Biography

Jeffrey Leon Bridges was born on December 4, 1949 in Los Angeles, California, the son of well-known film and TV star Lloyd Bridges and his long-time wife Dorothy Dean Bridges (née Simpson). He grew up amid the happening Hollywood scene with big brother Beau Bridges. Both boys popped up, without billing, alongside their mother in the film The Company She Keeps (1951), and appeared on occasion with their famous dad on his popular underwater TV series Sea Hunt (1958) while growing up. At age 14, Jeff toured with his father in a stage production of "Anniversary Waltz". The "troublesome teen" years proved just that for Jeff and his parents were compelled at one point to intervene when problems with drugs and marijuana got out of hand.

He recovered and began shaping his nascent young adult career appearing on TV as a younger version of his father in the acclaimed TV- movie Silent Night, Lonely Night (1969), and in the strange Burgess Meredith film The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go (1970). Following fine notices for his portrayal of a white student caught up in the racially-themed Halls of Anger (1970), his career-maker arrived just a year later when he earned a coming-of-age role in the critically-acclaimed ensemble film The Last Picture Show (1971). The Peter Bogdanovich- directed film made stars out off its young leads (Bridges, Timothy Bottoms, Cybill Shepherd) and Oscar winners out of its older cast (Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman). The part of Duane Jackson, for which Jeff received his first Oscar-nomination (for "best supporting actor"), set the tone for the types of roles Jeff would acquaint himself with his fans -- rambling, reckless, rascally and usually unpredictable).

Owning a casual carefree handsomeness and armed with a perpetual grin and sly charm, he started immediately on an intriguing 70s sojourn into offbeat filming. Chief among them were his boxer on his way up opposite a declining Stacy Keach in Fat City (1972); his Civil War-era conman in the western Bad Company (1972); his redneck stock car racer in The Last American Hero (1973); his young student anarchist opposite a stellar veteran cast in Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh (1973); his bank-robbing (also Oscar-nominated) sidekick to Clint Eastwood in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974); his aimless cattle rustler in Rancho Deluxe (1975); his low-level western writer who wants to be a real-life cowboy in Hearts of the West (1975); and the brother of an assassinated President who pursues leads to the crime in Winter Kills (1979). All are simply marvelous characters that should have propelled him to the very top rungs of stardom...but strangely didn't.

Perhaps it was his trademark ease and naturalistic approach that made him somewhat under appreciated at that time when Hollywood was run by a Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino-like intensity. Neverthless, Jeff continued to be a scene-stealing favorite into the next decade, notably as the video game programmer in the 1982 science-fiction cult classic Tron (1982), and the struggling musician brother vying with brother Beau Bridges over the attentions of sexy singer Michelle Pfeiffer in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989). Jeff became a third-time Oscar nominee with his highly intriguing (and strangely sexy) portrayal of a blank-faced alien in Starman (1984), and earned even higher regard as the ever-optimistic inventor Preston Tucker in Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988).

Since then Jeff has continued to pour on the Bridges magic on film. Few enjoy such an enduring popularity while maintaining equal respect with the critics. The Fisher King (1991), American Heart (1992), Fearless (1993), The Big Lebowski (1998) (now a cult phenomenon) and The Contender (2000) (which gave him a fourth Oscar nomination) are prime examples. More recently he seized the moment as a bald-pated villain as Robert Downey Jr.'s nemesis in Iron Man (2008) and then, at age 60, he capped his rewarding career by winning the elusive Oscar, plus the Golden Globe and Screen Actor Guild awards (among many others), for his down-and-out country singer Bad Blake in Crazy Heart (2009). Bridges next starred in TRON: Legacy (2010), reprising one of his more famous roles, and received another Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his role in the Western remake True Grit (2010). In 2014, he co-produced and starred in an adaptation of the Lois Lowry science fiction drama The Giver (2014).

Jeff has been married since 1977 to non-professional Susan Geston (they met on the set of Rancho Deluxe (1975)). The couple have three daughters, Isabelle (born 1981), Jessica (born 1983), and Hayley (born 1985). He hobbies as a photographer on and off his film sets, and has been known to play around as a cartoonist and pop musician. His ancestry is English, and smaller amounts of Scots-Irish (Northern Irish), Irish, Swiss-German, and German.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net

Gregarious demeanor

Regularly has played "everyman" type roles up against considerable adversity, especially in his more dramatic roles

Met his wife, Susan Bridges, while filming Rancho Deluxe (1975) - she was working as a maid on a dude ranch.

Uncle of Casey Bridges, Jordan Bridges, Dylan Bridges, Emily Bridges, Jeffrey Bridges and Jamey Geston.

Is a talented guitarist.

Between takes, he shoots still photographs as a hobby.

Served in the United States Coast Guard, like his father, Lloyd (during WWII), and his older brother, Beau.

Is a huge fan of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys.

He was considered for the role of Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver (1976). Paul Schrader wrote the role with him in mind before Robert De Niro was cast.

Attended Palisades Charter High School in Los Angeles, California.

He was considered for the role of Jack Traven in Speed (1994). The lead role was originally written for him before Keanu Reeves was cast.

It was during the filming of The Iceman Cometh (1973) that he decided to focus solely on acting, and make this his profession. Up until then, he has said that he "just enjoyed the ride".

He was considered for the lead role in Year of the Dragon (1985), which went to Mickey Rourke.

His brother, Garrett Myles, died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) on August 3, 1948.

He was one of many considered for the role of John Rambo in First Blood (1982) when the screenplay was still circulating.

He was considered for the lead role in The Thing (1982), which went to Kurt Russell.

He was considered for the lead role in Kinsey (2004), which went to Liam Neeson.

Corrected rumors that he turned down the role of Matt Hooper in Jaws (1975) in an interview with Howard Stern.

He was offered the role of Bobby Grady in Crimes of Passion (1984), which went to John Laughlin.

Is a huge fan of actors Robert Ryan and Lee Marvin. Favorite movie is Billy Budd (1962).

Bridges and Nick Nolte were considered as possible candidates for the two leads in Heat (1995), roles that famously went to Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.

Did some of his education at a military academy.

Enjoys cigars, and smokes a couple every day.

Is described as being an extremely laid-back guy.

Jon Hamm states Bridges as his favorite actor.

Eagerly pursued the lead in The Stunt Man (1980). Bridges was reportedly very keen to play Cameron, a fugitive who hides out at a movie set and accidentally becomes a stuntman.

He was considered for the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in Batman (1989), which went to Michael Keaton.

Uncle of Ezekiel (Zeke) Jeffrey Bridges, the youngest child of Beau Bridges.

Was set to star in Tequila Sunrise (1988) with Nick Nolte, but when Nolte dropped out, so did he. Mel Gibson and Kurt Russell starred in the film.

Turned down the role of Zachariah in Zachariah (1971) to work on The Last Picture Show (1971).

He was considered for the role of Steve McKenna in The Mechanic (1972) when Cliff Robertson was set to star in the film.

Is only the fifth actor in Oscar history to be nominated for an award for playing a role that had already won a previous actor an award. John Wayne won Best Actor for playing Rooster Cogburn in True Grit (1969), the same role that earned Bridges a nomination. Previously, Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro both won Oscars for playing Vito Corleone in The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974). Gérard Depardieu was nominated for playing the title role in Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), the same role that had won an Oscar for José Ferrer forty years earlier and Peter O'Toole earned a Best Actor Nomination for -Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) the same role for which Robert Donat had won the Best Actor prize three decades prior. Also, the academy acknowledged both Charles Laughton and Robert Shaw for their portrayals of King Henry VIII: Laughton in an award winning performance in The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) and Shaw in A Man for All Seasons (1966). Bridges, O'Toole and Depardieu were nominated for a direct remake of an earlier Oscar-winning film while De Niro earned his Statuette for a sequel and Shaw was nominated for a completely different story revolving around his shared character.

Along with Bruce Boxleitner, he is one of only two actors to appear in both Tron (1982) and TRON: Legacy (2010).

In 2010, both he and Colin Firth were nominated for the Academy Award in the category 'Best Leading Actor' (for Crazy Heart (2009) and A Single Man (2009) respectively). Bridges won the award. The next year, both men were again contending in the same category (for True Grit (2010) and The King's Speech (2010) respectively), with Firth winning this time.

Refers to the art of acting as using his "pretend-muscle".

The longest he has gone without an Academy Award nomination is 16 years, between Starman (1984) and The Contender (2000).

Became a father for the third time at age 35 when his wife Susan Bridges gave birth to their daughter Haley Roselouise Bridges on October 17, 1985.

Became a grandfather for the first time at age 61 when his daughter Isabelle Bridges gave birth to a daughter Grace on March 31, 2011.

As of 2017, has appeared in four films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: The Last Picture Show (1971), Seabiscuit (2003), True Grit (2010) and Hell or High Water (2016). He was nominated for his performances in most of these films except Seabiscuit.

He has played a human in an "alien" world inside a computer in Tron (1982) and TRON: Legacy (2010); an alien on Earth in Starman (1984); and a psychiatrist for an alien in K-PAX (2001).

Is an avid fan of the television series Peaky Blinders (2013) which he binge-watched.

One of his hobbies (other than his music) is ceramics.

An avid photographer, Jeff owns a Japanese Widelux 35mm camera that he uses to produce some of his popular photographic books, also taking it on location to capture the activity of co-stars and crew on the set during the shoots.

He has appeared in three films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: The Last Picture Show (1971), The Big Lebowski (1998) and Iron Man (2008).

Born at 11:58 PM (PST).

Made his film debut at 4 months old in the film The Company She Keeps when he was carried in the arms of Jane Greer.

A talented musician his first album was Be Here Now on Ramp Records label which he co founded.

Has three daughters Isabelle (an artist), Jessie (a guitarist) and Haley (an interior decorator).

His parents sent him to a military academy in ninth grade to try to teach him discipline.

As far as the lack of hits goes, I think perhaps it's because I've played a lot of different roles and have not created a persona that the public can latch on to. I have played everything from psychopathic killers to romantic leading men, and in picking such diverse roles I have avoided typecasting.

A large part of acting is just pretending. You get to work with these other great make-believers, all making believe as hard as they can. What I learned most from my father wasn't anything he said; it was just the way he behaved. He loved his work so much that, whenever he came on set, he brought that with him, and other people rose to it.

My father [Lloyd Bridges] encouraged his kids to go into showbiz, not because he wanted to live vicariously through them, but because he dug it so much. Growing up there was like a mild competition with my father and my brother, not so much maybe in reality, but in my own mind.

When you start to engage with your creative processes, it shakes up all your impulses, and they all kind of inform one another.

I had years of partying, and I was kind of surprised and happy I survived it all. Now, being a parent, I look back on it thinking, Oh God, the things you did!

[on his father, actor Lloyd Bridges] My father, unlike his father, was very supportive of all his kids getting involved in movies and acting in general. He loved what he did and wanted to turn his kids onto it. He thought it was a great way of meeting people, being creative, and traveling around the world and doing what you love to do.

For a long while I wasn't sure I was going to make acting my main focus professionally. I was interested in music, painting and other creative pursuits. I did the movies with a little more capricious an attitude; I wasn't so seriously minded as a total professional. Then came The Iceman Cometh (1973) We had eight weeks of rehearsals and then we shot for two weeks. So it was almost the reverse of how most movies are made. During those eight weeks, I was sitting around with these great actors and this great director, just shooting the breeze and, of course, going over the material. I was also getting to know how other actors of that caliber work on things like this. It was very enlightening. After that experience, I decided, "Hey, I can do this. And I can do this for the rest of my life in a professional way".

I'm very proud of The Last Picture Show (1971). It was absolutely thrilling when I got that part. Peter Bogdanovich was just great, and the whole ensemble was too - Cloris Leachman and Ellen Burstyn and Tim Bottoms and Cybill. When we were doing it, we all had the feeling that we were doing something unique and special. For me, that film stands alone. It's not like any other movie I can think of. It just hangs there by itself. It's still and slow and quiet.

I've been involved with two big flop Westerns [Heaven's Gate (1980) and Wild Bill (1995)]. I don't know if Americans still care about Westerns. I hope they do. There are some wonderful ones still to be made. - 2001.

[on Heaven's Gate (1980)] I remember going to the New York premiere. I'm not sure he (Michael Cimino) had seen the movie complete; he was scrambling to put it together. Afterward we heard that terrible stuttering applause, and it was that sinking feeling. We tried to tell ourselves, "Well, maybe they liked it so much that they are stunned into silence."

To get a good script at any age is kind of a rare thing. The movie-going audience is mainly young guys, and (producers) want to target them. It kind of makes sense from their standpoint, but an interesting story is an interesting story. I remember being a younger guy liking to see movies with older folks in them, so that never deterred me. -- on ageism in the film industry.

[on what advice he'd give to himself as a young actor starting out] Have fun. Don't take it too seriously. Don't mistake this for reality. Be sincere, but don't get too serious. But that's a life direction too, it doesn't just apply to movies.

[on Crazy Heart (2009)] This one was kind of a challenge - I find I'm most challenged by things I really care about, because I really want to do them well. It causes quite a bit of anxiety. But that very thing you're afraid of is kind of like a blessing in disguise. If you didn't have that fear, you wouldn't have the other side - courage and bravery, positive emotions. As an actor, you get used to those fears, and you're almost happy when they show up. It makes you learn your lines and prepare. Then when it's finally time to pull the trigger on the thing, you relax and let it come out.

[on incorporating digitized images of deceased actors in current films] I don't know quite how I feel about that. I guess it's progress. You can't slow that thing down. I imagine they'll soon be able to - if they don't do this already - take a little De Niro, a little Brando, a little Bridges and just a drop of Julie Andrews and shake that up. It's gonna get weird.

On Michelle Pfeiffer: I bet her a thousand dollars after that movie (The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)) came out that she'd be offered a recording deal, and she still owes me.

[remembering director Michael Cimino] In 1973, Mike Cimino cast me as Lightfoot in the first movie he directed - Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974). I was just starting out, just a kid. I remember being up in Montana wondering why he had picked me. I didn't feeling anything like the character I had been hired to play. I felt inadequate, undeserving, confused. The day before shooting began I confessed this all to Mike. This was Mike's first movie, one he had written as well. He'd been given this opportunity by Clint Eastwood, the movie's producer and star. I felt sorry for Mike. This was a big break for him, and here he was the day before his movie was to start shooting, and this frightened young actor who had a major roll in it was telling him he didn't know if he could do it. After not too long a pause, Mike looked at me, and said, "You know that game Tag?" "Yeah," I said. "Well... You're it," Mike told me. He went on to say that this guy, Lightfoot, was no one other than me, that I couldn't make a mistake, or a false move, even if I wanted to. I've never forgotten that bit of direction that that young director gave me on his first movie, that gift of confidence. I'll often bring it to mind when that feeling of inadequateness, that feeling of not deserving what I've been given comes to me. I'll remember to enjoy the game, this game of 'Tag.' A few years later, after Mike won an Academy Award for directing The Deer Hunter (1978), he cast me again in another movie. Now he was an award winner, and along with Coppola, Bogdanovich, & Scorsese, a 'Hollywood Darling', encouraged to make whatever movie he wanted to make. Heaven's Gate (1980) is what he had in mind. A movie about a particularly fascinating time in American History when Cattle Barons, sanctioned by the United States government, waged war on emigrants - the Johnson County Wars. I was cast to play John Bridges, a character Mike loosely based on one of my relatives. The many months of shooting in Montana were a one of a kind movie making experience. When "Heaven's Gate" came out, many critics called it a flop, a disaster. Well...that's just their opinion, man. To me, and many others, it's a masterpiece, and grows in beauty each time it's seen. Michael Cimino was a splendid filmmaker. Getting to work with him was a great pleasure and honor, and a real stroke of luck, a blessing. I'll miss you, Mike. Thanks for tagging me, man. [4th July 2016]

It's a very tricky situation we find ourselves in. It's kind of like the expression ... the cows are out of the gate. There are so many guns in our society already. Do we really need to arm our citizens with machine guns or semiautomatic weapons? And don't we need to make sure that people who do own guns are qualified to own them? Those are simple steps leading us in the right direction.