Jeff Bridges

Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor and singer who describes himself as an actor, musician, photographer, painter, sculptor, campaigner, and storyteller. In a career spanning over seven decades, he is best known for his leading roles across film and television. His achievements include winning an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and the 2019 Cecil B. DeMille Award, alongside nominations for three BAFTA Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards.

Born in Los Angeles to actors Lloyd Bridges and Dorothy Bridges, he was raised in Holmby Hills alongside his older brother Beau and younger sister Lucinda. He graduated from University High School in 1967, toured in a stage production with his father at age 17, and studied acting at the Herbert Berghof Studio in New York City. From 1967 to 1975, he also served in the United States Coast Guard Reserve as a boatswain's mate.

Bridges made his first screen appearance as an infant in The Company She Keeps (1951) and later appeared on television in Sea Hunt and The Lloyd Bridges Show. After making his feature film debut in Halls of Anger (1970), he secured his breakthrough role in The Last Picture Show (1971), receiving his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He followed this with roles in Fat City (1972), The Last American Hero (1973), Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)—which brought a second Oscar nomination—and the 1976 remake of King Kong.

In 1982, Bridges starred as video game programmer Kevin Flynn in the science fiction film Tron and voiced Prince Lir in the animated movie The Last Unicorn. His performance in Starman (1984) earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Throughout the remainder of the 1980s and 1990s, he appeared in project such as Jagged Edge (1985), The Morning After (1986), Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988), The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), The Fisher King (1991), Fearless (1993), and portrayed Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski in The Big Lebowski (1998).

Bridges gained further Oscar nominations for The Contender (2000) and True Grit (2010), and won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as an alcoholic country singer in Crazy Heart (2009). His career includes major roles in Seabiscuit (2003), Iron Man (2008), and Tron: Legacy (2010). On television, he received Primetime Emmy nominations for A Dog Year (2009) and the FX series The Old Man (2022–2024). Beyond acting, he hosted VH1's Top 100 Greatest Albums of Rock and Roll, narrated documentaries, performed voiceover work, and co-authored the book The Dude and the Zen Master (2013).