Richard Dreyfuss' Best Performances, Ranked

Richard Dreyfuss is a veteran actor in Hollywood, who is mostly known by all Steven Spielberg fanatics. He debuted at the age of 15 in the TV production In Mama’s House. With over five decades in his acting career, he has starred in a variety of movies and made his way up the ladder of fame early on, while other starting actors were struggling. This leading actor is most notably known for his role in the 1973 hit movie American Graffiti, for which he bagged a Bafta Awards nomination. After this, he kept on acting in major hits that got major international attention and support. His other famous roles include Jaws, Close Encounters of The Third Kind, and Stand By Me.

For his role in the international hit The Goodbye Girl, this amazing actor won an Oscar, Golden Globe, and Bafta. Though his drug problems caused a lot of issues in his career, he still built a legendary career, which is going to be hard to replicate by any other actor. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, one of the movies he started out with on the big screen, was also an enormous success. It got Dreyfuss a lot of Best Actor award wins, and he was also nominated for an Oscar. To celebrate this splendid and stellar career, let’s look at Richard Dreyfuss’ best performances, ranked.

5 Jaws (1975)

The critically acclaimed Steven Spielberg movie, Jaws, which took the world by a storm for being one of the most unique stories of all time. It follows a major shark attack on a beach where a shark terrorizes the island of Amity. Richard Dreyfuss plays the role of oceanologist Matt Hooper, who is hired by the police chief to help them solve the ongoing situation. Matt Hooper’s character was greatly considered as a good reason the film succeeded, even through production hardships. The film became a classic through the contribution of Richard Dreyfuss, who was initially very unsure, and took on the role as he thought nobody else would hire him.

4 Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)

Directed by Stephen Herek, the film follows the story of passionate composer and musician Glenn Holland (Dreyfuss). Glenn starts working as a part-time teacher in order to pay rent, while he also works on his ultimate goal of creating a song and legacy, which would make his mark on the world. Glenn Holland was Dreyfuss’ return to the big screen after many issues with drug addiction. However, this comeback was internationally appreciated. He received an Oscar nomination for the role, in which he made viewers believe that he was Glenn Holland. All his emotions were delivered perfectly, which kept viewers intrigued. Additionally, the character of Glenn also delivered an excessively big life lesson to many people to enjoy trivial things in life, which Dreyfuss delivered in his most perfect form.

3 The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974)

Directed by Ted Kotcheff, the story follows Duddy Kravitz (Dreyfuss), a neglected son of a Jewish family. In his search for respect and making a name for himself, he gets involved in some get-rich-quick schemes in Montreal. Duddy Kravitz is presented as a scheming, backstabbing crook; however, the viewers still fall in love with him because of Dreyfuss’ acting. His character was relatable yet fascinating to so many, as he embodied the coming-of-age genre. His wittiness and quick, constant, on-his-feet thinking was delivered perfectly, and nobody else could have pulled this complex character off as well. The inner war of the viewers is deciding whether they hate his character or not, is what makes everyone glued to the screen. All of these schemes are extremely fascinatingly annoying, making everyone curious about what he is going to pull off next.

2 American Graffiti (1973)

This comedy classic, directed by George Lucas, brought Richard Dreyfuss into the spotlight. This amazing comedy tells the story of a group of teenagers spending time together one last time after their graduation, before they go their separate ways. This movie is regarded as one of the most teenage-focused, cruising movies of all time and is pure nostalgia for many. Richard Dreyfuss plays Curt, the silly boy who just wants to have an enjoyable time with his friends. This movie was less of an individual effort, and became a success because of the whole cast. All friends perfectly embody the behaviors of teenagers in the '60s, making it a reminiscent and hilarious experience for everyone.

1 Close Encounters of The Third Kind (1977)

This is another one of Steven Spielberg’s masterpieces, this time completely sci-fi. It follows Roy Neary’s (Dreyfuss) obsession with UFOs after he encounters one of their spaceships. The movie instantly became a hit and showed Dreyfuss’ potential, as he went on to do The Goodbye Girl immediately after this. The role of Roy Neary is arguably the best role Richard Dreyfuss has ever played. His acting in the sci-fi flick remains unchallenged and iconic. Dreyfuss perfectly displays Roy as a UFO-obsessed nerd with extremely erratic behavioral aspects that disrupt his family life. One of the most iconic scenes from the movie is when Roy says goodbye to his family before entering the alien spaceship. It was both shocking and fascinating for everyone watching the movie at the time, as the concept of aliens was probably not heard of before. In the realm of sci-fi films, a lot of Spielberg fans would wholeheartedly argue that Close Encounters is the best movie ever made in the genre.