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Randy Quaid

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Randy Quaid
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Randy Quaid

Randall Rudy "Randy" Quaid (born October 1, 1950) is an American actor. He was born in Houston, Texas, and is the elder brother of fellow actor Dennis Quaid.

Contents

Career history

Feature films

In a career that spans over 30 years, he has appeared in over 90 movies. Peter Bogdanovich discovered him when Quaid was a student at the University of Houston in Houston, Texas. He got his first exposure (in more ways than one) in The Last Picture Show, when escorting Jacy Farrow (played by Cybill Shepherd) to late-night indoor skinny dipping at a swimming pool. It was the first of several roles he has had which were directed by Bogdanovich and/or based on the writings of Larry McMurtry.

Quaid appeared in several National Lampoon's Vacation movies where he proved an impressionable scene stealer as "Cousin Eddie", the dim-witted, bucolic relative of Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase). He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in The Last Detail (1973) and won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of President Lyndon Johnson in LBJ: The Early Years (1987). He was featured (with Margaret Colin) in two science fiction movies, the unsuccessful Martians Go Home and very successful Independence Day. Other movies include Kingpin, where he played the lovable Amish bowler Ishmael, alongside Woody Harrelson and Weird Science (the television version) cast member Vanessa Angel; a loser father in Not Another Teen Movie; and an obnoxious neighbor to Richard Pryor's character in Moving. Quaid is often considered to be at his best when portraying either drunks or rednecks.

More recently, he had a supporting role in Brokeback Mountain (2005) in which he played a homophobic rancher whose two male employees are the movie's main characters. On March 23, 2006, Quaid filed a lawsuit for $10 million plus punitive damages against Focus Features (LLC), Del Mar Productions (LLC), James Schamus, David Linde, alleging that they both intentionally and negligently misrepresented Brokeback Mountain as being, "a low-budget, art house film with no prospect of making any money" in order to secure Quaid's professional acting services at a considerably lower rate to his usual fee. Quaid was also upset because he claims that he was originally tapped to direct the film. Bringing in Ang Lee to direct was, in Quaid's words, "a direct slap in the face to all that I have worked for in this industry". The film then grossed over $160 million. The lawsuit was closely monitored by many actors who forgo their usual fees to make low-budget movies they believe have artistic merit. On May 5, 2006, Quaid announced that he was dropping his lawsuit.

Television

Quaid's television appearances include a season as a Saturday Night Live cast member (1985–1986), the role of real-life gunslinger John Wesley Hardin in the miniseries Streets of Laredo, and starring roles in the short-lived series The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire (2003) and Davis Rules (1991-1992). He was featured in the highly-rated TV movies ' and ' and starred in Last Rites, a made-for-cable Starz/Encore! premiere movie.

He also provided the voice of an animated Colonel Sanders character in a series of television commercials for fried chicken restaurant chain KFC.

Filmography

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References

External links

 

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