Richard Dreyfuss can be described as one of the most iconic actors of all time, playing roles in major hit films. Some include the hit films Jaws and Encounters Of The Third Kind. His talent is simply undeniable, and with each passing decade, he just seems to be getting better and better. His career is pretty impressive and has earned him a staggering $5 million net worth.
Richard Dreyfuss has won many awards, including an Oscar for Best Actor. The sensation was born on October 29th, 1947, making him a whole 74 years old. Those 74 years haven’t all been roses, and I’ve brought together a glimpse of some of his less savory moments.
1. Richard Dreyfuss Got Thrown Out of an Audition
At age 16, Richard got kicked out of an audition for yelling at the director. You might wonder what would make him act out in such a way. Well, he was just made to wait! The encounter surprisingly made him feel glorious, boosting his confidence to being a star. Despite his claims of being insecure and self-denigrating, the actor went ahead and told The Guardian that he aims to badmouth every Hollywood actor he knows. Not only this, he described his body as the finest piece of work. Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Jack Nicholson couldn’t hold a light on him.
2. Dreyfuss Called Bill Murray a Drunken Bully
The film What About Bob featured the two sensations Richard Dreyfuss and Bill Murray. The two characters in the film never got along, and guess what? Neither did the two real men in our very real world. In an interview, Dreyfuss called the star a “drunken bully” because Murray had allegedly put his face next to Richard’s and literally shouted, “Everyone hates you! You are tolerated!” As if the situation wasn’t bad enough, Murray tried to hit him with a modern glass-blown ashtray that weighed a whole three-quarters of a pound. Let’s just be grateful he missed.
It wasn’t so surprising when Richard later called him a “despicable pig.”
3. Allegations of Sexual Assault
This all went down in 2017, and if you missed all the gory details, here’s a sneak peek. Right after Richard Dreyfuss tweeted in support against sexual assault, Jessica Teich couldn’t let it go by. Jessica worked for the Jaws actor and came forward claiming that the man had harassed her for what seemed like months! As a result of his power as a famous actor, she couldn’t tell anyone about the “continual, overt, lewd comments and invitations” that she received from the actor.
Richard denied all allegations of assault, saying that he had thought it was all consensual.
4. Richard Dreyfuss Admitted That He Was A Terrible Person
While the actor was in an interview with Vulture, he admitted that in a world full of money, drugs, and celebrities, he had done bad things and flirted with countless women. From actresses to producers and, surprisingly, even 80-year-old grandmoms. Losing both his own self-respect and that of his best friends, Richard went ahead and flirted with their wives. Thankfully, his self-awareness kicked in, and he returned to his senses.
5. Richard Completely Lost Control
In 1982, Dreyfuss was at his peak, with money coming in, fame increasing, and all other good things. However, the actor crashed his car while driving when intoxicated. He lost control of his car, and it rolled over several times. To make it all worse, the police found cocaine in his possession.
He participated in countless orgies in Malibu and Hollywood to try and forget everything. Richard had a difficult time in denial but finally sobered up because of a vision of a little girl in a pink dress. According to the actor, she was either the girl she had almost killed when he crashed or the daughter he was yet to have.
6. Tension on the Set of Jaws
The late Robert Shaw was one of the most important forces behind the film Jaws, and so it would make headlines if he seemed to have had a feud with his costar Richard. Gratefully, Richard denied all rumors about him and Shaw hating each other, saying that it was only a moment of lost humor.
On an afternoon on set, Richard throws Shaw’s drink into the ocean, making Shaw react with a firehose. This was the opposite of what the famous actor Roy Schneider remembered from the day. Shaw, according to him, got furious and wanted to let Richard know this physically. Shaw allegedly thought Richard was a young punk with zero stage experience. Let’s just hope Richard was the right one.
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What is the purpose of this article? Just to try and vilify a person who is accomplished, recognized and brought entertainment to millions across two generations? It’s like saying, “Hey, here is this great man who has been loved by so many for his talents over a long, impressive career… but here’s five marginally bad things he’s done in fifty years, so let’s point them out!” As if we couldn’t find five ugly things in your past that you’re not proud of… What does this negativity achieve in this case. There’s nothing to be adjudicated here. Just to draw clicks of people who want to hate? Congrats.