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Quaid in 2012, photo by kathclick /Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Dennis William Quaid
Place of Birth: Houston, Harris, Texas, U.S.
Date of Birth: April 9, 1954
Ethnicity: English, Scottish, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, Irish, German
Dennis Quaid is an American actor, and gospel singer. His roles include the films Our Winning Season , Breaking Away , The Long Riders , Gorp , Caveman (1981), The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia , Tough Enough , Jaws 3-D , The Right Stuff (1983), Dreamscape , Enemy Mine , The Big Easy , Innerspace , Suspect (1987), D.O.A. (1988), Everybody’s All-American , Great Balls of Fire! , Come See the Paradise , Postcards from the Edge , Undercover Blues , Flesh and Bone , Wyatt Earp (1994), Something to Talk About , Dragonheart , Gang Related , Switchback , The Parent Trap (1998), Playing by Heart , Any Given Sunday , Frequency , Traffic (2000), The Rookie (2002), Far from Heaven , Cold Creek Manor , The Alamo (2004), The Day After Tomorrow , In Good Company , Flight of the Phoenix (2004), Yours, Mine & Ours (2005), American Dreamz , Vantage Point , Smart People , G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra , Pandorum , Legion (2010), Soul Surfer , Footloose (2011), What to Expect When You’re Expecting , The Words (2012), Playing for Keeps , At Any Price , Movie 43 , Truth (2015), A Dog’s Purpose , I Can Only Imagine , and its sequel; Kin (2018), The Intruder , A Dog’s Journey , Midway (2019), Blue Miracle , American Underdog , Strange World , The Long Game , On a Wing and a Prayer , Strays , The Hill (2023), The Substance , Reagan (2024), and War Machine ; and the series Vegas , The Art of More , Goliath , Lawmen: Bass Reeves , and Happy Face .
He is the son of Juanita Bonniedale “Nita” (Jordan), a real estate agent, and William Rudy Quaid, an electrician. He is the younger brother of actor Randy Quaid . Dennis is married to CPA and yoga instructor Laura Savoie. He has a son, actor Jack Quaid , with his former wife, actress, director, and producer Meg Ryan ; and two children with his former wife, real estate agent Kimberly Buffington.
Dennis has English, Scottish, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, Irish, and German ancestry. During his interview on Inside the Actors Studio , 2002, Dennis stated that he has Irish and Cajun ancestry. It is not clear where this Cajun lineage may originate from. None of Dennis’s grandparents or great-grandparents were born in Louisiana, the state that is home to Cajun culture.
Dennis’s paternal great-great-great-great-grandparents, Silas Ebenezer Moore and Mourning Dumas Folsom, were said to have been of partially and/or fully Choctaw Native American ancestry. It is not clear if this is accurate.
Dennis’s patrilineal line can be traced to Walter Simpson Quaid, who was born, c. 1780, in Kilfinny, County Limerick, Ireland.
Dennis’s paternal grandfather was William Jessie/Jesse Quaid (the son of John Thomas Quaid and Martha Louisa Lola Ozment). William was born in Texas, to parents from Texas. John was the son of Benjamin Walter Quaid and Martha Elizabeth Bell. Dennis’s great-grandmother Martha was the daughter of Andrew Clinton Ozment and Margaret Malinda/Melinda Pierce.
Dennis’s paternal grandmother was Grace Dakota Corbett (the daughter of Robin Corbett and Edna Greener). Grace was born in South Dakota. Robin was born in Corydon, Wayne, Iowa, the son of John Ard Corbett and Mary Jane Robinson. Edna was born in Wisconsin, the daughter of Christian Greener, who was German; and of Albina Ellen Taylor.
Dennis’s maternal grandfather was George Waymon Jordan (the son of Nathan James Hezicar Henry Clay Jordan and Martha Ellen Austin). George was born in Tennessee. Nathan was the son of Thomas Jordan and Nancy Tabitha Clark. Martha was the daughter of Thomas M./J. Austin and Sarah Pelina Beavert.
Dennis’s maternal grandmother was Ollie Lula French (the daughter of Gardner Zale French and Dezzie/Dessy Octavia/Octava Cagle). Ollie was born in Texas. Gardner was the son of Azale J. “Zale” French and Sarah Moore. Dezzie was the daughter of James Pinkney Cagle and Rebecca Jane Clardy.
Dennis is a first cousin, twice removed, of performer Gene Autry, known as The Singing Cowboy. Dennis’s paternal great-great-grandparents, Andrew Clinton Ozment and Margaret Malinda Pierce, were the maternal grandparents of Gene Autry. Dennis is also a cousin of actors Corbett Tuck and Hillary Tuck.
Sources: Information about Dennis’s possible Choctaw Native American ancestry – http://objgenealogy.com
Genealogies of Dennis Quaid – https://www.wikitree.com https://www.geni.com
Genealogy of Dennis Quaid (focusing on his father’s side) – http://objgenealogy.com
Genealogy of Dennis’s father (focusing on his own father’s side) – http://www.findagrave.com
Dennis’s father on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Dennis’s paternal great-grandfather, John Thomas Quaid, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Dennis’s paternal great-great-grandparents, Benjamin Walter Quaid and Martha Elizabeth Bell, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org Benjamin Walter Quaid and Martha Elizabeth Bell on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Dennis’s paternal great-great-great-grandmother, Emily Ann Meese (Moore) Quaid, on the 1870 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Dennis’s paternal great-great-great-great-grandparents, Silas Ebenezer Moore and Mourning Dumas Folsom, on the 1850 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Dennis’s mother on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Genealogy, and obituary, of Dennis’s maternal grandmother, Ollie Lula (French) Jordan – http://www.findagrave.com
Dennis’s maternal grandmother, Ollie Lula French, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org