Profile Text
Dennehy in 2010, photo by vonora /Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Brian Manion Dennehy
Date of Birth: July 9, 1938
Place of Birth: Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.
Date of Death: April 15, 2020
Place of Death: New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Ethnicity: Irish
Brian Dennehy was an American actor. His roles included the films Looking for Mr. Goodbar , Semi-Tough , F.I.S.T. , Foul Play , Butch and Sundance: The Early Days , 10 (1979), Little Miss Marker (1980), Split Image , First Blood , Never Cry Wolf , Gorky Park , Finders Keepers , The River Rat , Cocoon (1985), Silverado , Twice in a Lifetime , F/X , and its sequel; Legal Eagles , The Belly of an Architect , Best Seller (1987), The Man from Snowy River II , Miles from Home , Indio (1988), Blue Heat , Presumed Innocent , Gladiator (1992), Tommy Boy , William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet , Summer Catch , Stolen Summer , She Hate Me , Assault on Precinct 13 (2005), 10th & Wolf , Everyone’s Hero , The Ultimate Gift , Ratatouille , Righteous Kill , Every Day (2010), Meet Monica Velour , The Next Three Days , The Big Year , Knight of Cups , The Seagull , Tag (2018), The Song of Sway Lake , Driveways , 3 Days with Dad , and Son of the South ; the mini-series To Catch a Killer ; the made-for-tv movies Shadow of a Doubt (1995), Voyage of Terror , Fail Safe , Death of a Salesman (2000), The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone , Marco Polo (2007), and The Challenger Disaster ; and the series Just Shoot Me , The Fighting Fitzgeralds , Public Morals , The Blacklist , and Hap and Leonard .
He was the son of Hannah (Manion) and Edward Joseph Dennehy, a wire service editor for the Associated Press. Brian served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1958 to 1963.
Brian was married to Jennifer Arnott, until his death. He had three children, including actress Elizabeth Dennehy, with his former wife Judith Scheff; and two children with Jennifer.
Brian’s paternal grandfather was named Dennis Dennehy. Dennis was Irish.
Brian’s paternal grandmother was named Nellie. Nellie was Irish.
Brian’s maternal grandfather was named Michael Henry Manion (the son of James Manion). Michael was born in Connecticut, to Irish parents.
Brian’s maternal grandmother was named Margaret O’Connor. Margaret was born in Connecticut, to Irish parents.
Sources: Brian’s father on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Brian’s mother on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org