Girl* (1977), as Elliot Garfield — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/the-goodbye-girl.md) - *The Sentinel* (1977), as Man on Sidewalk Talking to Girl in Red Sweater (uncredited) - *The Amazing Miss Cummings: An Actress at Work and Play* (1977), Actor - *Victory at Entebbe* (1976), as Colonel Yonatan 'Yonni' Netanyahu - *Jaws* (1975), as Hooper — Fi1m 93, [page](https://film.one/film/jaws.md) - *Inserts* (1975), as Boy Wonder - *The Second Coming of Suzanne* (1974), as Clavius - *The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz* (1974), as Duddy - *Me* (1973), as Greg - *American Graffiti* (1973), as Curt Henderson — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/american-graffiti.md) - *Dillinger* (1973), as Baby Face Nelson - *Catch-22* (1973), as Yossarian - *A Touch of Grace* (1973), series, Actor - *The Shadow of a Gunman* (1972), as Tommy Owen - *Two for the Money* (1972), as Morris Gap - *The New Dick Van Dyke Show* (1971), series, as Tony Injijikian - *The New People* (1969), series, Actor - *Room 222* (1969), series, Actor - *Hello Down There* (1969), as Harold Webster - *The Mod Squad* (1968), series, Actor - *The Young Runaways* (1968), as Terry - *Valley of the Dolls* (1967), as Assistant Stage Manager (uncredited) - *The Graduate* (1967), as Boarding House Resident (uncredited) — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/the-graduate.md) - *Judd, for the Defense* (1967), series, Actor - *The Second Hundred Years* (1967), series, as Ben Jr. - *Occasional Wife* (1966), series, Actor - *Felony Squad* (1966), series, Actor - *Hey Landlord!* (1966), series, Actor - *That Girl* (1966), series, Actor - *The Big Valley* (1965), series, as Lud - *Gidget* (1965), series, Actor - *Karen* (1964), series, as David Rowe III - *Bewitched* (1964), series, Actor - *Ben Casey* (1961), series, Actor - *Gunsmoke* (1955), series, as Gearshon Gorofsky - *Ocean of Fear*, series, as Narrator (voice) - *Killing Winston Jones*, as Winston Jones - *Happiness Isn't Everything*, series, as Jerry Hamburger ## Gallery - ![Richard Dreyfuss](https://film.one/media/person/59840/gallery-0e1bd29d29e8.jpg) Richard Dreyfuss — Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Richard_Dreyfuss_Cannes_2013.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![2009 Voice Awards: Richard Dreyfuss](https://film.one/media/person/59840/gallery-bd542b7c6e13.jpg) 2009 Voice Awards: Richard Dreyfuss — SAMHSA from Rockville, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/2009_Voice_Awards_Richard_Dreyfuss_%2820358114431%29.jpg/1280px-2009_Voice_Awards_Richard_Dreyfuss_%2820358114431%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Actor Richard Dreyfuss at the Big Apple Convention in Manhattan, June 8, 2008.](https://film.one/media/person/59840/gallery-7d2ec5e90d14.jpg) Actor Richard Dreyfuss at the Big Apple Convention in Manhattan, June 8, 2008. — Nightscream, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/6.8.08RichardDreyfuss1ByLuigiNovi.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![2021 Lifetime Achievement Award in Italy](https://film.one/media/person/59840/gallery-d8214aca0765.jpg) 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award in Italy — DreyfussCivic, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/A80_Richard_Dreyfuss.jpg/1280px-A80_Richard_Dreyfuss.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Richard Dreyfuss](https://film.one/media/person/59840/gallery-441916d72497.jpg) Richard Dreyfuss — Image via TMDB - ![Richard Dreyfuss](https://film.one/media/person/59840/gallery-07a3316b701c.jpg) Richard Dreyfuss — Image via TMDB - ![Richard Dreyfuss](https://film.one/media/person/59840/gallery-60911b8a2a26.jpg) Richard Dreyfuss — Image via TMDB - ![2021 Lifetime Achievement Award in Italy](https://film.one/media/person/59840/gallery-c9c57c053ea1.jpg) 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award in Italy — DreyfussCivic, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/A80_Richard_Dreyfuss_Cropped.jpg/1280px-A80_Richard_Dreyfuss_Cropped.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![CPAC day 1 (2011)](https://film.one/media/person/59840/gallery-8c886cc195eb.jpg) CPAC day 1 (2011) — Mark Taylor from Rockville, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/CPAC_2011_Richard_Dreyfuss_being_interviewed_by_PJTV_at_CPAC_2011_%285435510962%29.jpg/1280px-CPAC_2011_Richard_Dreyfuss_being_interviewed_by_PJTV_at_CPAC_2011_%285435510962%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Richard Dreyfuss](https://film.one/media/person/59840/gallery-1204c3f64b9f.jpg) Richard Dreyfuss — Image via TMDB - ![Richard Dreyfuss](https://film.one/media/person/59840/gallery-c9f0a0233136.jpg) Richard Dreyfuss — Image via TMDB - ![Richard Dreyfuss](https://film.one/media/person/59840/gallery-0c17bc28a5fc.jpg) Richard Dreyfuss — Image via TMDB ## Awards ### Academy Awards — 1 won, 1 nominated - 1996: Best Actor (nominated), for *Mr. Holland's Opus* - 1978: Best Actor (won), for *The Goodbye Girl* ### BAFTA Film Awards — 1 won - 1979: Best Actor in a Leading Role (won), for *The Goodbye Girl* ### Golden Globes — 1 won - 1978: Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (won), for *The Goodbye Girl* ### Other awards — 0 won, 1 nominated - Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor 1981: Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor (nominated), for *The Competition* *From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.* --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/richard-dreyfuss