Meet Richard Jenkins, the Academy Award nominated actor from ‘The Visitor’. Read the rest of the story and see photos, video, and a biography of Richard Jenkins below.
Richard Jenkins has been nominated for Best Actor for his role as Professor Walter Vale in the movie ‘The Visitor’. He found the nod very surprising, saying:
“This nomination is such an unexpected honor and I am grateful to the Academy for the recognition. I’ve been awed by the work of my fellow nominees this year and am truly humbled to be in their company. Having been an actor for many years now, I am moved by the fact that something like this can happen at this point in my career, particularly for a film that has meant so much to me.”
Richard Jenkins was born on May 4, 1947 in DeKalb, Illinois. He is the son of M. Elizabeth (Wheeler) and and Dale Stevens Jenkins. The 61 year old studied at Illinois Wesleyan University and earned a degree in drama and then relocated to Rhode Island.
Richard Jenkins worked in theater while he was trying to break into film and television. ‘Feasting with Panthers’ in 1974, a television movie, was his first break, and has lead to steady film and tv roles since. While he may not be a name you recognize, his face probably is, as he has been in such notable works as ‘The Witches of Eastwick’, ‘Snow Falling on Cedars’, ‘How to Make an American Quilt’, ‘There’s Something About Mary’, ‘Say It Isn’t So’, ‘Burn After Reading’, and ‘North Country’, as well as a million other titles.
His numerous supporting roles landed him the lead in ‘The Vistor’, which has been well received by critics and earned him a Best Actor nod for the 2009 Academy Awards. He has been cast in the upcoming horror flick ‘The Cabin in the Woods’.
Richard Jenkins has also dabbled in television over his long career, and is probably best known for his role as the deceased patriarch of the family in HBO’s ‘Six Feet Under’.
In his personal life, Richard seems to be the opposite of much of Hollywood. While the short lived celebrity marriage seems to be the norm in La La Land, Richard married his wife, Sharon R. Frederick, on August 23, 1969. The couple has two children together, Sarah Pamela and Andrew Dale. Richard and Sharon live together on Thomas Leighton Boulevard in Cumberland, Rhode Island.
More photos and a video of Richard Jenkins are below.
Photos: wenn.com