Born on October 1, 1950 in Houston, Texas, Randall Rudy “Randy” Quaid is an American actor and comedian. He was discovered by Peter Bogdanovich when he was still a student at the University of Houston. He was then cast as Lester Marlow in 1971’s The Last Picture Show, which was his first exposure to film. He was given minor roles in movies like Lolly-Madonna XXX and Paper Moon, before he landed a major part in The Last Detail, alongside Jack Nicholson. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance, but eventually won a Golden Globe for his role in 1987’s LBJ: The Early Years. He continued to appear in several films during the 1980s, including Parents and Out Cold, both in 1989.
Randy Quaid was cast in two science fiction movies, 1990’s Martians Go Home and 1996’s Independence Day, which was a successful film. In 1988, he played the lead role in HBO’s television movie Dead Solid Perfect. He was also cast member for a year in Saturday Night Live. Quaid then appeared in Kingpin, Last Rites, Hardrain and P.U.N.K.S. as well as being cast as the obnoxious father in Not Another Teen Movie in 2001.
In 2005, Randy Quaid starred in The Ice Harvest, and was also a homophobic rancher in the Academy Award-wining film Brokeback Mountain. He also had the starring role in the short-lived series The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire. He was also the lead in the adaptation of the John Steinbeck novel Of Mice and Men. He was also acclaimed for his performance in the TV biopic Elvis. In 2006, he was cast in the Milos Forman-directed Goya’s Ghosts. Quaid has also appeared on stage and was given the starring role of Frank in Sam Shepard's The God of Hell, produced by the New School University at the Actors Studio Drama School in New York.