Biography
Richard Dreyfuss is an American actor. He has starred in film, television, and theater roles since the late 1960s, including the films American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goodbye Girl, Stakeout, Always, What About Bob? and Mr. Holland's Opus. Dreyfuss won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1977 for The Goodbye Girl, and was nominated in 1995 for Mr. Holland's Opus. He has also won a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, and was nominated in 2002 for Screen Actors Guild...
Known For
Complete Filmography

Into the Deep
2025
as Seamus
Divers searching for sunken treasure witness the murder of drug dealers by modern-day pirates, but a killer great white is determined not to let any o...

Waltzing with Brando
2024
as Seymour Kraft
The story of how Marlon Brando plucked Bernard Judge, an obscure but idealistic Los Angeles architect from his stable existence and convinced him that...

Elizabeth Montgomery: A Bewitched Life
2023
as Self
"Bewitched" remains beloved nearly 60 years after its debut. The series lead, Elizabeth Montgomery, was a complex, strong-willed woman whose life and ...

Sweetwater
2023
as Maurice Podoloff
In 1990 Chicago, a taxi driver recounts to his passenger, a sportswriter, his life story. He reveals himself to be Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, one of th...

Nazis at Nuremberg: The Lost Testimony
2022
as Narrator (voice)
Never-before-heard trial testimony reveals shocking new details about World War II and the inner workings of the Nazi war machine.

Save Christmas
2022
as Santa
Grumpy Dad dislikes Christmas while mum and kids strive to save Santa from animated villain's captivity through solving 8 digital riddles.

Murder at Yellowstone City
2022
as Edgar
A former slave who arrives in Yellowstone City, Montana, a desolate former boomtown now on the decline, looking for a place to call home. On that same...

Murder at Yellowstone City
2022
Executive Producer
A former slave who arrives in Yellowstone City, Montana, a desolate former boomtown now on the decline, looking for a place to call home. On that same...

Every Last One of Them
2021
as Murphy
Desperate to find his missing daughter, a man tracks her last known whereabouts to a small desert town only to discover that the head of a deeply fund...

Every Last One of Them
2021
Executive Producer
Desperate to find his missing daughter, a man tracks her last known whereabouts to a small desert town only to discover that the head of a deeply fund...

Crime Story
2021
as Ben Myers
When ex-mob boss Ben Myers is targeted in a home robbery, he goes on a deadly rampage of vengeance. But with his family caught in the crosshairs, Myer...

Crime Story
2021
Executive Producer
When ex-mob boss Ben Myers is targeted in a home robbery, he goes on a deadly rampage of vengeance. But with his family caught in the crosshairs, Myer...

Audrey
2020
as Self - Actor
An unprecedented and intimate look at the life, work and enduring legacy of British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).

Astronaut
2019
as Angus
A lonely widower battles his family, ill health and time to win a competition for a golden ticket to space.

Astronaut
2019
Executive Producer
A lonely widower battles his family, ill health and time to win a competition for a golden ticket to space.

Daughter of the Wolf
2019
as Father
Ex-military specialist Clair Hamilton returns home from her tour in the Middle East due to her father's passing and to claim her inheritance. Her son ...

Polar
2019
as Porter
When a retiring assassin realizes that he is the target of a hit, he winds up back in the game going head to head with a gang of younger, ruthless kil...

The Last Laugh
2019
as Buddy Green
After moving to a retirement home, restless talent manager Al reconnects with long-ago client Buddy and coaxes him back out on the comedy circuit.

Asher
2018
as Avi
Asher is a former Mossad agent turned gun for hire, living an austere life in an ever-changing Brooklyn. Approaching the end of his career, he breaks ...

Bayou Caviar
2018
as Yuri
Rodney is a former boxing champ who, after a deathbed visit to his trainer and mentor, is propelled into reclaiming victory for his now simple life as...

Third Party President: Citizen Rocky
2018
as Self
This feature length high definition documentary follows one of the Nation's most controversial yet progressive leaders, 2012 Presidential candidate an...

Book Club
2018
as George
Four lifelong friends decide that their lives could change by becoming nasty and reading Fifty Shades of Grey in their monthly book club to get inspir...

Spielberg
2017
as Self
A documentary on the life and career of one of the most influential film directors of all time, Steven Spielberg.

Zipper
2015
as George Hiller
Sam Ellis is a man on the rise — a hot-shot federal prosecutor on the cusp of a bright political future. But what was meant to be a one-time experienc...

Squatters
2014
as David Silverman
A wealthy couple from the Pacific Palisades discovers homeless young lovers have moved into their home.

Caserta Palace Dream
2014
as Luigi Vanvitelli
The greatest dream of a unique woman, Maria, future Queen of Spain and wife of Charles King of Naples and Sicily and of a special man, the greatest ar...

And the Oscar Goes To...
2014
as Self (archive footage)
The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy ...

Cas & Dylan
2013
as Dr. Cas Pepper
A dying Doctor, who plans to check out on his own terms, takes a reluctant detour when he inadvertently winds up on the lam with an 'anything-but-norm...

Paranoia
2013
as Frank Cassidy
An entry-level employee at a powerful corporation finds himself occupying a corner office, but at a dangerous price—he must spy on his boss's old ment...

Milius
2013
as Self
The life story of ‘Zen Anarchist’ filmmaker John Milius, one of the most influential storytellers of his generation.

Very Good Girls
2013
as Danny
Two New York City girls make a pact to lose their virginity during their first summer out of high school. When they both fall for the same street arti...

Casting By
2012
as Self
This essential new documentary pays tribute to the legacy of the late, legendary casting director Marion Dougherty and shines a light on one of the mo...

The Two Million Year Old Boy
2011
as Narrator
A 9-year-old boy in South Africa discovers one of the greatest fossil finds of all time while taking a walk: a two-million-year-old clavicle bone belo...

RED
2010
as Alexander Dunning
After surviving an assault from a squad of hit men, retired CIA black ops agent Frank Moses reassembles his old team for an all-out war. Frank reunite...

Piranha 3D
2010
as Matthew Boyd
Each year the population of sleepy Lake Victoria, Arizona explodes from 5,000 to 50,000 residents for the annual Spring Break celebration. But then, a...

Jaws: The Inside Story
2010
as Self
Steven Spielberg takes us behind the cameras for the making of a classic movie.

The Lightkeepers
2009
as Seth
Set in the year 1912 on Cape Cod, a lighthouse keeper who has disavowed any association with females, must deal with the appearance of two attractive ...

Leaves of Grass
2009
as Pug Rothbaum
An Ivy League professor returns home, where his pot-growing twin brother has concocted a plan to take down a local drug lord.

Waking Sleeping Beauty
2009
as David 'Dave' Whiteman (archive footage)
By the mid-1980s, the fabled animation studios of Walt Disney had fallen on hard times. The artists were polarized between newcomers hungry to innovat...

My Life in Ruins
2009
as Irv Gideon
A Greek tour guide named Georgia attempts to recapture her kefi (Greek for mojo) by guiding a ragtag group of tourists around Greece and showing them ...

The Shark Is Still Working: The Impact & Legacy of "Jaws"
2009
as Self
After three decades, Jaws continues to intrigue, thrill and frighten viewers. This documentary focuses on the many ways in which Jaws has helped to sh...

I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale
2009
as Self
John Cazale was in only five films – The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather: Part II, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter – each was nominat...

W.
2008
as Dick Cheney
The story of the eventful life of George W. Bush—his struggles and triumphs, how he found both his wife and his faith—and the critical days leading up...

America Betrayed
2008
as Narrator
Writer/director Leslie Carde finds her villain in the US Army Corps of Engineers, an agency whose primary aim is supposed to be that of protecting the...

Ocean of Fear
2007
as Narrator
Ocean of Fear: Worst Shark Attack Ever is a Movie that launched the 20th anniversary of the Discovery Channel's Shark Week of 2007. It was based aroun...

AFI: 100 Years... 100 Movies... 10th Anniversary Edition
2007
as Self
10th Anniversary of the 100 greatest films as chosen by the American Film Institute.

The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo
2007
as Self
Cinematographer John A. Alonzo was one of the driving creative forces in the resurgence of expressionistic American movies of the late 1960s and '70s....

Boffo! Tinseltown's Bombs and Blockbusters
2006
as Self
Hollywoods biggest talents explore what is the recipe for blockbuster, flops, and how absolute happenstance and controlled luck can make movie magic.

Poseidon
2006
as Richard Nelson
A packed cruise ship traveling the Atlantic is hit and overturned by a massive wave, compelling the passengers to begin a dramatic fight for their liv...

The Adventures of Errol Flynn
2005
as Self - Actor
A documentary about the life of Errol Flynn, with recollections from friends and family.

Silver City
2004
as Chuck Raven
The discovery of a corpse and the ensuing probe by an idealistic journalist threatens to unravel a bumbling local politician's campaign for governor o...

A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope
2004
as Narrator
A fascinating chronicle of the birth and rise of the radically different independent studio founded by director Francis Ford Coppola.

Coast to Coast
2004
as Barnaby Pierce
Barnaby and Maxine Pierce, an embattled married couple in Connecticut, are on the verge of divorce. Their son is getting married in California and the...

Teddy Roosevelt: An American Lion
2003
as Theodore Roosevelt
This thorough documentary covers the life of President Theodore Roosevelt, from his birth until his death.

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood
2003
as Self
The chronicle of the mind-blowing journey that was Hollywood during the seventies; the true and gripping story of the last golden age of American cine...

The John Garfield Story
2003
as Self
This documentary looks at the life and career of John Garfield, whose career was cut short when he died at age 39. His difficult childhood in the roug...

The Johnstown Flood
2003
as narrator
On a stormy day in May of 1889, the South Fork Dam impounding Conemaugh Lake exploded, unleashing a 40-foot wall of water. The bustling industrial cit...

Manassas: End of Innocence
2002
as Narrator
As the first major land battle of the American Civil War, the First Battle of Manassas, fought on July 21, 1861, shocked a nation expecting a short an...

The Day Reagan Was Shot
2001
as Alexander Haig
The Day Reagan Was Shot is a 2001 film made for television directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss as Alexander Haig and Richard ...

R2-D2: Beneath the Dome
2001
as Self
Mockumentary telling the never before told life story of the fictional robot R2-D2 from the Star Wars film series. The movie was made as a fun project...

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & the Island of Misfit Toys
2001
as Scoop the Snowman (voice)
When the mysterious Toy Taker grabs all of Santa's toys, it looks like the children will miss out on Christmas. But everyone's favorite reindeer, Rudo...

In Search of Peace
2001
as Yitzhak Rabin (voice)
In Search of Peace: 1948-1967 chronicles Israel's first two decades, offering new insights on the origins of the Middle East conflict. Combining a ric...

Who Is Cletis Tout?
2001
as Micah Donnelly
A comedy about a hitman who sees everything in terms of the movies and how mistaken identity is getting in the way of recovering a stash of diamonds t...

The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
2001
as Self
A documentary film on the making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'

The Old Man Who Read Love Stories
2001
A man is forced to confront a dangerous female jaguar and his own past through the sacrificial killing of the beast he has grown to love.

Walking the Tracks: The Summer of Stand by Me
2000
as Self
A unique look at the making of Stand by Me including interviews from Stephen King, Rob Reiner, Kiefer Sutherland, Richard Dreyfuss, Wil Wheaton, Corey...

The Crew
2000
as Bobby Bartellemeo / Narrator
Four retired mobsters plan one last crime to save their retirement home.

Fail Safe
2000
as President
Cold War tensions climb to a fever pitch when a U.S. bomber is accidentally ordered to drop a nuclear warhead on Moscow.

Lansky
1999
as Meyer Lansky
Organized crime boss Meyer Lansky remembers his life as he is moving about the world looking for some country that will take him in since the USA have...

Lost at Sea: The Search for Longitude
1998
as Narrator
It was one of humankind's most epic quests - a technical problem so complex that it challenged the best minds of its time, a problem so important that...

The Making of 'American Graffiti'
1998
as Self
Documentary that features many interviews and other footage of the cast and crew for the film American Graffiti (1973)

Krippendorf's Tribe
1998
as Prof. Krippendorf
After squandering his grant money, despondent and recently widowed anthropologist James Krippendorf must produce hard evidence of the existence of a h...

The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon
1997
as Narrator (voice)
Jack London's classic story from 1903 about Buck, a dog kidnapped from his home in California and taken to the Yukon where he is mistreated until a pr...

Oliver Twist
1997
as Fagin
Charles Dickens' classical story about the young orphan boy in 1837 England is again re-filmed in grand fashion. Richard Dreyfuss portrays Fagin, the ...

Oliver Twist
1997
Co-Producer
Charles Dickens' classical story about the young orphan boy in 1837 England is again re-filmed in grand fashion. Richard Dreyfuss portrays Fagin, the ...

Night Falls on Manhattan
1997
as Sam Vigoda
A newly elected District attorney finds himself in the middle of a police corruption investigation that may involve his father and his partner.

Audrey Hepburn: The Fairest Lady
1997
as Self
The story of how Audrey Hepburn survived World War II, became an award winning actress, and gave back to the world as a humanitarian.

Henry Fonda: Hollywood's Quiet Hero
1997
as Self
Profiling the life and career of actor Henry Fonda, who starred in such film classics as "The Grapes of Wrath" and "12 Angry Men."

Frank Capra's American Dream
1997
as Self
A documentary looking at the life and career of film director Frank Capra. Hosted by Ron Howard.

In the Teeth of Jaws
1997
as Self
BBC documentary about the making of Steven Spielberg's Jaws.

Mad Dog Time
1996
as Vic
With his boss in the madhouse, a mobster is temporary boss of the criminal empire just as vicious rivals threaten the control of the empire.

The Universal Story
1996
as Self
Richard Dreyfuss hosts a celebration of the 80 year history of Universal Studios. Founded as IMP by Carl Leammle to oppose Edison's Motion Picture Tus...

James and the Giant Peach
1996
as Centipede (voice)
When the young orphan boy James spills a magic bag of crocodile tongues, he finds himself in possession of a giant peach that flies him away to strang...

Mr. Holland's Opus
1995
as Glenn Holland
In 1965, passionate musician Glenn Holland takes a day job as a high school music teacher, convinced it's just a small obstacle on the road to his tru...

The Making of 'Jaws'
1995
as Self
A documentary on the making of one of the greatest films ever made, filled with trivia, interviews from cast and crew and never-before-seen footage.

The American President
1995
as Senator Rumson
Widowed U.S. president Andrew Shepherd, one of the world's most powerful men, can have anything he wants -- and what he covets most is Sydney Ellen Wa...

The Last Word
1995
as Larry
A journalist with solid mob connections falls for a stripper with a dark past.
Present Tense, Past Perfect
1995
Director
Richard Dreyfuss-directed short film.

Silent Fall
1994
as Dr. Jake Rainer
Having seen the double murder of his parents, autistic youth Tim Warden is sent to therapy with controversial therapist Dr. Jake Rainer. Jake tries to...

It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein
1994
as Self
Mary Shelley created a monster in 1818, and writers, actors and filmmakers haven't been able to get enough of it ever since. The history of the creatu...

Quiz Show
1994
Executive Producer
Herbert Stempel's transformation into an unexpected television personality unfolds as he secures victory on the cherished American game show, 'Twenty-...

Another Stakeout
1993
as Det. Chris Lecce
A pair of immature detectives are joined by a pesky assistant district attorney in staking out a lakeside home where an important Mafia trial witness ...

Lost in Yonkers
1993
as Louie Kurnitz
In the summer of 1942 two young boys are sent to stay with their stern grandmother Kurnitz and their childlike aunt Bella in Yonkers, New York.
Lincoln
1992
as William Tecumsah Sherman (voice)
Famous actors read testimonies from people close to Lincoln about him and his actions during the Civil War.

Prisoner of Honor
1991
as Col. Picquart
France, 1897. Colonel Georges Picquart challenges the French government when he discovers the obscure political maneuvers that led to the imprisonment...

What About Bob?
1991
as Dr. Leo Marvin
Before going on vacation, self-involved psychiatrist Dr. Leo Marvin has the misfortune of taking on a new patient: Bob Wiley. An exemplar of neediness...

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
1991
as The Player
Two minor characters from the play "Hamlet" stumble around unaware of their scripted lives and unable to deviate from them.

Once Around
1991
as Sam Sharpe
Renata Bella feels like a failure at life and career. But when Renata attends a seminar on selling real estate, she finally finds True Love. Sam Sharp...

Once Around
1991
Co-Producer
Renata Bella feels like a failure at life and career. But when Renata attends a seminar on selling real estate, she finally finds True Love. Sam Sharp...

Postcards from the Edge
1990
as Dr. Frankenthal
Substance-addicted Hollywood actress, Suzanne Vale is on the skids. After a spell at a detox centre her film company insists as a condition of continu...

Always
1989
as Pete Sandich
The spirit of a recently deceased expert pilot mentors a newer pilot while watching him fall in love with the girlfriend that he left behind.

Let It Ride
1989
as Jay Trotter
An average kind of guy who has a slight problem with gambling goes to the track, and mystically, it seems as though he can't lose, no matter how he be...

Moon Over Parador
1988
as Jack Noah
Little known actor, Jack Noah, is working on location in the dictatorship of Parador at the time the dictator dies. The dictator's right hand man, Rob...

Nuts
1987
as Aaron Levinsky
A high-class call girl accused of murder fights for the right to stand trial rather than be declared mentally incompetent.

Funny, You Don't Look 200: A Constitutional Vaudeville
1987
as Self
An all-star cast lead by Richard Dreyfus perform sketches celebrating the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, including new animation done by Disne...

Funny, You Don't Look 200: A Constitutional Vaudeville
1987
Writer, Producer
An all-star cast lead by Richard Dreyfus perform sketches celebrating the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, including new animation done by Disne...

Stakeout
1987
as Det. Chris Lecce
Two detectives observe an escaped convict's ex-girlfriend, but complications set in when one of them falls for her.

James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
1987
as Self
Documentary about James Stewart's long career as an actor and positive personal life.

Tin Men
1987
as Bill 'BB' Babowsky
A minor car accident drives two rival aluminum-siding salesmen to the ridiculous extremes of man versus man in 1963 Baltimore.

Citizen Steve
1987
as Jedediah
On the occasion of the 40th birthday of the almighty filmmaker Steven Allan Spielberg, inquisitive reporter Clip Maxwell attempts to uncover the truth...

Stand by Me
1986
as The Writer
After learning that a boy their age has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four Oregon boys decide to go see the body. On the way, Gordi...

Down and Out in Beverly Hills
1986
as Dave Whiteman
Beverly Hills couple Barbara and Dave Whiteman find their lives altered by the arrival of a vagrant who tries to drown himself in their swimming pool.

Night of 100 Stars II
1985
as Self
This special is the second "Night of 100 Stars" to benefit The Actors Fund of America. Edited from a seven-hour live entertainment marathon that was t...

The Buddy System
1984
as Joe
A school truant officer uncovers a young boy's attempt to fake his residential address and subsequently befriends the kid and his mother.

Whose Life Is It Anyway?
1981
as Ken Harrison
Ken Harrison is an artist that lives to make sculptures. One day he is involved in a car accident, and is paralyzed from his neck down. All he can do ...

The Competition
1980
as Paul Dietrich
The movie centers on a piano competition whose winner is assured of success. It is Paul's last chance to compete, but newcomer Heidi may be a better p...

The Big Fix
1978
as Moses Wine
Private detective Moses Wine is hired by his former college girlfriend to investigate a political smear campaign and he sets out to find out who is re...

The Big Fix
1978
Producer
Private detective Moses Wine is hired by his former college girlfriend to investigate a political smear campaign and he sets out to find out who is re...

Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1977
as Roy Neary
After an encounter with UFOs, an electricity linesman feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is abou...

The Goodbye Girl
1977
as Elliot Garfield
After being dumped by her live-in boyfriend, an unemployed dancer and her 10-year-old daughter are reluctantly forced to live with a struggling off-Br...

The Sentinel
1977
as Man on Sidewalk Talking to Girl in Red Sweater (uncredited)
As a young girl, Alison Parker attempted suicide after being traumatized by her father's sexual exploits. Now an elite fashion model, she moves to a B...
The Making of 'The Goodbye Girl'
1977
as Self
Documentary of the making of Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl (1977)
The Amazing Miss Cummings: An Actress at Work and Play
1977
A promotional short for The Goodbye Girl. It takes a behind the scenes look at the production, with a focus on actress Quinn Cummings.

Victory at Entebbe
1976
as Colonel Yonatan 'Yonni' Netanyahu
The film is based on an actual event: Operation Entebbe and the freeing of Israeli hostages at Entebbe Airport (now Entebbe International Airport) in ...

Jaws
1975
as Hooper
When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town's chief of police, a young marine biologist, ...

Inserts
1975
as Boy Wonder
A young, once-great Hollywood film director refuses to accept changing times during the early 1930s, and confines himself to his decaying mansion to m...

New England Our Way
1974
as Self
The program is a fascinating look some at the key people involved with JAWS before it was released. It contains interviews with the “big three” of Sch...

The Second Coming of Suzanne
1974
as Clavius
Jared Martin plays an aspiring film maker obsessed with the idea of Christ as a woman, and tries to film his vision with Sondra Locke as his subject. ...

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
1974
as Duddy
The younger son of a working-class Jewish family in Montreal, Duddy Kravitz yearns to make a name for himself in society. This film chronicles his sho...

Me
1973
as Greg
Tomby, a challenged teenage boy, manipulates his family who cater to his every desire. Only his twin brother Greg treats him as a human being capable ...

American Graffiti
1973
as Curt Henderson
A couple of high school graduates spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college.

Dillinger
1973
as Baby Face Nelson
After a shoot-out kills five FBI agents in Kansas City the Bureau target John Dillinger as one of the men to hunt down. Waiting for him to break Feder...

Catch-22
1973
as Yossarian
Bombardier Yossarian is stationed on the small island of Pianosa during World War II. In addition to the enemy trying to kill him, Yossarian also has ...

The Shadow of a Gunman
1972
as Tommy Owen
Is a sensitive and mysterious poet really an IRA gunman in hiding? Set in a Dublin tenement in the 1920s, this was the first part of Sean O'Casey's ce...

Two for the Money
1972
as Morris Gap
Two cops, who have quit the police department to become private detectives and bounty hunters, hunt for a killer who has eluded capture for years.

Hello Down There
1969
as Harold Webster
Given the chance to live in a simulated underwater home for a month, a scientist convinces his family to take advantage of the offer. Once the family ...

The Young Runaways
1968
as Terry
Three unhappy teenagers run away from home, only to discover living on their own isn't as idyllic as they imagined.

Valley of the Dolls
1967
as Assistant Stage Manager (uncredited)
Lured by their dreams of fame and fortune, three ambitious young women enter the world of show business and discover how easy it is to sink into a cel...

The Graduate
1967
as Boarding House Resident (uncredited)
A disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn between his older lover and her daughter.

I Refuse to Kill: He Went to War with War
N/A
as Self
At the risk of a 5-year prison term, Francesco Da Vinci struggles with his Virginia draft board to be recognized as a sincere conscientious objector t...