
Brian Manion Dennehy (July 9, 1938 – April 15, 2020) was an American actor of film, stage, and television. His breakthrough film role was as the overzealous sheriff Will Teasle in First Blood (1982). Typically a character actor, Dennehy displayed versatility in varying and often complex roles ranging from villainous (such as a corrupt sheriff in the 1985 western Silverado) to virtuous (such as a benevolent alien leader in Cocoon, also released in 1985). Other notable films featuring Dennehy include Gorky Park (1983), Never Cry Wolf (1983), Legal Eagles (1986), F/X (1986), Tommy Boy (1995), Romeo + Juliet (1996), and Ratatouille (2007). A prominent figure in the theater world (especially in Chicago), Dennehy won two Tony Awards for Best Lead Actor, for Death of a Salesman (1999) and Long Day's Journey into Night (2003). He starred in numerous television films and miniseries, garnering six Emmy Award nominations, and had memorable supporting and guest roles in many series including Just Shoot Me, The Good Wife, and The Blacklist.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
TV • 1999

The Blacklist
TV • 2013

30 Rock
TV • 2006

Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975

Knots Landing
TV • 1979

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
TV • 1962

The Good Wife
TV • 2009

The West Wing
TV • 1999

Golden Globe Awards
TV • 1944

Dallas
TV • 1978

Great Performances
TV • 1971

Miami Vice
TV • 1984

Rizzoli & Isles
TV • 2010

M*A*S*H
TV • 1972

Dynasty
TV • 1981

Hunter
TV • 1984

Cagney & Lacey
TV • 1982

Playhouse
TV • 1974