ACTOR
Dennis Quaid
40 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (40)
- #001
Dennis Quaid is a licensed private pilot with single- and multi-engine instrument ratings. He also holds a type rating for the twin-engine Cessna Citation 500 series light jet. He regularly flies the jet to his property in Montana.
- #002
When performing with his band Dennis Quaid and the Sharks, he always plays barefoot so he can feel as relaxed as if he were playing in his living room.
- #003
He has appeared in four films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: Breaking Away (1979), The Right Stuff (1983), Traffic (2000) and The Substance (2024).
- #004
He wrote songs for three of his films: The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (1981), Tough Enough (1983) and The Big Easy (1986).
- #005
He separated from his wife Meg Ryan on June 28, 2000, and completed the divorce papers (which stated that Meg Ryan could keep all her jewelry and that on July 16, 2001 he received joint custody of their son Jack Quaid and of the family car, a Jeep Cherokee).
- #006
He tested for the role of Luke Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard (1979), which went to Tom Wopat.
- #007
His newborn twins were placed in the intensive care unit of a hospital in the Los Angeles area after it was reported on November 18, 2007 that they had accidentally received an overdose of drugs.
- #008
He lived with Lea Thompson for three years and was engaged to her. The couple met on the set of Jaws 3-D (1983).
- #009
On November 16, 2005, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7018 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
- #010
He turned down the role of Thomas Wayne in Batman Begins (2005), which went to Linus Roache.
- #011
He was asked to play the role of Bob in Halloween (1978) because his girlfriend at the time, P. J. Soles, was in the film, but he was working on another project and had to decline.
- #012
He was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame in Austin, Texas.
- #013
He and his brother Randy Quaid are twice-removed first cousins of the performer Gene Autry. Gene's maternal grandparents, Andrew Clinton Ozment and Margaret Malinda Pierce, were also Dennis and Randy's paternal great-great-grandparents.
- #014
He has three children: his son Jack Quaid (b. April 24, 1992) with his second ex-wife Meg Ryan, and his son Thomas Boone Quaid and daughter Zoe Grace Quaid (b. November 8, 2007) with his third ex-wife Kimberly Buffington.
- #015
He was with Lea Thompson from 1983 to 1989.
- #016
He is the younger brother of Randy Quaid.
- #017
His favorite director of all time is David Lean.
- #018
He was considered for the role of B. J. McKay in B. J. and the Bear (1978), which went to Greg Evigan.
- #019
He is the uncle of Amanda Quaid.
- #020
Dennis Quaid's wife, Kimberly Buffington, works as a real estate agent in Austin, Texas, for Buffington Signature Homes. Her father, Thomas B. Buffington, is the company's CEO.
- #021
Dennis Quaid has a stepbrother named Buddy Quaid and a stepsister named Brandy Quaid.
- #022
Dennis Quaid and Brett Cullen have been friends for a long time. Both attended the University of Houston and were drama students of Cindy Pickett's father, Cecil Pickett.
- #023
Dennis Quaid recently began doing voice-over work in Visa credit card commercials on radio and television.
- #024
Dennis Quaid lost 44 kilos. For the role of Doc Holliday in Wyatt Earp, the director told him to lose 10 to 11, but Quaid felt he needed to lose more because Doc suffered from tuberculosis.
- #025
Dennis Quaid is friends with Bradley Cooper.
- #026
Dennis Quaid's parents are William (Buddy Quaid) and Nita Quaid.
- #027
Dennis Quaid played a military pilot twice: in The Right Stuff (1983) and Innerspace (1987).
- #028
Dennis Quaid became engaged to Kimberly Buffington in 2004.
- #029
Dennis Quaid loves golf and has a handicap of 6.
- #030
Dennis Quaid attended Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas.
- #031
Dennis Quaid was set to star in David Lean's adaptation of Joseph Conrad's Nostromo in 1991. Lean's death in April 1991 ended the project.
- #032
Dennis Quaid's drama teacher at Bellaire High School and later at the University of Houston was Cecil Pickett, Cindy Pickett's father.
- #033
On October 18, 2019, Dennis Quaid announced his engagement to Laura Savoie after a four-month relationship.
- #034
Dennis Quaid attended Pershing Jr. High School in Houston, Texas.
- #035
Dennis Quaid first went to Hollywood at the age of 21, after having formed a band and toured by bus.
- #036
Dennis Quaid was listed as a potential nominee in the voting for the 2005 Razzie Awards. He was suggested for Worst Actor for his roles in The Alamo (2004) and The Day After Tomorrow (2004), but was not nominated.
- #037
Dennis Quaid is Evi Quaid's brother-in-law.
- #038
Dennis Quaid endorsed Donald Trump's candidacy for president in 2024.
- #039
In October 2025, 'Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid' launched as a program produced in partnership with Highlands County, FL, offering public television viewers an in-depth look at the community's unique strengths.
- #040
Dennis Quaid plays guitar and sings in his band.
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