Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor. He became known during the 1980s after appearing in several successful films, including as Mike Brody in Jaws 3-D (1983), Alex Gardner in Dreamscape (1984), Remy McSwain in The Big Easy (1987), Tuck Pendleton in Innerspace (1987), Jefferson "Jeff" Blue in Undercover Blues (1993), Bowen in Dragonheart (1996), Joe Doe/William in Gang Related (1997), Frank Towns in Flight of the Phoenix (2004), Jack Hall in The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and Reverend Shaw Moore in Footloose (2011).

Filmography

• 2026A Dog’s Perfect Christmas — Sander Goss
• 2026I Can Only Imagine 2 — Arthur
• 2026Signal One — Sam Houston
• 2026The Florist — Carl Rikker
• 2026War Machine — Sheridan
• 2025Broke — George Brandywine
• Happy Face — Keith Jesperson aka 'Happy Face Killer'
• 2025Saurus City — Rind - Shrouded Knight (voice)
• 2025Sovereign — John Bouchart
• 2025Twin Towers: Legacy — Narrator (voice)
• 2024Reagan — Ronald Reagan
• 2024The Long Game — Frank Mitchell, Producer
• 2024The Substance — Harvey
• Full Circle — Jeff McCusker
• Lawmen: Bass Reeves — Marshal Sherrill Lynn
• 2023On a Wing and a Prayer — Doug White
• 2023Strays — Birdwatcher
• 2023The Hill — James Hill
• Top Combat Pilot — Presenter
• 2022Grid Down, Power Up — Narrator
• 2022Strange World — Jaeger Clade (voice)
• 2022The Tiger Rising — Beauchamp
• 2021American Underdog — Dick Vermeil
• 2021Blue Miracle — Wade
• 2021Born a Champion — Mason
• 2020John Bronco — Narrator
• 2019A Dog's Journey — Ethan Montgomery
• Merry Happy Whatever — Don Quinn
• 2019Midway — Vice Admiral William 'Bull' Halsey
• 2019Pretenders — Joe
• 2019Secrets in the Sky: The Untold Story of Skunk Works — Kelly Johnson
• 2019The Intruder — Charlie Peck
• 2018I Can Only Imagine — Arthur
• 2018Kin — Hal Solinski
• 2017A Dog's Purpose — Adult Ethan
• 2017Mad Families — Head Ranger
• Goliath — Wade Blackwood
• Fortitude — Michael Lennox
• 2015Miracles on the Plains — Narrator (voice)
• The Art of More — Samuel Brukner
• 2015Truth — Lt. Colonel Roger Charles
• Drunk History — Lucky Luciano
• 2013Movie 43 — Charlie Wessler (segment "The Pitch")
• 2012At Any Price — Henry Whipple
• 2012Beneath the Darkness — Ely
• 2012Playing for Keeps — Carl
• 2012The Words — Clay Hammond
• Vegas — Sheriff Ralph Lamb, Co-Executive Producer
• 2012What to Expect When You're Expecting — Ramsey
• 2011Footloose — Rev. Shaw Moore
• 2011Soul Surfer — Tom Hamilton
• Workaholics — Ted Murphy
• 2010Legion — Bob Hanson
• 2010The Special Relationship — Bill Clinton
• 2009G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra — General Hawk
• 2009Horsemen — Aidan Breslin
• 2009Pandorum — Payton
• 2008Smart People — Lawrence Wetherhold
• 2008The Express — Ben Schwartzwalder
• 2008Vantage Point — Thomas Barnes
• 2007Battle for Terra — Roven (voice)
• 20062005 Houston Astros: The Championship Season — Voice
• 2006American Dreamz — President Staton
• 2006One for the Money: The Birth of Rock & Roll
• 2005Yours, Mine & Ours — Frank Beardsley
• 2004Flight of the Phoenix — Frank Towns
• 2004In Good Company — Dan
• 2004The Alamo — Sam Houston
• 2004The Day After Tomorrow — Jack Hall
• 2003Cold Creek Manor — Cooper Tilson
• 2003Far from Heaven: "Making of"
• 2003Remember the Alamo — Himself/Host
• 2002Far from Heaven — Frank Whitaker
• 2002The Rookie — Jimmy Morris
• 2001Dinner with Friends — Gabe
• 2000Frequency — Frank Sullivan
• 2000Traffic — Arnie Metzger
• 1999Any Given Sunday — Jack 'Cap' Rooney
• SpongeBob SquarePants — Redbeard Krabs (voice)
• 1998Everything That Rises — Jim Clay, Executive Producer, Director
• 1998Playing by Heart — Hugh
• 1998Savior — Joshua Rose
• 1998The Parent Trap — Nick Parker
• 1997Gang Related — Joe Doe / William
• 1997Sesame Street: Kids' Guide to Life: Telling the Truth — Uncle Tommy
• 1997Switchback — FBI Special Agent Frank LaCrosse
• 1996DragonHeart — Bowen
• E! True Hollywood Story
• 1995Something to Talk About — Eddie Bichon
• 1994Blue Angels: Around the World at the Speed of Sound — Narrator (voice), Associate Producer
• 1994Wyatt Earp — Doc Holliday
• 1993Flesh and Bone — Arlis Sweeney
• 1993Undercover Blues — Jeff Blue
• 1993Wilder Napalm — Wallace
• The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
• 1990Come See the Paradise — Jack McGurn
• 1990Postcards from the Edge — Jack Faulkner
• 1989Great Balls of Fire! — Jerry Lee Lewis
• 1988D.O.A. — Dexter Cornell
• 1988Everybody's All-American — Gavin Grey
• LIVE with Kelly and Mark
• 1987Innerspace — Lt. Tuck Pendleton
• 1987Suspect — Eddie Sanger
• 1986The Big Easy — Remy McSwain
• 1985Enemy Mine — Willis Davidge
• 1984Dreamscape — Alex Gardner
• 1983Bill: On His Own — Barry Morrow
• 1983Jaws 3-D — Mike Brody
• 1983The Making of Jaws 3-D: Sharks Don't Die
• 1983The Right Stuff — Gordon Cooper
• 1983Tough Enough — Art Long
• 1982Johnny Belinda — Kyle Hager
• 1981All Night Long — Freddie Dupler
• 1981Bill — Barry Morrow
• 1981Caveman — Lar
• 1981Stripes — Extra at Graduation Ceremony
• 1981The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia — Travis Child
• 1980Gorp — Mad Grossman
• 1980The Hearse — Repairman (uncredited)
• 1980The Long Riders — Ed Miller
• 1979Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill — Roy
• 1979Breaking Away — Mike
• 1978Are You in the House Alone? — Phil Lawver
• 1978Our Winning Season — Paul Morelli
• 1978The Seniors — Alan Darby
• 1977I Never Promised You a Rose Garden — Shark, Baseball Pitcher
• 1977September 30, 1955 — Frank
• Baretta
• 1975Crazy Mama — Bellhop
• America's Favorite
• American Pride — “Cowboy” Jack Clement
• Callback
• This Blue Is Mine
• Thunder Road — Duane 'The Wrecking Ball' Whitlock

Appearances as themselves (36)

• Saving Yellowstone with Dennis Quaid — Self - Host
• Holy Marvels with Dennis Quaid — Self - Host
• 2024Mr. Nelson on the North Side — Self
• 2023Disney 100: Remember That — Self
• 2022Meat Loaf - A Celebration Of Life — Self (archive footage)
• Josh Gates Tonight — Self
• 2020The Men of Midway — Self
• The Kelly Clarkson Show — Self
• The Tamron Hall Show — Self - Guest
• MLB Network Presents — Self
• 2012Everybody Cut: The Stars of 'Footloose' — Self
• 2009Hollywood Singing & Dancing: A Musical History - 1980s, 1990s and 2000s — Self (archive)
• Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen — Self - Guest
• 2007Meat Loaf: In Search of Paradise — Self
• 2005I Walk the Line: A Night for Johnny Cash — Self
• The Reichen Show — Self - Guest
• America's Next Top Model — Self - Guest
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Self
• 2003Realizing The Right Stuff — Self
• The Ellen DeGeneres Show — Self
• 2001The Science And Technology Behind 'Frequency' — Self
• 2000Inside Traffic: The Making of 'Traffic' — Self
• 1997The Making of 'DragonHeart' — Self
• The View — Self, Self - Guest
• Muppets Tonight — Self
• The Daily Show — Self
• 1994A Century of Cinema — Self
• Inside the Actors Studio — Self
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien — Self - Guest
• Late Show with David Letterman — Self - Guest
• American Chronicles — self
• Saturday Night Live — Self - Host
• Film '72 — Self
• 60 Minutes — Self
• Today — Self
• Jump Back: Re-Imagining “Footloose” — Self