Dennis Quaid was born in Houston, Texas, the son of an electrician. He studied drama in high school and in college, but dropped out before completing his studies, moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career. His brother, Randy Quaid, had already began to build a successful career, but Dennis initially had trouble finding work. He began to gain notice when he appeared in Breaking Away (1979) and earned strong reviews for his role in The Right Stuff (1983). Aside from acting, Quaid is also a musician, and plays - www.imdb.com

Lean and a bit craggy with an aw-shucks grin, actor Dennis Quaid has often played rascals with good hearts and soft heads. His most prominent early role was that of cocky astronaut Gordon Cooper in the 1983 film The Right Stuff. Ever-youthful and athletic, Quaid turned into a sturdy leading man and dependable ensemble actor. He has appeared as a stranded astronaut in Enemy Mine (1985); as Jerry Lee Lewis in Great Balls of Fire! (1989, with Winona Ryder); as nihilistic ol' Doc Holliday in the western feature - www.answers.com

Quaid was born April 9, 1954, in Houston, Texas. After following in the footsteps of his older brother Randy (also an accomplished actor) to the University of Texas, Quaid dropped out in 1974 and moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. He landed a bit role in Jonathan Demme's Crazy Mama (1975), but made his first substantial big-screen appearance in the 1978 film September 30, 1955. Quaid's breakthrough role came in the acclaimed film Breaking Away (1979), which won an Academy Award for Best Origin - www.biography.com