5 Richard Dreyfuss Roles That Made Him a Hollywood Favorite
Will we ever get another actor like Rochard Dreyfuss? The kind of guy who looks like your friend's Dad? The everyman who isn't overly muscular or handsome, just a guy who's the perfect conduit for something powerful? In the 1970s, Hollywood made way for neurotic, fast-talking, intelligent, relatable characters. Richard Dreyfuss was at the center of this surge, and no one has been like him since. H
Will we ever get another actor like Rochard Dreyfuss? The kind of guy who looks like your friend's Dad? The everyman who isn't overly muscular or handsome, just a guy who's the perfect conduit for something powerful?
In the 1970s, Hollywood made way for neurotic, fast-talking, intelligent, relatable characters.
Richard Dreyfuss was at the center of this surge, and no one has been like him since.
He attacked his characters and made them so memorable. You wanted to hang out with them, root for them, and cry with them because Dreyfuss made you believe they mattered.
Today, I want to go over five key performances that cemented Richard Dreyfuss as a quintessential Hollywood favorite.
Let's dive in.
1. American Graffiti (1973) – Curt Henderson
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- Director: George Lucas
- Writers: George Lucas, Gloria Katz, Willard Huyck
- Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips, Harrison Ford
Before he chased great white sharks or aliens, Dreyfuss was the heart and soul of George Lucas’s nostalgic classic American Graffiti. He played Curt Henderson, a high school graduate trying to decide whether to leave his small hometown for college. He takes chances on girls, seeks out advice, and ultimately finds his way.
2. Jaws (1975) – Matt Hooper
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- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Writers: Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb
- Cast: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton
This is the role he will always be most famous for, the one that thrust him into the spotlight and made him one of the most recognizable actors ever. Dreyfuss was the comic relief and wonder at the center of the Steven Spielberg summer blockbuster that redefined cinematic history. Dreyfuss’s Matt Hooper provided the perfect tonal counterweight to Roy Scheider’s grounded Chief Brody and Robert Shaw’s hardened Quint. He was the glue guy, holding it all together.
3. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) – Roy Neary
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- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Writer: Steven Spielberg
- Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban
Reuniting with Spielberg was one of Dreyfuss's smartest decisions, and I kind of wish they'd find something similar today. Spielberg understands that the film's emotional core is Dreyfuss: a father going crazy trying to put together the images he has in his brain and the aliens no one believes he saw. The ending is so raw and powerful; you wave goodbye as he travels beyond where imagination can take us.
4. The Goodbye Girl (1977) – Elliot Garfield
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- Director: Herbert Ross
- Writer: Neil Simon
- Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason, Quinn Cummings, Paul Benedict
Crazy Richard Dreyfuss fact: At age 30, Dreyfuss became the youngest person (at the time) to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his turn in Neil Simon’s hit romantic comedy. And it wasn't just him. The movie received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Marsha Mason), Best Supporting Actress (Quinn Cummings), and Best Original Screenplay (Neil Simon).
5. Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) – Glenn Holland
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- Director: Stephen Herek
- Writer: Patrick Sheane Duncan
- Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas, Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy, Alicia Witt
This is one of those later-career performances that showed Dreyfuss could still do it alongside the best. This movie was part of a life epic spanning three decades, following a frustrated composer turned passionate high school music teacher. Mr. Holland's Opus showcased a mature version of the actor, earning him another Academy Award nomination.
Summing It All Up
I think Richard Dreyfuss is one of our greatest actors. I've loved tracking his career in film, and you can really see him as a perfect conduit for the everyman journey on the silver screen.
These are the ones I will remember him for, but I bet you have your own personal connections with some of his roles.
What was your favorite Dreyfuss performance?