November 6th will see the release of the much anticipated The Men Who Stare at Goats. The film about an army battalion of “psychic spies” stars four Hollywood’s heavyweights: George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, and Ewan McGregor.
Although each actor is well-known and has been in stand-out movies–Spacey in American Beauty, Clooney in Ocean’s 11, and McGregor in Moulin Rouge–Bridges takes the cake for playing, arguably, one of the most memorable characters in cinema history.
Bridges has had a long acting career, getting his unofficial start as an infant in the 1950 melodrama The Company She Keeps. At nine years old, Bridges began working in television with small roles in various shows over the next several years.
His first major role came in 1971, at the age of 22, in the film The Last Picture Show. The coming of age flick was a stellar debut for Bridges, earning him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Not a bad way to start off one’s career, eh?
His Oscar nod earned him attention from the industry, and set his career rolling. No longer the supporting actor, Bridges played the lead in five movies released over a two year span.
In 1975, Bridges found himself acting alongside Clint Eastwood. Despite having significantly less experience than Eastwood, Bridges managed not to be overshadowed by the Hollywood big-name. His portrayal of Lightfoot in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot earned Bridges his second Oscar nomination.
Bridges consistently stayed onscreen for over the next decade, starring in films such as the sci-fi flick TRON and the animated fantasy classic The Last Unicorn. In 1985 he starred as an alien in Starman, for which he earned yet another Oscar nomination, this time for Best Actor in a Leading Role. The 90s, though, are what saw some of the thriving actor’s biggest hits.
1991 saw Bridges star alongside Robin Williams in the dramedy The Fisher King. [Personal bias: if you haven't seen this movie, you should. It is all sorts of wonderful] In 1993 he starred in Fearless, which has been critically acclaimed to be the movie in which audiences see one of Bridges’s best performances. In 1996 he took on the role of chick flick hunk in The Mirror Has Two Faces, alongside Barbara Streisand.
And finally, we reach the role that would secure Bridges a place in cinematic memoriam.
In 1998, Bridges brought to the big screen the character of Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski in the Coen brothers classic The Big Lebowski.
In the film, Bridges plays an unemployed, slacker bowling enthusiast who sips on White Russians, pays for a 69 cent carton of half-and-half with a check, smokes weed, and is subject to the occasional flashback. “The Dude,” as he refers to himself, unintentionally finds himself mixed up in a case of mistaken identity and kidnapping.
The Big Lebowski has become a cult classic, and “The Dude” is now both an iconic character of the cinema, and an idol for countless college students (including my brother who, during his sophomore year of college did, in fact, develop a fondness for White Russians, bought half-and-half with a check, and took to wearing his bathrobe when running errands).
This is also the film that most people most quickly associate with Jeff Bridges.
2000 saw Bridges earn his fourth Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the film The Contender. Over the last decade, Bridges has remained a fairly regular fixture on the big screen, starring with The Men Who Stare at Goats co-star Kevin Spacey in 2001’s K-Pax, and playing a lead role in 2003’s Oscar nominated Sea Biscuit.
The next few years saw Bridges in a number of smaller films, before coming back to bigger movies in 2007 in the animated Surf’s Up, followed by Iron Man in 2008.
By the time The Men Who Stare at Goats opens on November, three films starring Bridges will have been released in just over two months, and he is already signed on for three more films to be released in 2010.
Having appeared in 64 films during an almost 40 year long career, Jeff Bridges is clearly an actor with staying power, and his role in The Men Who Stare at Goats as the founder of the psychic soldier battalion will give The Big Lebowski fans a chance to see Bridges return to a role similar to that of “The Dude.”
