On This Day
Birthday of Jeff Bridges
December 4th 1949
09:39 4 December 2023
American actor, singer, producer and composer Jeff Bridges was born in Los Angeles on this day in 1949. Bridges made his screen debut in 'The Company She Keeps' (1951); the movie was released shortly after his first birthday. As a young boy he and his brother Beau made occasional appearances on the popular TV show 'Sea Hunt' (1958-1961) starring their father Lloyd Bridges.
After moving to New York City to study acting, his breakout role came in Peter Bogdanovich's coming-of-age drama 'The Last Picture Show' (1971) for which he received a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award Nomination. Further acclaim followed when he played an up-and-coming boxer in John Huston's 'Fat City' (1972) before a second Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his role as a young drifter opposite Clint Eastwood in Michael Cimino's 'Thunderbolt and Lightfoot' (1974).
The blockbuster remake of 'King Kong' (1976) was a big hit at the box office and gave Bridges greater international recognition while roles in films such as 'Winter Kills' (1979) further cemented his position as one of Hollywood's finest young actors. The 1980s saw the actor star in a string of movies that were both critically and commercially successful including 'TRON' (1982), 'Against All Odds' (1984), 'Starman' (1984), 'Jagged Edge' (1985) and 'The Fabulous Baker Boys' (1989). The 1990s brought starring roles in movies including 'The Fisher King' (1991), 'American Heart' (1992), 'Fearless' (1993), 'Blown Away' (1994) and of course probably his most iconic role as "The Dude" in the Coen Brothers 'The Big Lebowski' (1998).
The new millennium saw him win the Best Actor Academy Award for his performance as a down-and-out country music singer-songwriter in 'Crazy Heart' (2009) and praise for his roles in 'True Grit' (2010), 'Hell or High Water' (2016) and 'Bad Times at the El Royale' (2018). Jeff Bridges is, without doubt, not just one of the most successful and popular actors of his generation but also one of the best. Happy Birthday Jeff.