Career
He got his first break while studying at the University of Houston, when he was spotted by director Peter Bogdanovich, who cast him in his film, ‘The Last Picture Show’.
In 1973, he bagged the role of ‘Larry Meadows’, a young sailor in ‘The Last Detail’. In 1978, he appeared in the American-British film, ‘Midnight Express’, which was directed by Alan Parker. The film was based on Billy Hayes’s book of the same title.
From 1985 to 1986, he was a regular on ‘Saturday Night Live’ and played a number of recurring characters including, ‘the floating head’, and ‘Rudy Randolph.’
He also appeared as the loathsome ‘Cousin Eddie’ in the National Lampoon’s Vacation’ films- ‘Vacation’, ‘Christmas Vacation’, ‘Vegas Vacation’ and the television film, ‘Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie’s Island Adventure’.
In 1987, he was awarded a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of President Lyndon B. Johnson on NBC’s television mini-series, ‘LBJ: The Early Years’.
In 1988, he played the lead role in the HBO film, ‘Dead Solid Perfect’. In the same year, he also starred in the comedy film, ‘Moving’.
In 1990, he starred in David Odell’s comedy film, ‘Martians Go Home, however, the film didn’t do well at the box-office.
From 1991 to 1992, he played the role of ‘Dwight Davis’, a widowed school principal in the American comedy sitcom, ‘Davis Rules’.
In 1996, he appeared in the American military science fiction film, ‘Independence Day’ and the comedy film ‘Kingpin’.
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In 2001, he played the role of ‘Mr Briggs’ in the American parody film ‘Not Another Teen Movie’, directed by Joel Gallen.
In 2004, he acted in Sam Shepard’s stage play, ‘The God of Hell’, a critically acclaimed play produced by the New School University, New York. The same year, he appeared in the CBS mini-series, ‘Category 6: Day of Destruction’.
In 2005, he earned a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award nomination for his role as ‘Colonel Tom Parker’ in ‘Elvis’, a critically acclaimed biographical mini-series based on the life of music icon, Elvis Presley.
He appeared in the Academy Award-nominated 2005 film, ‘Brokeback Mountain’, as ‘Joe Aguirre’, an insensitive rancher. He is also a member of the musical band ‘Randy Quaid & The Fugitives’. The band released its first single ‘Star Whackers’ in 2011.
Major Works
In 1973, he appeared in the Academy Award-nominated film, ‘The Last Detail’, which was screened at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival. The movie won numerous awards and received positive reviews from the National Society of Film Critics and the New York Film Critics Circle.
In 2005, he appeared in ‘Brokeback Mountain’, a movie that occupies 11th spot on the list of ‘Highest-grossing romance films of all time’. It also received the prestigious ‘Golden Lion Award’ at the Venice Film Festival. It was the highest grossing film in the U.S. that year, earning $178.06 million at the box-office.
Awards & Achievements
In 1988, he received the Golden Globe Award in the category, ‘Best Actor in a Mini-series or Television film’ for ‘‘LBJ: The Early Years’.
On October 7, 2003 he received a star on the ‘Hollywood Walk of Fame’ at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard.
In 2005, he was the recipient of the Satellite Award, ‘Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television’ for ‘Elvis’.
Personal Life & Legacy
In 1980, he married Ella Marie Jolly and they had a daughter, Amanda Marie. The couple divorced on August 24, 1989.
On October 5, 1989, he married Evi Motolanez at ‘The San Ysidro Ranch’ resort, California. The couple adopted two children together.
