Richard Jenkins
{{short description|American actor (born 1947)}}
{{Other people|Richard Jenkins}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Richard Jenkins
| image = Richard Jenkins 2015 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Jenkins in 2015
| birth_name = Richard Dale Jenkins
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1947|5|4}}
| birth_place = DeKalb, Illinois, U.S.
| nationality =
| alma_mater = Illinois Wesleyan University
| yearsactive = 1974–present
| occupation = Actor
| spouse = {{marriage|Sharon R. Friedrick|1969}}
| children = 2
}}
Richard Dale Jenkins (born May 4, 1947) is an American actor. He is well known for his portrayal of deceased patriarch Nathaniel Fisher on the HBO funeral drama series Six Feet Under (2001–2005). He began his career in theater at the Trinity Repertory Company and made his film debut in 1974. He has worked steadily in film and television since the 1980s, mostly in supporting roles. His eclectic body of work includes such films as The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Little Nikita (1988), Flirting with Disaster (1996), Snow Falling on Cedars (1999), The Mudge Boy (2003), Burn After Reading (2008), Step Brothers (2008), Let Me In (2010), Jack Reacher (2012), The Cabin in the Woods (2012), Bone Tomahawk (2015), The Last Shift (2020), The Humans (2021), and Nightmare Alley (2021).
Jenkins received nominations for the Academy Award, Spirit Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor for the drama film The Visitor (2007).{{cite web|url=https://www.futuremovies.co.uk/filmmaking/just-visiting/coco-forsythe|title=Just Visiting|date=January 2002 |publisher=FutureMovies.co.uk|access-date=January 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113093240/https://www.futuremovies.co.uk/filmmaking/just-visiting/coco-forsythe|archive-date=January 13, 2018|url-status=live}} He won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for the limited drama series Olive Kitteridge (2014). For his performance in the fantasy drama film The Shape of Water (2017), he was nominated for the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor. The Netflix miniseries Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022) garnered him both Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actor, plus an additional Emmy nod for producing the series.
Early life
Jenkins was born and raised in DeKalb, Illinois. His mother, Mary Elizabeth (née Wheeler), was a housewife, and his father, Dale Stevens Jenkins, was a dentist.{{cite web|author=Benjamin Secher|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/3555246/Richard-Jenkins-bald-61-years-old---and-a-star-at-last.html|title=Richard Jenkins: bald, 61 years old - and a star at last|publisher=Telegraph.co.uk|date=June 28, 2008|access-date=October 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226214000/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/3555246/Richard-Jenkins-bald-61-years-old---and-a-star-at-last.html|archive-date=February 26, 2009|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/53/Richard-Jenkins.html|title=Richard Jenkins profile|publisher=FilmReference.com|access-date=October 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520115423/http://www.filmreference.com/film/53/Richard-Jenkins.html|archive-date=May 20, 2011|url-status=live}} He attended DeKalb High School. Before he became a professional actor, Jenkins drove a linen truck; his boss was the father of actor John C. Reilly.{{cite web|url=http://www.showbizspy.com/news/06292008/reilly-movie-dad-met-when-he-was-four|title=Reilly + Movie Dad Met When He Was Four|publisher=Showbizspy.com|date=June 29, 2008|access-date=October 13, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226222445/http://www.showbizspy.com/news/06292008/reilly-movie-dad-met-when-he-was-four|archive-date=February 26, 2009}}Stated on the Late Show with David Letterman, February 3, 2009. He earned a degree in drama from Illinois Wesleyan University before relocating to Rhode Island.
Career
=Theatre=
Jenkins worked with the Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island, while breaking into film with a bit part in Feasting with Panthers (1974), a television film about Oscar Wilde. When he was given the option of joining the Screen Actors Guild, he accepted immediately.Moynihan, Rob (January 19, 2015). "How I Got My SAG-AFTRA Card", TV Guide. p. 8 He continued as a member of Trinity's resident acting company and served as its artistic director from 1990 to 1994.{{cite web|url=https://www.trinityrep.com/about/history/|title=History|work=Trinity Rep|access-date=October 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009042412/https://www.trinityrep.com/about/history/|archive-date=October 9, 2017|url-status=live}}
=Film=
Since his debut in the television movie Feasting with Panthers (1974), Jenkins has worked steadily in film. His earlier film credits include Silverado (1985), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Sea of Love (1989), Blue Steel (1990), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), Flirting with Disaster (1996), and Snow Falling On Cedars (1999).
He has worked with the director siblings the Farrelly brothers in There's Something About Mary (1998), Outside Providence (1999), Me, Myself & Irene (2000), Say It Isn't So (2001) and Hall Pass (2011). He has also appeared in three Coen Brothers movies: The Man Who Wasn't There (2001), Intolerable Cruelty (2003), and Burn After Reading (2008). He is in North Country (2005), has three memorable scenes as FBI Director James (Robert) Grace in The Kingdom (2007), and Dr. Robert Dobeck in Step Brothers (2008).
File:RichardJenkinsApr2011.jpg
Although primarily known for supporting parts, Jenkins had a lead role in The Visitor (2007) for which he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award and an Academy Award for Best Actor.Maxwell, Erin and Michael Jones. [https://www.variety.com/awardcentral_article/VR1117996677.html?nav=news&categoryid=1983&cs=1 Variety "Film trio feel the Spirit."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205094208/http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_article/VR1117996677.html?nav=news&categoryid=1983&cs=1 |date=December 5, 2008 }} December 2, 2008 Jenkins won the International Press Academy's Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture.
In 2010, Jenkins costarred in Dear John, as the father of John Tyree (Channing Tatum), and also co-starred with Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem in Eat Pray Love. In 2012, he appeared in the Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard horror film The Cabin in the Woods and the action film Jack Reacher. He then appeared in the action films White House Down (2013) and Kong: Skull Island (2017).
Jenkins co-starred in Guillermo del Toro's fantasy romance drama film The Shape of Water (2017), for which he received critical acclaim. For his performance, he garnered Academy Award, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor.
=Television=
Jenkins is perhaps best known on television for playing Nathaniel Fisher in the HBO drama series Six Feet Under. His character is the deceased patriarch of the Fisher family and regularly appears to his family as a ghost or in dreams. He played the role for the show's entire run. He and his castmates received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2002.
Jenkins portrayed a DEA agent in one episode of Miami Vice and a mob boss in a later episode.{{cite news |last1=McCarter |first1=Reid |title=Miami Vice supercut reminds you of the ludicrous number of celebrities who guested on Miami Vice |url=https://www.avclub.com/miami-vice-michael-mann-ben-stiller-julia-roberts-1849558305 |access-date=9 October 2022 |publisher=The A.V. Club |date=20 September 2022 |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009132454/https://www.avclub.com/miami-vice-michael-mann-ben-stiller-julia-roberts-1849558305 |url-status=live }}
In 2015, Jenkins won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his performance as Henry Kitteridge in the HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge.{{cite news|last1=Boedeker|first1=Hal|title=Emmys: Viola Davis makes history; HBO scores|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/tv/tv-guy/os-emmys-viola-davis-game-of-thrones-veep-20150920-post.html|access-date=October 18, 2015|work=Orlando Sentinel|date=September 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002135339/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/tv/tv-guy/os-emmys-viola-davis-game-of-thrones-veep-20150920-post.html|archive-date=October 2, 2015|url-status=live}}
In 2022, Jenkins portrayed Lionel Dahmer, father of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, in Netflix's limited series Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Starring alongside Evan Peters and Molly Ringwald, Jenkins appears in all ten episodes of the series created by Ryan Murphy.{{cite news |last1=Speicher |first1=Jeffrey |title='Dahmer': Why Richard Jenkins' Lionel Is the Netflix Show's Emotional Center |url=https://collider.com/dahmer-lionel-richard-jenkins-emotional-center/ |access-date=9 October 2022 |publisher=Collider |date=6 October 2022 |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009132456/https://collider.com/dahmer-lionel-richard-jenkins-emotional-center/ |url-status=live }} His performance was described in The New Yorker as "brilliant,"{{cite magazine |last1=Winter |first1=Jessica |title=Netflix's "Dahmer" and the Killer Who Cannot Be "Explained" |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/on-television/netflixs-dahmer-and-the-killer-who-cannot-be-explained |access-date=18 November 2022 |magazine=The New Yorker |date=2 October 2022 |archive-date=November 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221118023624/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/on-television/netflixs-dahmer-and-the-killer-who-cannot-be-explained |url-status=live }} and he was nominated for the 2023 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie.{{Cite web |title=Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie Nominees / Winners 2023 |url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2023/outstanding-supporting-actor-in-a-miniseries-or-a-movie |access-date=2023-07-21 |website=Television Academy |language=en |archive-date=July 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230718091306/https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2023/outstanding-supporting-actor-in-a-miniseries-or-a-movie |url-status=live }}
Personal life
Jenkins is married to choreographer Sharon R. Friedrick, with whom he has two children.{{Cite news|last=Gordon|first=David|url=https://www.theatermania.com/rhode-island-theater/news/interview-richard-jenkins-sharon-jenkins-oklahoma-trinity_76987.html|title=Richard and Sharon Jenkins Bring Oklahoma! to Life at Trinity Rep|date=May 8, 2016|work=TheaterMania|url-status=live|archive-date=November 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114124324/https://www.theatermania.com/rhode-island-theater/news/interview-richard-jenkins-sharon-jenkins-oklahoma-trinity_76987.html}}{{Cite news|last=Brady|first=Tara|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/i-said-i-m-in-the-movie-and-the-guy-on-the-gate-said-yeah-sure-me-too-1.3376761|title="I said 'I'm in the movie,' and the guy on the gate said 'Yeah sure, me too' "|date=February 9, 2018|newspaper=The Irish Times|url-status=live|archive-date=November 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114124308/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/i-said-i-m-in-the-movie-and-the-guy-on-the-gate-said-yeah-sure-me-too-1.3376761}}
Awards and honors
In 2014, Jenkins and his wife Sharon received the Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement from Trinity Repertory Company in Providence.{{cite news|title=Richard and Sharon Jenkins to Receive Trinity Rep's 2014 Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement; Ceremony Set for 6/9|url=http://www.broadwayworld.com/rhode-island/article/Richard-and-Sharon-Jenkins-to-Receive-Trinity-Reps-2014-Pell-Award-for-Lifetime-Achievement-Ceremony-Set-for-69-20140408#.U5briC9Xj6Y|access-date=June 10, 2014|publisher=Broadway World|date=April 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140409073400/http://www.broadwayworld.com/rhode-island/article/Richard-and-Sharon-Jenkins-to-Receive-Trinity-Reps-2014-Pell-Award-for-Lifetime-Achievement-Ceremony-Set-for-69-20140408#.U5briC9Xj6Y|archive-date=April 9, 2014|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Gray|first1=Channing|title=Pell Awards salute the best of R.I. arts|url=http://www.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/content/20140609-pell-awards-salute-the-best-of-r.i.-arts-gallery.ece|access-date=June 10, 2014|publisher=The Providence Journal|date=June 9, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713202512/http://www.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/content/20140609-pell-awards-salute-the-best-of-r.i.-arts-gallery.ece|archive-date=July 13, 2014}}
Filmography
= Film =
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" |
| scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" | Director ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1985
! scope="row" | Silverado | Kelly | |
| rowspan="3" | 1986
! scope="row" | Hannah and Her Sisters | Dr. Wilkes | |
| scope="row" | The Manhattan Project
| Radiation Controls Officer, Medatomics Lab | |
| scope="row" | On Valentine's Day
| Bobby Pate | Ken Harrison | |
| rowspan="3" | 1987
! scope="row" | Rachel River | Cordell | |
| scope="row" | The Witches of Eastwick
| Clyde Alden | |
| scope="row" | Courtship
| Bobby Pate | Howard Cummings | |
| rowspan="2" | 1988
! scope="row" | Little Nikita | Richard Grant | |
| scope="row" | Stealing Home
| Hank Chandler | Steven Kampmann & William Porter | |
| rowspan="3" | 1989
! scope="row" | Sea of Love | Detective Gruber | |
| scope="row" | Blaze
| Picayune | |
| scope="row" | How I Got into College
| Bill Browne | |
| 1990
! scope="row" | Blue Steel | Attorney Mel Dawson | |
| 1993
! scope="row" | Undercover Blues | Frank | |
| rowspan="3" | 1994
! scope="row" | It Could Happen to You | C. Vernon Hale | |
| scope="row" | Trapped in Paradise
| Agent Shaddus Peyser | |
| scope="row" | Wolf
| Detective Bridger | |
| rowspan="2" | 1995
! scope="row" | How to Make an American Quilt | Howell Saunders | |
| scope="row" | The Indian in the Cupboard
| Victor | Frank Oz | |
| rowspan="3" | 1996
! scope="row" | Flirting with Disaster | Paul Harmon | Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male |
| scope="row" | A Couch in New York
| Campton | |
| scope="row" | Eddie
| Carl Zimmer | |
| rowspan="2" | 1997
! scope="row" | Eye of God | Willard Sprague | |
| scope="row" | Absolute Power
| Michael McCarty | |
| rowspan="2" | 1998
! scope="row" | There's Something About Mary | Psychiatrist | Uncredited cameo |
| scope="row" | The Impostors
| Johnny Leguard | |
| rowspan="5" | 1999
! scope="row" | Random Hearts | Truman Trainor | |
| scope="row" | Snow Falling on Cedars
| Sheriff Art Moran | |
| scope="row" | {{sortname|The|Mod Squad|The Mod Squad (film)}}
| Det. Bob Mothershed | |
| scope="row" | Outside Providence
| Barney | |
| scope="row" | {{sortname|The|Confession|The Confession (1999 film)}}
| Cass O'Donnell | |
| rowspan="2" | 2000
! scope="row" | What Planet Are You From? | Don Fisk | |
| scope="row" | Me, Myself & Irene
| Agent Boshane | |
| rowspan="3" | 2001
! scope="row" | Say It Isn't So | Walter Wingfield | J.B. Rogers | |
| scope="row" | {{sortname|The|Man Who Wasn't There|The Man Who Wasn't There (2001 film)}}
| Walter Abundas | |
| scope="row" | One Night at McCool's
| Father Jimmy | |
| rowspan="2" | 2002
! scope="row" | Stealing Harvard | Honorable Emmett Cook | |
| scope="row" | Changing Lanes
| Walter Arnell | |
| rowspan="4"| 2003
! scope="row" | Cheaper by the Dozen | Shake McGuire | |
| scope="row" | Intolerable Cruelty
| Freddy Bender | |
| scope="row" | {{sortname|The|Core}}
| General Thomas Purcell | |
| scope="row" | {{sortname|The|Mudge Boy}}
| Edgar Mudge | Michael Burke | |
| rowspan="2" | 2004
! scope="row" | Shall We Dance? | Devine | |
| scope="row" | I Heart Huckabees
| Mr. Hooten | Uncredited cameo |
| rowspan="3" | 2005
! scope="row" | Fun with Dick and Jane | Frank Bascombe | |
| scope="row" | Rumor Has It…
| Earl Huttinger | |
| scope="row" | North Country
| Hank Aimes | |
| 2007
! scope="row" | {{sortname|The|Kingdom|The Kingdom (2007 film)}} | FBI Director Robert Grace | |
| rowspan="5" | 2008
! scope="row" | {{sortname|The|Visitor|The Visitor (2007 feature film)}} | Professor Walter Vale | {{ubl|Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor {{small|(3rd place)}}|Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cast {{small|(2nd place)}}|Method Fest Independent Film Festival for Best Actor|Moscow International Film Festival for Best Actor{{cite web |url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=2008 |title=30th Moscow International Film Festival (2008) |access-date=June 2, 2013 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130421050837/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=2008 |archive-date=April 21, 2013 }}|National Board of Review — Spotlight Award|San Diego Film Critics Society — Special Award|Santa Barbara International Film Festival — Virtuoso Award|Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture|Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor|Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor|Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor|Nominated—Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor|Nominated—Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Cast|Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead|Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor|Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role}} |
| scope="row" | {{sortname|The|Broken|The Broken (film)}}
| John McVey | |
| scope="row" | Step Brothers
| Dr. Robert Doback | San Diego Film Critics Society — Special Award |
| scope="row" | Burn After Reading
| Ted Treffon | San Diego Film Critics Society — Special Award |
| scope="row" | {{sortname|The|Tale of Despereaux|The Tale of Despereaux (film)}}
| Principal | Sam Fell & Robert Stevenhagen | Voice |
| 2009
! scope="row" | Waiting for Forever | Richard Twist | |
| rowspan="5" scope="row" | 2010
! scope="row" | happythankyoumoreplease | Paul Gertmanian | |
| scope="row" | Dear John
| Bill Tyree | |
| scope="row" | Eat Pray Love
| Richard Fenwick | |
| scope="row" | Norman
| Doug Long | Breckenridge Festival of Film for Best Ensemble Cast |
| scope="row" | Let Me In
| The Father |
| rowspan="3" | 2011
! scope="row" | Friends with Benefits | Mr. Harper | |
| scope="row" | {{sortname|The|Rum Diary|The Rum Diary (film)}}
| Edward J. Lotterman | |
| scope="row" | Hall Pass
| Coakley | |
| rowspan="6" | 2012
! scope="row" | Liberal Arts | Professor Peter Hoberg | |
| scope="row" | Darling Companion
| Russell | |
| scope="row" | {{sortname|The|Cabin in the Woods}}
| Gary Sitterson | |
| scope="row" | Killing Them Softly
| Ron Fenwick, The Driver | |
| scope="row" | Jack Reacher
| District Attorney Alex Rodin | |
| scope="row" | The Company You Keep
| Jed Lewis | |
| rowspan="3" | 2013
! scope="row" | White House Down | Speaker Eli Raphelson | |
| scope="row" | Turbo
| Bobby | Voice |
| scope="row" | A.C.O.D.
| Hugh | Stu Zicherman | |
| rowspan="3" | 2014
! scope="row" | God's Pocket | Richard Shelburn | |
| scope="row" | 4 Minute Mile
| Coach Coleman | |
| scope="row" | Lullaby
| Robert | |
| rowspan="2" | 2015
! scope="row" | Bone Tomahawk | Deputy Chicory | Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male |
| scope="row" | Spotlight
| Uncredited voice cameo |
| rowspan="2" | 2016
! scope="row" | The Hollars | Don Hollar | |
| scope="row" | LBJ
| Senator Richard Russell | |
| rowspan="2" | 2017
! scope="row" | Kong: Skull Island | Senator Al Willis | |
| scope="row" | The Shape of Water
| Giles |St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| rowspan="2" | 2020
! scope="row"| Kajillionaire | Robert Shepard | |
| scope="row"| The Last Shift
| Stanley | |
| rowspan="2" | 2021
! scope="row"| The Humans | Erik Blake | |
| scope="row"| Nightmare Alley
| Ezra Grindle | Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 2024
! scope="row"| IF | Art Teacher | Voice |
= Television =
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Richard Jenkins}}
{{Wikiquote}}
- {{IMDb name|420955}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080907033936/http://everydayyeah.com/content/interview-mr-mccarthy-and-mr-jenkins Interview with Richard Jenkins at everydayyeah.com]
- [http://grantland.com/features/exclusive-outtakes-davy-rothbart-interview-rum-diary-actor-richard-jenkins/ Richard Jenkins interview] by Davy Rothbart for Grantland
- {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120225131005/http://www.thefastertimes.com/theatertalk/2009/07/17/five-questions-for-richard-jenkins/ Richard Jenkins interview]}} at The Faster Times, Davi Napoleon's Theater Talk
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Richard Jenkins
|list =
{{AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Grownup Love Story}}
{{EmmyAward MiniseriesLeadActor}}
{{Satellite Award Best Actor Motion Picture}}
{{St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Richard}}
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male stage actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American male voice actors
Category:People from DeKalb, Illinois
Category:People from Cumberland, Rhode Island
Category:Male actors from Illinois
Category:20th-century American male actors