Brian Dennehy

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

208

Gender

Male

Birthday

1938-07-09

Day of death

2020-04-15 (81 years old)

Place of Birth

Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA

Brian Dennehy

Biography

Brian Manion Dennehy (July 9, 1938 – April 15, 2020) was an American actor of film, stage, and television. His breakthrough film role was as the overzealous sheriff Will Teasle in First Blood (1982). Typically a character actor, Dennehy displayed versatility in varying and often complex roles ranging from villainous (such as a corrupt sheriff in the 1985 western Silverado) to virtuous (such as a benevolent alien leader in Cocoon, also released in 1985). Other notable films featuring Dennehy include Gorky Park (1983), Never Cry Wolf (1983), Legal Eagles (1986), F/X (1986), Tommy Boy (1995), Romeo + Juliet (1996), and Ratatouille (2007). A prominent figure in the theater world (especially in Chicago), Dennehy won two Tony Awards for Best Lead Actor, for Death of a Salesman (1999) and Long Day's Journey into Night (2003). He starred in numerous television films and miniseries, garnering six Emmy Award nominations, and had memorable supporting and guest roles in many series including Just Shoot Me, The Good Wife, and The Blacklist.

Known For

  • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

    The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

  • The Blacklist

    The Blacklist

  • Saturday Night Live

    Saturday Night Live

  • The Good Wife

    The Good Wife

  • The West Wing

    The West Wing

  • Great Performances

    Great Performances

  • M*A*S*H

    M*A*S*H

  • Dallas

    Dallas

  • Tony Awards

    Tony Awards

  • Tony Awards

    Tony Awards

  • Tony Awards

    Tony Awards

  • Golden Globe Awards

    Golden Globe Awards

  • Knots Landing

    Knots Landing

  • Miami Vice

    Miami Vice

  • 30 Rock

    30 Rock

  • American Experience

    American Experience

  • Police Woman

    Police Woman

  • Rizzoli & Isles

    Rizzoli & Isles

  • Dynasty

    Dynasty

  • Rules of Engagement

    Rules of Engagement

  • Ratatouille

    Ratatouille

  • Reading Rainbow

    Reading Rainbow

  • Just Shoot Me!

    Just Shoot Me!

  • Hunter

    Hunter

  • Lou Grant

    Lou Grant

  • The 4400

    The 4400

  • Cagney & Lacey

    Cagney & Lacey

  • Kojak

    Kojak

  • Playhouse

    Playhouse

  • Screen Two

    Screen Two

  • Arrest & Trial

    Arrest & Trial

  • Faerie Tale Theatre

    Faerie Tale Theatre

  • First Blood

    First Blood

  • The Ultimate Gift

    The Ultimate Gift

  • The Big C

    The Big C

  • The Agency

    The Agency

  • Silverado

    Silverado

  • Assault on Precinct 13

    Assault on Precinct 13

  • Penny Dreadful: City of Angels

    Penny Dreadful: City of Angels

  • Tag

    Tag

  • Romeo + Juliet

    Romeo + Juliet

  • Tommy Boy

    Tommy Boy

  • Night Visions

    Night Visions

  • The Tony Randall Show

    The Tony Randall Show

  • Everyone's Hero

    Everyone's Hero

  • The Ultimate Legacy

    The Ultimate Legacy

  • Thanks of a Grateful Nation

    Thanks of a Grateful Nation

  • Righteous Kill

    Righteous Kill

  • Cocoon: The Return

    Cocoon: The Return

  • Cocoon

    Cocoon

  • A Killing in a Small Town

    A Killing in a Small Town

  • The Next Three Days

    The Next Three Days

  • 10

    10

  • Tall Tales & Legends

    Tall Tales & Legends

  • Hap and Leonard

    Hap and Leonard

  • The Lion of Africa

    The Lion of Africa

  • Presumed Innocent

    Presumed Innocent

  • A Season in Purgatory

    A Season in Purgatory

  • Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil & The Presidency

    Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil & The Presidency

  • To Catch a Killer

    To Catch a Killer

  • Driveways

    Driveways

  • Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam

    Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam

  • Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story

    Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story

  • The Pigs vs. The Freaks

    The Pigs vs. The Freaks

  • The Challenger Disaster

    The Challenger Disaster

  • Final Appeal

    Final Appeal

  • I Take These Men

    I Take These Men

  • Three Blind Mice

    Three Blind Mice

  • The Exonerated

    The Exonerated

  • Leave of Absence

    Leave of Absence

  • 10th & Wolf

    10th & Wolf

  • The Check is in the Mail...

    The Check is in the Mail...

  • Summer Catch

    Summer Catch

  • Pride and Extreme Prejudice

    Pride and Extreme Prejudice

  • Masters of Science Fiction

    Masters of Science Fiction

  • Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story

    Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story

  • Fly Away Home

    Fly Away Home

  • Gladiator

    Gladiator

  • The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone

    The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone

  • Knight of Cups

    Knight of Cups

  • Day One

    Day One

  • Miles from Home

    Miles from Home

  • Dish Dogs

    Dish Dogs

  • The Stars Fell on Henrietta

    The Stars Fell on Henrietta

  • Butch and Sundance: The Early Days

    Butch and Sundance: The Early Days

  • Indio

    Indio

  • The Big Year

    The Big Year

  • The Seagull

    The Seagull

  • Legal Eagles

    Legal Eagles

  • Lucan

    Lucan

  • Jack Reed: Death and Vengeance

    Jack Reed: Death and Vengeance

  • Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke

    Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke

  • The Fitzpatricks

    The Fitzpatricks

  • Dead Man's Walk

    Dead Man's Walk

  • Perfect Witness

    Perfect Witness

  • Jack Reed: Badge of Honor

    Jack Reed: Badge of Honor

  • Son of the South

    Son of the South

  • Semi-Tough

    Semi-Tough

  • Foul Play

    Foul Play

  • Gorky Park

    Gorky Park

  • Meet Monica Velour

    Meet Monica Velour

  • Stolen Summer

    Stolen Summer

  • F/X

    F/X

  • The Song of Sway Lake

    The Song of Sway Lake

  • Looking for Mr. Goodbar

    Looking for Mr. Goodbar

  • Darkroom

    Darkroom

  • Our Fathers

    Our Fathers

  • Evergreen

    Evergreen

  • F/X2

    F/X2

  • The Last Place on Earth

    The Last Place on Earth

  • Twice in a Lifetime

    Twice in a Lifetime

  • Indefensible: The Truth About Edward Brannigan

    Indefensible: The Truth About Edward Brannigan

  • The Jericho Mile

    The Jericho Mile

  • Blood Feud

    Blood Feud

  • Twelfth Night

    Twelfth Night

  • Every Day

    Every Day

  • A Father's Revenge

    A Father's Revenge

  • Making 'The Misfits'

    Making 'The Misfits'

  • Voyage of Terror

    Voyage of Terror

  • War Eagle, Arkansas

    War Eagle, Arkansas

  • The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron

    The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron

  • Pearl

    Pearl

  • A Rumor of War

    A Rumor of War

  • Shadow of a Doubt

    Shadow of a Doubt

  • Split Image

    Split Image

  • F.I.S.T.

    F.I.S.T.

  • 3 Days with Dad

    3 Days with Dad

  • It Happened at Lakewood Manor

    It Happened at Lakewood Manor

  • Marco Polo

    Marco Polo

  • Undue Influence

    Undue Influence

  • Alleged

    Alleged

  • Big Shamus, Little Shamus

    Big Shamus, Little Shamus

  • Caesar and Otto meet Dracula’s Lawyer

    Caesar and Otto meet Dracula’s Lawyer

  • A Season on the Brink

    A Season on the Brink

  • The Little Mermaid

    The Little Mermaid

  • Marco Polo

    Marco Polo

  • Cocked

    Cocked

  • Dummy

    Dummy

  • Public Morals

    Public Morals

  • Acceptable Risks

    Acceptable Risks

  • Finders Keepers

    Finders Keepers

  • Silicon Towers

    Silicon Towers

  • The Last of the Finest

    The Last of the Finest

  • Annie Oakley

    Annie Oakley

  • Never Cry Wolf

    Never Cry Wolf

  • Nostromo

    Nostromo

  • Bunker Hill

    Bunker Hill

  • E! True Hollywood Story

    E! True Hollywood Story

  • Death of a Salesman

    Death of a Salesman

  • The Belly of an Architect

    The Belly of an Architect

  • Birdland

    Birdland

  • Founding Fathers

    Founding Fathers

  • The Man From Snowy River II

    The Man From Snowy River II

  • NetForce

    NetForce

  • Netforce

    Netforce

  • Zebras: Patterns in the Grass

    Zebras: Patterns in the Grass

  • The Fighting Fitzgeralds

    The Fighting Fitzgeralds

  • Murder in the Heartland

    Murder in the Heartland

  • Lanigan's Rabbi

    Lanigan's Rabbi

  • Category 6: Day of Destruction

    Category 6: Day of Destruction

  • Star of the Family

    Star of the Family

  • She Hate Me

    She Hate Me

  • Out of the Cold

    Out of the Cold

  • Category 6: Day of Destruction

    Category 6: Day of Destruction

  • Warden of Red Rock

    Warden of Red Rock

  • The Burden of Proof

    The Burden of Proof

  • Foreign Affairs

    Foreign Affairs

  • The River Rat

    The River Rat

  • American Valor

    American Valor

  • Serpico

    Serpico

  • To Catch a Killer

    To Catch a Killer

  • Jack Reed: One of Our Own

    Jack Reed: One of Our Own

  • Cat City

    Cat City

  • Skokie

    Skokie

  • In Broad Daylight

    In Broad Daylight

  • Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Three's Company'

    Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Three's Company'

  • A Real American Hero

    A Real American Hero

  • A Very Merry Toy Store

    A Very Merry Toy Store

  • A Season in Purgatory

    A Season in Purgatory

  • Rising Son

    Rising Son

  • Ruby and Oswald

    Ruby and Oswald

  • The Seduction of Miss Leona

    The Seduction of Miss Leona

  • Founding Brothers

    Founding Brothers

  • Welcome to Paradise

    Welcome to Paradise

  • Best Seller

    Best Seller

  • Blood Feud

    Blood Feud

  • Trumbo

    Trumbo

  • Sirens

    Sirens

  • Alan Pakula: Going for Truth

    Alan Pakula: Going for Truth

  • Fail Safe

    Fail Safe

  • Steve Martini's Undue Influence

    Steve Martini's Undue Influence

  • Little Miss Marker

    Little Miss Marker

  • The Man Who Married a French Wife and Other Stories

    The Man Who Married a French Wife and Other Stories

  • Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye

    Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye

  • Animated Tales of the World

    Animated Tales of the World

  • Deadly Matrimony

    Deadly Matrimony

  • The Girls in Their Summer Dresses and Other Stories

    The Girls in Their Summer Dresses and Other Stories

  • The Diamond Fleece

    The Diamond Fleece

  • Jack Reed: A Search for Justice

    Jack Reed: A Search for Justice

  • Seven Minutes

    Seven Minutes

  • Prophet of Evil: The Ervil LeBaron Story

    Prophet of Evil: The Ervil LeBaron Story

  • Jack Reed: A Killer Among Us

    Jack Reed: A Killer Among Us

  • Midnight Movie

    Midnight Movie

  • A Death in Canaan

    A Death in Canaan

  • Love and Valor

    Love and Valor

  • Lost Road of the Popes: Via Papale

    Lost Road of the Popes: Via Papale

  • Code Yellow: Hospital at Ground Zero

    Code Yellow: Hospital at Ground Zero