Richard Dreyfuss? Absolute legend. Born in Brooklyn, grew up with activism and New York hustle basically in his blood. His folks were both Jewish—one side Austro-Hungarian, the other Russian—so, you know, stubbornness and wit were pretty much guaranteed. He started out doing tiny roles in stuff like The Graduate (you blink, you miss him), but then bam—he’s Baby Face Nelson in Dillinger and suddenly people are paying attention. That opened the door to American Graffiti, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, and, before you knew it, Spielberg was calling. Jaws? Yeah, Dreyfuss is the guy freaking out about the shark. Close Encounters? He’s the dude with mashed potatoes and UFOs. He snagged an Oscar for The Goodbye Girl—playing an out-of-work actor, which is honestly pretty meta. The guy’s got range: private eyes in The Big Fix, down-and-outers in Beverly Hills, even narrating Stand by Me. Sure, he hit some rough patches in the ‘80s—drugs, flops, the usual Hollywood drama—but he bounced back hard. Nuts with Streisand, Tin Men with DeVito, Stakeout with Estevez, the man just kept stacking up memorable roles. Then there’s What About Bob?—psychiatrist losing his mind thanks to Bill Murray. Classic. Mr. Holland’s Opus? He’s a music teacher making everybody cry. Even as the century turned, Dreyfuss was still at it—mob bosses, presidents, anthropologists. The guy’s done it all, honestly. And, no, he’s not slowing down.
Dreyfuss credits kicking his drug addiction to a wild, almost out-of-body vision he had while lying in a hospital bed after wrecking his car. He was high when he crashed, totally his fault, and even though he was the only one hurt, the guilt hit hard. During recovery, he kept seeing this little girl in a white dress—super vivid, almost haunting. She wasn’t real, but to him, she symbolized all the innocent lives he could’ve ruined with one bad decision. That image just stuck with him, almost taunting but also kind of pleading, making him realize he had to face his drug problem head-on. The vision became this weird wake-up call, forcing him to deal with his addiction before it actually hurt someone else. Ever since, he talks about that moment as the turning point—like, it snapped him out of denial and pushed him to finally get clean.
Back in ‘76, you get this wild vibe where cheating on your spouse? Basically a death sentence, at least in the minds of the characters. Everybody’s in on it—like, it’s not even a secret. Movies at the time just hammer this idea home, no shame. The whole plot sort of spins around this moral panic, and people act like adultery is the ultimate crime. The weird part? They're dead serious. No one’s joking, it’s all black-and-white, like, “If you cheat, you die. End of story.” It creates this tense, almost paranoid energy that hangs over everything. Characters are constantly looking over their shoulders, worried that any slip-up could be their last. It’s dramatic, sure, but also kind of absurd by today’s standards. The movie just leans all the way in—no gray areas, just this relentless, unforgiving attitude toward infidelity. That’s the world they’re living in, and honestly, it’s a little nuts.
October 29, 1947
5′ 5″ (1.65 m)
Konidela Ram Charan
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Yes, Emily Dreyfuss
Geraldine Dreyfuss and Surekha
77 years old