Iconic '80s Film Star Turns 72
Happy birthday to Dennis Quaid!
The A-Lister, who made a name for himself playing "Average Joes," turns 72.
Quaid was born on April 9, 1954, in Houston, Texas. After dropping out of the University of Houston in the mid-1970s, the aspiring actor moved to Hollywood to take a shot at stardom. His big break came with 1983's historical drama, The Right Stuff, which flopped at the box office, but went on to win four Academy Awards.
He would go on to star in such modern classics as The Big Easy (1987), Great Balls of Fire! (1989), The Parent Trap (1998), Any Given Sunday (1999), Traffic (2000) and The Rookie (2002).
Quaid reflected on working into his 70s at the Big Screen Achievement Awards in 2004. "To tell you the truth, I really do feel like I have more fun," he said. "I enjoy [acting] now more than when I was young and hungry — not trying to get anywhere. I do it because I love it and that makes me kind of the luckiest guy on Earth, to tell you the truth."
Cinema Icon Award winner Dennis Quaid thanks “lord and savior Jesus Christ,” recalls wanting to be a veterinarian (“I’m really glad I changed my mind”) and how Star Wars impacted movie business (“Everything took off”) during acceptance speech. #CinemaCon pic.twitter.com/gWTwBarvLU
— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) April 12, 2024
The star recently starred in the Paramount+ series, Happy Face, and the Netflix film War Machine.
Quaid is also a father of three. He shares twins Thomas and Zoe (born 2007) with ex-wife Kimberly Buffington. His first son, Jack (born 1992), certainly seems to have caught the acting bug from Quaid and his second ex-wife, Meg Ryan. Jack Quaid stars on Amazon series, The Boys.
(Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for UTA)
On top of being a much-respected movie star, Quaid is also a musician. He's released original songs for multiple movie soundtracks and formed the band, Dennis Quaid and the Sharks.
Quaid has also been a licensed pilot since 1994. He's taken his love for flying to the big screen with 2003's On a Wing and a Prayer and the small screen, hosting Fox Nation's Top Combat Pilot.