Dennis Quaid

Dennis Quaid was married to his first wife American actress P. J. Soles from 1978 to 1983.

He then married actress Meg Ryan on February 14, 1991. The couple had one son, Jack Henry. They divorced in 2001, after ten years of marriage.

Quaid then began dating model Shanna Moakler in 2001. His relationship with Moakler lasted for eight months.

Dennis Quaid was born on April 9, 1954, in Houston, Texas. His father William Rudy Quaid was an electrician while his mother Juanita B. "Nita" Quaid was a real estate agent. The popular actor Randy Quaid is his brother. He also has a half-sister named Brandy as well as a half-brother named Buddy.

He studied at Paul W. Horn Elementary School and later attended Pershing Middle School in Houston.

After middle school, Quaid attended Bellaire High School where he studied Mandarin Chinese and dance. He then went on to attend the University of Houston where he learnt drama under coach Cecil Pickett, father of actress Cindy Pickett. Quaid, however, dropped out of the university before graduating in order to pursue an acting career.

Dennis Quaid made his film debut in 1975 with the flick ‘Crazy Mama’ in which he appeared as Bellhop. He, however, didn’t get any recognition for this role. In 1977, he appeared in the movies ‘I Never Promised You a Rose Garden’ and ‘September 30, 1955’. That year, he also appeared in an episode of ‘Baretta’.

Soon after this, the actor played the role of Phil Lawver in the television movie ‘Are You in the House Alone?’ He was then cast as Mike in the comedy movie ‘Breaking Away’ that earned him wide recognition. He then got featured in the 1980 film ‘The Long Riders,’ directed by Walter Hill.

In 1981, Quaid was cast in the biographical drama TV movie ‘Bill’ in which he was assigned the role of ‘Barry Morrow’. The same year, he did the films ‘All Night Long’, ‘Caveman’ and ‘The Night the Lights Went Out’.

The American artiste reprised his role as Barry Morrow in ‘Bill: On His Own’ (1983), the sequel of the TV movie ‘Bill.’ He also was cast in the films ‘Tough Enough’, ‘Jaws 3-D’ and ‘The Right Stuff’ that year.

In the ensuing years, he had roles in the movies ‘Dreamscape’, ‘Enemy Mine’, ‘Innerspace’, ‘Suspect’, ‘D.O.A.’, ‘Everybody's All-American’ and ‘Great Balls of Fire’.

In 1987, Dennis Quaid played Det. Remy McSwain in the movie ‘The Big Easy’. In the crime comedy drama movie directed by Jim McBride, he starred alongside actors Ellen Barkin, Ned Beatty, and John Goodman. Quaid, who also performed and wrote the film’s track "Closer to You," went on to receive two best actor awards for his performance in the movie.

The American actor starred in the period drama film ‘Far from Heaven’. This film, also starring Dennis Haysbert, Patricia Clarkson and Julianne Moore, explores race, class, sexual orientation, and gender roles in the context of the 1950s America. Quaid, who played the role of Frank Whitaker in the movie, won multiple awards in the ‘best supporting actor’ category at various award functions.

In 2010, Quaid appeared in ‘The Special Relationship’. This British-American political flick directed by Richard Loncraine is the third flick in Morgan's informal "Blair trilogy" that follows the political career of the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The film featured Quaid as Bill Clinton, Michael Sheen as Blair, Helen McCrory as Cherie Blair and Hope Davis as Hillary Clinton.