Brian Dennehy

Biography

Brian Manion Dennehy (July 9, 1938 – April 15, 2020) was an American actor of film, stage, and television. His breakthrough film role was as the overzealous sheriff Will Teasle in First Blood (1982). Typically a character actor, Dennehy displayed versatility in varying and often complex roles ranging from villainous (such as a corrupt sheriff in the 1985 western Silverado) to virtuous (such as a benevolent alien leader in Cocoon, also released in 1985). Other notable films featuring Dennehy include Gorky Park (1983), Never Cry Wolf (1983), Legal Eagles (1986), F/X (1986), Tommy Boy (1995), Romeo + Juliet (1996), and Ratatouille (2007). A prominent figure in the theater world (especially in Chicago), Dennehy won two Tony Awards for Best Lead Actor, for Death of a Salesman (1999) and Long Day's Journey into Night (2003). He starred in numerous television films and miniseries, garnering six Emmy Award nominations, and had memorable supporting and guest roles in many series including Just Shoot Me, The Good Wife, and The Blacklist.

Known For

Ratatouille

as Django (voice)

First Blood

as Hope Sheriff Will Teasle

Romeo + Juliet

as Ted Montague

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

as Judson Tierney

The Blacklist

as Dominic Wilkinson

Tag

as Mr. Cilliano

The Next Three Days

as George Brennan

Cocoon

as Walter

Righteous Kill

as Hingis

Assault on Precinct 13

as Sargeant Jasper O'Shea