Bruce Dern

Forever recalled among disenfranchised youths as the man who gunned down John Wayne (in 1972's The Cowboys), Bruce Dern hails from a far different background than the characters he's portrayed. Born June 4, 1936, in Chicago, Dern attended the prestigious Choate Preparatory and the University of Pennsylvania in addition to Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio.

By the late 1950s, Dern had taken the stage on Broadway, and by the early '60s, he was appearing on TV and in films. After landing supporting roles in movies such as Roger Corman's The Trip and They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Dern assumed the lead in a series of '70s films, including Silent Running, The King of Marvin Gardens, The Great Gatsby and Coming Home (which earned him an Oscar nod).

More recent films for Dern include All the Pretty Horses (2000) and Monster (2003). In 2006, Dern joined the cast of HBO's polygamy drama "Big Love."

Filmography