ACTOR · BORN 1947
Richard Dreyfuss
- Born
- 29 October 1947, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
- Known for
- Jaws (1975), RED (2010), Stand by Me (1986), Family Guy (1999)
66 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
All facts (66)
- #001
Richard Dreyfuss credits much of his ability to end his drug addiction to a life-changing vision he experienced in the hospital after a bad car accident. Dreyfuss, who was under the influence of drugs while driving, knew the crash was his own fault. Although he was the only person injured, the image of a beautiful little girl in white clothes affected him during his recovery. He said she served to remind him of an innocent life of the kind he could destroy, and that this forced him to confront his drug demons and save his own life.
- #002
Richard Dreyfuss had a serious drug problem in the late 1970s and early 1980s. One side effect was damage to his memory, so much so that he still has no recollection of making the film Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981).
- #003
In Stakeout (1987), the characters played by Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez quoted famous movie lines. Estevez said that "This was no boating accident!" referred to Dreyfuss's character in Jaws (1975).
- #004
Richard Dreyfuss's Oscar-winning performance in The Goodbye Girl (1977) was based on his close friend Harlan Ellison.
- #005
Richard Dreyfuss took on the role of Roy Neary in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) after Al Pacino and Gene Hackman turned it down.
- #006
Richard Dreyfuss claims to be descended from Alfred Dreyfus, who was wrongly imprisoned in the notorious Devil's Island penal colony in French Guiana. He eventually starred in the TV film Prisoner of Honor (1991) about the affair.
- #007
Richard Dreyfuss recently created an organization called the Dreyfuss Civics Initiative. The organization's goal is to bring civics classes back into classrooms, as they have been absent from the curriculum of nearly all schools in the United States since 1970.
- #008
Richard Dreyfuss is a Civil War reenactor.
- #009
Richard Dreyfuss was previously the youngest man to win the Best Actor Oscar, at age 30, for The Goodbye Girl (1977). He was beaten at the 2003 ceremony by Adrien Brody (29).
- #010
In 2004, Richard Dreyfuss announced that he was quitting film acting to focus on the theater. He said he had decided on this course because of a recent lack of work in film, and that theater had always been his greatest passion.
- #011
Richard Dreyfuss co-wrote the 1995 novel "The Two Georges" with Hugo Award-winning science fiction author Harry Turtledove. The novel is an alternate history based on the premise that the American Revolution did not succeed and that America is still part of the British Empire.
- #012
During the years he struggled as an actor, Richard Dreyfuss was constantly mocked by Hollywood casting directors after auditions. He wrote down a small list of these names as a reminder that he would eventually succeed.
- #013
Richard Dreyfuss auditioned for the role of one of the Von Trapp children in The Sound of Music (1965) but could not dance.
- #014
Richard Dreyfuss was one of Carrie Fisher's best friends.
- #015
Richard Dreyfuss is one of five actors who have appeared in films directed by both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg (the others being Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, Christopher Lee and Samuel L. Jackson). Dreyfuss is the only one whose films are not part of the "Star Wars" or "Indiana Jones" series.
- #016
Two of Richard Dreyfuss's biggest films, Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and The Goodbye Girl (1977), were released in November 1977 just weeks apart.
- #017
Because of memory problems resulting from his drug addiction in the 1970s and 1980s, during the short run of "Complicit" at the Old Vic in 2009 Richard Dreyfuss controversially used an earpiece to have his lines fed to him during performances. The play, which starred Elizabeth McGovern and David Suchet and was directed by Kevin Spacey, was consequently widely mocked in the British press. The Daily Mail's theater critic, commenting on his many crude lines, joked, "We're going to need a bigger earpiece."
- #018
In The Buddy System (1984), Richard Dreyfuss played a truant officer who mentors Wil Wheaton's character in Wheaton's first film. Two years later, he played the adult version of Wheaton's character in Stand by Me (1986).
- #019
Richard Dreyfuss's paternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Poland and Austria-Hungary, while his maternal grandparents were born in New York and were both children of Russian Jewish families.
- #020
Richard Dreyfuss became a father for the first time at age 36 when his first wife, Jeramie Rain, gave birth to their daughter Emily Dreyfuss in November 1983.
- #021
Between 2004 and 2005, Richard Dreyfuss took a brief break from acting to teach at Oxford University.
- #022
Two of Richard Dreyfuss's films from the early to mid-1970s were spun off into sequels: American Graffiti (1973) and Jaws (1975). The sequels were More American Graffiti (1979) and Jaws 2 (1978), both released in the late 1970s. Each sequel briefly mentions that his character is in a cold-climate region: the American Graffiti character "Curt" on an expedition in Canada and the Jaws character "Hooper" on an expedition in Alaska. In both sequels, most of the original cast returned to reprise their roles. Each original film was also directed by a groundbreaking filmmaker: George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, respectively (both of whom left their mark on the industry); and each sequel was directed by a different director (though Lucas was involved in the sequel, Spielberg was not).
- #023
Richard Dreyfuss was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War.
- #024
Around 1978, Richard Dreyfuss began using cocaine frequently; his addiction peaked four years later, in 1982, when he was arrested for drug possession after passing out while driving and crashing his Mercedes-Benz 450 SL into a tree. He entered rehabilitation and returned to Hollywood the following year with Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986) and Stakeout (1987).
- #025
Richard Dreyfuss attended the same high school as Angelina Jolie, Michael Klesic, Nicolas Cage, David Schwimmer, Lenny Kravitz, Corbin Bernsen and Gina Gershon.
- #026
While in town to give a speech at James Madison University, Richard Dreyfuss married Svetlana Erokhin in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
- #027
Richard Dreyfuss was initially cast as Joe Gideon in All That Jazz (1979), but left the production during rehearsals.
- #028
Richard Dreyfuss became a father for the second time at age 38 when his first wife, Jeramie Rain, gave birth to their son Ben Dreyfuss in June 1986.
- #029
Richard Dreyfuss attended California State University, Northridge along with Teri Garr, his co-star in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).
- #030
Richard Dreyfuss became a father for the third time at age 42 when his first wife, Jeramie Rain, gave birth to their son Harry Dreyfuss in August 1990.
- #031
The role played by Jane Fonda in The China Syndrome (1979) was originally written with Dreyfuss in mind. After he withdrew from the project over salary concerns, the role was rewritten as a woman and was ultimately played by Jane Fonda.
- #032
Richard Dreyfuss was born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in Beverly Hills, California from an early age.
- #033
Richard Dreyfuss was an advisor to Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation.
- #034
On November 20, 2009, Richard Dreyfuss was the opening speaker at the Dedication Day ceremonies at Gettysburg National Cemetery.
- #035
Richard Dreyfuss appeared in four films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: The Graduate (1967), American Graffiti (1973), Jaws (1975) and The Goodbye Girl (1977).
- #036
Richard Dreyfuss appeared in four films selected by the Library of Congress for the National Film Registry as "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: The Graduate (1967), American Graffiti (1973), Jaws (1975) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).
- #037
Richard Dreyfuss was initially discussed for the role of Andy McGee (Charlie's father) in John Carpenter's version of Firestarter (1984), but in the film's final version both Carpenter and Dreyfuss were replaced by Mark L. Lester and David Keith.
- #038
In early 2009, Richard Dreyfuss appeared in Joe Sutton's play Complicit at the Old Vic theatre in London. The production was directed by the theatre's artistic director, Kevin Spacey. Dreyfuss's performance drew some controversy because he reportedly used an earpiece on stage after failing to learn his lines in time.
- #039
Richard Dreyfuss was initially cast as Joe Gideon in All That Jazz (1979), but left the production during rehearsals, citing a lack of confidence in it. He later admitted he had made a mistake by passing up the chance to work with Bob Fosse. He was replaced by Jaws (1975) star Roy Scheider.
- #040
On October 10, 1996, Richard Dreyfuss was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
- #041
In November 2004, Richard Dreyfuss was scheduled to appear in The Producers in London but withdrew from the production a week before opening night. The media noted that Dreyfuss was still suffering problems related to a back surgery performed in January and that the role of Max Bialystock in the play was physically demanding. Both he and his assistant on the production stated that injuries had accumulated during rehearsals, requiring Dreyfuss to wear physical therapy supports. Dreyfuss was ultimately fired from the production. He made his West End debut in 2009 at The Old Vic.
- #042
Richard Dreyfuss has a strong antipathy toward rock music.
- #043
On June 10, 2011, at the Scottish Rite building in Washington, DC, Richard Dreyfuss was made a Master Mason "at sight" and a 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason by the Grand Master of Masons of the District of Columbia. That evening, at a banquet celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, he spoke about the Dreyfuss Initiative, a civic and enlightenment-values research society to be established in Charleston, West Virginia.
- #044
Richard Dreyfuss ranked 81st on Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.
- #045
Richard Dreyfuss was once portrayed by Darrell Hammond in a sketch on Saturday Night Live (1975). Hammond had auditioned for the role of C-3PO in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) against Dreyfuss.
- #046
On October 18, 2004, Richard Dreyfuss left the role of Max Bialystock in the London production of "The Producers." He cited an ongoing problem following back surgery and a recurring shoulder injury. He was replaced by Nathan Lane.
- #047
Richard Dreyfuss's novel The Two Georges (1995), a steampunk detective thriller he co-wrote with Harry Turtledove, was reportedly optioned for a miniseries by Granada Television in the United Kingdom in the late 1990s, but nothing came of it.
- #048
Richard Dreyfuss is a distant relative of actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
- #049
Richard Dreyfuss was honored with the 1996 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for his work in "Three Hotels" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
- #050
Richard Dreyfuss was offered the role of American Vice Consul Dreighton in The Wind and the Lion (1975).
- #051
Richard Dreyfuss was considered for the role of Louis Strack Jr. in Darkman (1990).
- #052
Richard Dreyfuss has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.
- #053
Richard Dreyfuss was honored with the 1984 Drama Logue Award for Outstanding Performance for the play "The Hands of Its Enemy" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
- #054
Richard Dreyfuss was not only the youngest actor to win the Oscar for Best Actor, for The Goodbye Girl, but at 5 feet 4.5 inches he was also the shortest. Adrien Brody has since broken the age record, but Dreyfuss's height record remained unbroken as of 2021.
- #055
Richard Dreyfuss has a son with Jeramie Rain: Ben Dreyfuss.
- #056
In 1987, while filming Moon Over Parador (1988) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Richard Dreyfuss stayed at the world-famous Copacabana Palace Hotel.
- #057
Richard Dreyfuss was treated at a hospital in New York City for an infection in his right lung [April-May 2002].
- #058
Richard Dreyfuss is the son of Geraldine Dreyfuss.
- #059
Richard Dreyfuss turned down the guest role in James Woods's Death Is Not a Passing Grade (1974).
- #060
Richard Dreyfuss won the 1996 Drama Logue Award for Outstanding Performance for "Three Hotels" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
- #061
Richard Dreyfuss is the younger brother of Lorin Dreyfuss.
- #062
Richard Dreyfuss is the uncle of Justin Dreyfuss and Natalie Dreyfuss.
- #063
In his youth, Richard Dreyfuss appeared in plays at Temple Emmanuel in Beverly Hills, California.
- #064
Richard Dreyfuss grew up at 69-59 218th Street in Bayside (now Oakland Gardens), Queens, New York, before moving to Beverly Hills, California, at age ten.
- #065
In June 2011, Richard Dreyfuss was made a Mason "at sight" by the Grand Master of Masons of the District of Columbia. He is also a 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason.
- #066
Richard Dreyfuss's father, Norman Dreyfuss, was wounded in combat during World War II. He graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 1946.
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