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."
Silent RunningIn a ruined future in which huge, orbiting spaceships preserve the last remaining trees from pollution and overcrowding on Earth, everyman botanist Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern) receives an order to destroy the trees. He refuses, but his actions set him up against his superiorsand fellow crew members.... Read More
2 Headed Transplant / Thing with 2 HeadsTwo heads are better than one in this pair of horror classics featuring mad scientists whose experiments go awry. First, Dr. Roger Gerard (Bruce Dern) attaches a killer's head onto a mentally disabled man's shoulder in The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant. Then, racist Dr. Kirshner (Ray Milland)... Read More
Swamp DevilUpon returning to her Southern hometown, Melanie (Cindy Sampson) learns that her father, Howard (Bruce Dern), is wanted for murder and on the run. As she tries to prove Howard's innocence, a vile creature emerges from the nearby swamp intent on murdering everyone. Also starring Nicolas Wright,... Read More
SmileThis sharp-witted satire stars Barbara Feldon as Brenda DiCarlo, an icy taskmaster and former beauty pageant contestant charged with coordinating the final round of the Young American Miss contest -- the pride of Santa Rosa, Calif. But despite the pageant's squeaky-clean image, the townspeople are... Read More
Carolina SkeletonsWhen he was a boy, James Bragg (Louis Gossett Jr.) witnessed his brother's trial -- and later execution -- for a false double-murder charge. Now a retired Green Beret, Bragg returns home after 30 years, convinced he has the evidence to clear his brother's name and convict the real killer. Certain... Read More
