Dennis Quaid

Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor. Raised in Texas, he became known during the 1980s after appearing in several successful films, and has since established a career as a leading Hollywood actor.

Biography

Early life

Quaid was born in Houston, Texas to Juanita Bonniedale "Nita" (née Jordan), a real estate agent, and William Rudy Quaid, an electrician.^[1] Quaid has Irish and Cajun ancestry.^[2] He attended Pershing Middle School (Houston). He studied drama at Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas and later in college, at the University of Houston, under drama coach Cecil Pickett.

Career

After his brother, actor Randy Quaid, was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in The Last Detail, he dropped out of the University of Houston before graduating and moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue an acting career of his own.^[2] He initially had trouble finding work but began to gain notice when he appeared in Breaking Away (1979) and earned good reviews for his role in The Right Stuff (1983).^[2] Known for his famous grin, Quaid is a versatile actor, performing in both comedic and dramatic roles.^[2] Quaid had starring roles in the 1980s films Enemy Mine and Innerspace. He also achieved acclaim for his portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis in Great Balls of Fire! (1989).^[2]

Quaid's career lost steam in late 1980s/early 1990s, after he fought and kicked a painful cocaine addiction.^[2] However, he continued to prove his worth in a variety of films such as a memorable performance as Doc Holliday in Wyatt Earp (1994) and has experienced a resurgence in popularity since the late nineties.^[2] Some of Quaid's most recent film credits include Traffic (2000) as a lowlife attorney, Frequency (2000) as a fireman, Far From Heaven (2002) as a closeted husband, In Good Company (2004), as an aging advertising executive whose new boss is much younger and The Day After Tomorrow (2004) as the protagonist (which later fall to Emmy Rossum), paleoclimatologist at the center of the story whose son Jake Gyllenhaal is trapped at the 42nd St. Public Library in New York City. Quaid then starred in remake of Yours, Mine and Ours in 2005.

Personal life

Quaid was raised in the Baptist religion and is still a practicing Christian.^[3][4] Quaid is married to Kimberly Buffington of Austin, Texas. The couple welcomed twins born via a gestational carrier on November 8, 2007 in Santa Monica, California. Son Thomas Boone was born first at 8:26 a.m. and weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces. Daughter Zoe Grace made her appearance two minutes later weighing in at 5 pounds, 9 ounces.^[5]

Quaid has chosen a holiday for each of his weddings (Independence Day, Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving Day): July 4, 2004 – present; Kimberly Buffington (real estate agent); February 14, 1991 – June 16, 2001; Meg Ryan (actress, with whom he has a son, Jack Henry (born April 24, 1992); November 25, 1978 – January 23, 1983; P.J. Soles (actress). Quaid was also engaged for three years to actress Lea Thompson (Back to the Future, Caroline in the City), whom he met on the movie set of Jaws 3-D in 1983.

Quaid golfing

Aside from acting, Quaid is a musician and plays with his band the Sharks. Quaid also has a pilot's license and is a scratch golfer and, in 2005, was named as the top golfer among the "Hollywood set" by Golf Digest. He lends his name to the annual "Dennis Quaid Charity Weekend" (formerly the "Jiffy Lube/Dennis Quaid Charity Classic") in Austin, Texas. The golf tournament attracts numerous celebrities with the proceeds split among local children's charities. He is a member of the Bel-Air Country Club in Bel-Air and tries to stay at homes on private courses when he is on the road.

Quaid works with the charity "International Hospital for Children in New Orleans." He makes trips to Central America to help build medical clinics and transport sick children back to the United States for treatment they cannot get locally.

In a 2006 interview with Best Life magazine, Quaid said that in the mid-1990s he suffered from anorexia nervosa, saying, "I'd look in the mirror and still see a 180 lb. guy, even though I was 138 pounds," and "for many years, I was obsessed about what I was eating, how many calories it had, and how much exercise I'd have to do".

On November 20, 2007, Quaid's twelve-day-old twins were mistakenly given 1,000 times the proper dosage of heparin.^{[6] [7]}

Info From:
^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Quaid}