Dennis Quaid

Capable to deliver excellent performances in the contrasting genres of drama and comedy to frequently earn critics' praises, Dennis William Quaid surely is one versatile thespian people could always welcome warmly in cinemas. Raised in Houston, Texas from the day of he was born on April 9, 1954 as the second son of electrician William Rudy Quaid and real-estate agent Juanita Bonniedale Jordan, the actor has flourished an interest in acting since he was still a student at the state's Bellaire High School where he was actively involved in some of its stage productions. Kept sticking to this branch of performing arts when entering University of Houston after his graduation in 1972, his fondness for the field became so great that he finally decided to quit his study to follow the trail of his older brother, Randy Quaid, who at that time had already developed a growing career in Hollywood.

Boldly left his hometown to head for Los Angeles at age 20, Dennis initially encountered difficulty in finding proper work since he only managed to gain a bit part in "Crazy Mama" (1975) while his next performance in "The Missouri Breaks" (1976) was mercilessly edited out of final feature, much to his dismal. Fortunately, things turned better after the dark-haired guy landed a supporting role in James Bridges' "September 30, 1955" (1977) as other roles quickly followed, most notably that in "Breaking Away" (1979). Delivering a stunning portrayal of frustrated Mid-western teenager Mike, he delightfully found himself being showered with critics' huge praise to soon garner widespread attention from both U.S audience and Hollywood which surely gave large contribution in paving his way to strive further in the mainstream film industry.