Hollywood is well-known for being a fickle place. Stars often come and go, so it usually takes a high degree of talent and grit to enjoy true longevity in show business. However, over his 48-year career as a movie star,Dennis Quaidhas proven to be one of those elite actors who has what it takes to last in the industry and still be popular across differentgenerations of movie lovers.
With a famously successful career already behind him, Quaid is still going strong and currently has three films in post-production and is also set to star in Taylor Sheridan’s upcoming fourth addition to the hugely popularYellowstonefranchise. In tribute to Dennis Quaid’s amazing career over the years and all that’s still to come from him, here are our picks for his best performances ever.
15Jaws III
The third installment in Steven Spielberg’s iconic shark franchise,Jaws IIIsaw Dennis Quaid step into the main role. He played Mike Brody, the son of police chief Martin Brody who became the famous main protagonist in the first twoJawsfilms. WhileJaws IIIwas released in 3D and featured much of the usual shark-fulled suspense, the film did, unfortunately, lack the main ingredient that made its predecessors so highly rated — Spielberg himself.
Related:Every Film in the Jaws Franchise, Ranked
Despite a much younger Dennis Quaid back then doing a great job with his role, the film was panned and made even worse by the fact that 3D technology back in 1983 was a far cry from what we have today. Its director Joe Alves had worked with Spielberg on the production side of some of his films but unfortunately wasn’t able to capture any of the film maestro’s magic himself.Jaws IIIfell flat andbeing in 3D didn’t help it. For Dennis Quaid, however, it was a great big-name feature film to be involved in and increased his stake as an actor who was steadily growing in the industry.
14Flight of the Phoenix
2004 proved to be a busy year for Dennis Quaid as he appeared in four films that year. Among these was the survival dramaFlight of the Phoenix.QuaidportrayedCaptain Frank Towns, a pilot whose cargo plane crashes. Together with his co-pilot and two passengers, the men have to find a way to survive in a remote area of the Mongolian Gobi Desert.
They try desperately to fix their plane. However, the task is made more difficult due to the harsh conditions and a gang of smugglers who enter the fray. The film featured some great acting by Quaid since he had to keep his wits as the senior pilot in a very tricky situation. Unfortunately, the film bombed at the box office and with critics. However, this was probably down it to being underrated since it was a pretty good watch.
13The Long Riders
As far as Westerns go,The Long Ridersis certainly one that sticks out among fans of this iconic genre. The film was enjoyable, featured some beautiful shots, and had plenty of great moments. However, what made it so memorable was the fact that it featured four sets of outlaw brothers who all formed part of the infamous James-Younger outlaw gang.
More remarkable was the fact that the film cast four sets of actual brothers to play these roles. Among the Carradine brothers, the Keaches, and the Guest brothers, Dennis Quaid featured with his real-life brother Randy Quaid as the pair played Ed and Clell Miller respectively. Aside from this rare novelty the film achieved, itwas also a great film and often sticks out among themost notable Western filmsof the period.
12Dinner With Friends
In the 2001 TV filmDinner With Friends,Dennis Quaid played a husband who lives a seemingly idyllic life with his wife, played by Andie MacDowell. That is until one of their best friends, played by the brilliant Toni Collette, reveals that her husband has left her for a flight attendant. The news is jarring and forces the couple to re-evaluate their own marriage, suddenly causing cracks they never knew were there to appear.
The film was based on an award-winning play and was praised for the authentic way it looked at relationships, fear, and change. Quaid certainly showed his acting depth with it and the movie was praised for how well it adapted the original play which earned its own rave reviews.Varietyhad the following to say when it reviewed the film version.
“What makes “Dinner With Friends” such an impressive work is Margulies’ ability to bring feelings of loss and the fear of change to the forefront in a truly honest fashion, without forcing the issues too bluntly.”
11The Day After Tomorrow
The epic disaster film,The Day After Tomorrow,might not have fared well with scientists who criticized its inaccuracy, but it was still a huge hit at the box office. A hard-hitting cinematic delight with some amazing and terrifying special effects, the film takes a fictional look at the disastrous consequences of climate change that environmentalists have been warning the world of for decades.
Related:The Most Intense Natural Disaster Movies of All Time, Ranked
Dennis Quaid takes center stage in the film as he plays a paleoclimatologist who foresees the calamities. Despite his best efforts to warn the powers that be that a hostof cataclysmic climate disastersare imminent, no one takes him seriously. Lucky for movie fans, this sets the scene for some jaw-dropping effects as superstorms follow and plunge the world into chaos.
10In Good Company
By the early 2000s, Dennis Quaid was already a veteran actor whose on-screen persona was very appealing to a different generation. This suited his character well when he starred alongside a younger Topher Grace and Scarlett Johansson in the 2004 romantic dramedy,In Good Company.The film saw Quaid play an aging ad executive who has to contend with a young hotshot becoming his new boss.
Making matters worse, he learns that his new boss is also dating one of his beautiful daughters. The ensuing dynamic between these three made for some enjoyable scenes while the film itself was a charming one that took on some deep themes like the anxiety and job insecurities employees sometimes have to deal with as they get older. Overall, a great watch that thrust together two young stars and one older one in a charming way that showcased the best that all of them had to offer.
9Breaking Away
Back in 1979, while Dennis Quaid was still struggling to make a name for himself as an actor, he landed a breakthrough role in the coming-of-age film,Breaking Away.Quaid played a young man named Mike who, as part of a quartet of friends, must navigate the harsh realities of life as they begin theirtransition from teenagers into adulthood. Along the way, they face mocking from more affluent kids because of their meager backgrounds, experience young love, and fight with older boys.
One of the group’s obsessions with bicycle racing ultimately sets them off on an underdog racing adventure when an Italian race team comes to town. A wonderfully made film,Breaking Awaywas nominated for four Golden Globes and Five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. As a young actor at the time, it also set Dennis Quaid on his path to the massive stardom he would later achieve.
8The Right Stuff
After appearing inJaws III,Dennis Quaid went on to solidify his growing stature as an actor when he appeared in the epic historical film,The Right Stuff.Three years before the originalTop Gunfilm became the massive hit it was, Dennis Quaid also madea film about fearless pilotswho fly at speeds that ordinary people could never dream of ever reaching — only the pilots in this film were depictions of real people.The Right Stuffwas based on a novel of the same name and featured the first 15 years of America’s space program.
The film largely revolved around the Mercury Astronauts, John Glenn, and Alan Shepard, depicting NASA and the USA’s frenzied efforts to outdo Russia in the space race. Showcasing the heightened political tension and the toll such Cold War efforts took on everyone around them, the film was a brilliant rendition of a turbulent period in history. Dennis Quaid played Leroy “Gordo” Cooper Jr, a real-life aerospace engineer and the youngest member of the seven original astronauts of the Mercury Project. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won four of them.
7Frequency
In the science-fiction film,Frequency,Dennis Quaid played a firefighter father and husband who loses his life in a devastating blaze. His son later discovers a way to reach back into time through a peculiar radio. However, as the pair discover, messing with the past can have unexpected effects on the present and forever alter it.
Related:These are the Best Movies that Got Time Travel Right
Frequencywas a touching and often tragic film that brought together two brilliant actors as It tugs at the heartstrings and pushes the viewer into imagining what lengths they would go to in order to undo tragic events of the past. Quaid was as enthralling as ever in the film, and he was more than ably matched by Jim Caviezel, who played his son in the film.
6Wyatt Earp
Returning to Westerns, Dennis Quaid was electric as he played the legendary figure Doc Holliday inWyatt Earp.The film is widely regarded as one of the best westerns of its time and was nominated for an Academy Award. It centers around Wyatt Earp himself, brilliantly played by Western royalty, Kevin Costner.
The film also depicted the friendship and mutual respect between the famous lawman and his buddy Holliday, who was famously also a dentist. The pair were amazing together and showed why these famous gunslingersare often known as two ofthe most iconic characters in Westerns.
