ACTOR · BORN 1932 · DIED 2008
Roy Scheider
- Born
- 10 November 1932, Orange, New Jersey, USA
- Died
- 10 February 2008
- Known for
- Jaws (1975), Jaws 2 (1978), 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984), Naked Lunch (1991)
23 archived facts 5 topics 2 sources Last reviewed Nov 2026
Roy Scheider (10 November 1932 – 10 February 2008) was an actor best known for Jaws, Jaws 2 and 2010: The Year We Make Contact.
23 Interesting Facts About Roy Scheider
Interesting Facts (15)
- #001
Roy Scheider's daughter Maximillia Connelly Lord (born July 6, 1963) had died earlier, on August 2, 2006, at the age of 43 from leukemia.
- #002
His late SeaQuest 2032 (1993) co-star Jonathan Brandis regarded him as a mentor and one of his greatest inspirations in acting.
- #003
Roy completed all of his scenes for the film Güzel Mavi Gözler (2009) before his death, but a technical error caused the production to reshoot some scenes without Roy.
- #004
Roy Scheider played the President of the United States three times: in Executive Target (1997), The Peacekeeper (1997) and Chain of Command (2000).
- #005
1947: Lost - Roy Scheider was stopped in two rounds (TKO) after Myron Greenberg injured his nose in an amateur boxing match in Orange, New Jersey. Scheider's nose was broken and he could not continue (Golden Gloves Tournament: Novice Division).
- #006
Roy Scheider was one of the founders of the Hayground School in Bridgehampton, New York, and dedicated himself to creating an innovative, culturally diverse learning environment for local children.
- #007
1950: Won - Roy Scheider knocked out Myron Greenberg in one round in an amateur boxing match in New Jersey.
- #008
He was named one of 1973's most promising new screen personalities in John Willis's 1974 film annual "Screen World."
- #009
Scheider played two characters who kept pet dolphins: Heywood Floyd in 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984) and Captain Nathan Bridger in SeaQuest 2032 (1993).
- #010
His name inspired the Japanese company Toei to create the television series Space Sheriff Shaider (1984).
- #011
When he was shown in the "In Memoriam" segment during the television broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2009), his name was misspelled: Schieder instead of Scheider.
- #012
The actor believed he became somewhat typecast after making "The French Connection."
- #013
Although he was unhappy during the production of Jaws 2 (1978) and disliked the time he spent on set, years later Scheider would concede that the sequel, while not as good as the first film, was still, in his words, a "competently made movie."
- #014
Roy Scheider was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.
- #015
Roy Scheider and Geoffrey Lewis both played a character named Frank Murphy.
Behind the Scenes (3)
- #016
As a very young actor, he was an uncredited extra in the ballroom scene of the "A Wind from the South" (1955) episode of "The United States Steel Hour" (1953), which starred Julie Harris.
- #017
1950 (March 17): Won - Roy Scheider knocked out Earl Garrett in the first round of an amateur boxing match in New Jersey. Scheider injured his nose and withdrew from the tournament (Golden Gloves).
- #018
His first solo leading role was in the 1973 police thriller Seven Ups, but his career hit bottom with Sheila Levine is Dead and Living in New York before rising again with Jaws.
Characters & Cast (2)
- #019
He was initially cast as Michael Vronsky in The Deer Hunter (1978), the second film in a three-picture deal with Universal Studios. He left the film because he did not believe the character would travel the world to find his friend. Universal executives were furious, but agreed to let him out of his Universal contract if he made Jaws 2 (1978), which he did. He later regarded withdrawing from The Deer Hunter (1978) as the career decision he regretted most.
- #020
He was offered the lead role in The Omen (1976) and was reportedly very interested in taking it, but had to turn it down due to prior commitments. As a result, his desire to play that kind of role — a selfless, noble hero — led him to accept the part of Chief Martin Brody in Jaws (1975).
Easter Eggs & References (1)
- #021
Scheider was politically active and took part in protests against the Vietnam and Iraq wars and over environmental issues on Long Island. In March 2003, he was among a group of protesters who walked onto a Long Island highway as a symbolic reference to the casualties of the war.
Life & Family (2)
- #022
While his wife, Brenda Seimer, was renovating the building that housed the theater, she saved the old Art Deco Sag Harbor, New York movie tent from being torn down and thrown away. She was threatened with arrest for stealing the sign. Scheider helped organize a community fundraising campaign to recreate it, and the theater owner put it back in place.
- #023
Although they played enemy characters in Blue Thunder, both Roy Scheider and Malcolm McDowell became very good friends while working on John Badham's film. As McDowell has also stated at various science fiction conventions, they enjoyed working together so much that they could not leave each other alone. McDowell, who was very upset when Scheider died, could not attend Scheider's funeral because of a film project he was working on and was unable to get away at the time, to his great sorrow. He immediately ordered flowers and sent a condolence letter to Scheider's family.
Related pages
- Richard Dreyfuss — Roy Scheider comes up in the facts on that page
- Charlton Heston — Roy Scheider comes up in the facts on that page
Continue through the archive
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work