Richard Dreyfussis an American actor who has starred in some of the most popular Hollywood movies of the ’70s and ’80s. In addition to working with George Lucas onAmerican Graffitiand Steven Spielberg onJawsto begin his movie career, Dreyfuss won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance inThe Goodbye Girlin 1978. Although it’s the only Oscar victory of his career, at the time, Dreyfuss was the youngest actor to win the Award at age 30.
Although Dreyfuss is best known forhis iconic movie performancesin the ’70s, he has also appeared in some of the most acclaimed movies of the ’80s and ’90s, according to Rotten Tomatoes. Whether playing the lead or giving a supporting turn, the best movies of Dreyfuss' career have allowed him to showcase his full acting abilities.
10The Big Fix (1978) - 88%
Directed by Jeremy Kagen,The Big Fixis an amusing crime comedy that stars Dreyfuss as Moses Wine, a 1960s counter-culture hippy who becomes a private investigator in Los Angeles. While clinging to his ideals of peace and free love, Moses is hired to uncover the motives of a political campaign. The further Moses digs, the deeper into a tangled web of deceit he becomes.
While the supporting cast and real L.A. locations were highlighted by critics, the movie lives and dies with Dreyfuss' hilarious performance as a man reconciling his political ideals with his new vocation in an ever-changing societal landscape. Dreyfuss gets to showcase his sense of comedic timing while also developing a fully-dimensional character who must confront his past to forge a brighter future.
9Stakeout (1987) - 89%
Directed by John Badham,Stakeoutis a hilarious buddy-cop crime comedy that stars Dreyfuss andEmilio Estevez in the ‘80sas two detectives assigned to keep an eye on the girlfriend of a prison escapee in Seattle. However, when Chris Lecce (Dreyfuss) falls in love with the woman they’re watching, his professional duties take a backseat to his personal feelings.
Stakeoutwas applauded most for Dreyfuss’ scene-stealing, tour-de-force comedic performance as a man torn between following his heart and doing his job. The script was hailed for sidestepping buddy-cop cliches and fusing a crime plot with a touching romantic storyline. Meanwhile, the onscreen rapport between Dreyfuss and Estevez was so strong that the movie spawned a sequel,Another Stakeout.
8The American President (1995) - 91%
Written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Rob Reiner,The American Presidentis a political romantic comedy that follows U.S. President Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas). Following the death of his wife, Shepherd meets and falls for an environmentalist named Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening) while campaigning for reelection. Dreyfuss plays Republican Senator Bob Rumson from the state of Kansas.
Related:The Best Movies About American Presidents, Ranked
The American Presidentdrew acclaim for Sorkin’s trademark wit and mile-a-minute dialog, Douglas' commanding central performance, and Reiner’s light, breezy tonal balance between comedy and romance. The steamy chemistry between Douglas and Bening was also highlighted as one of the movie’s irresistible strong suits, reminding many critics of a classic Frank Capra political comedy from a bygone era.
7James and the Giant Peach (1996) - 91%
Adaptedfrom the classic Roald Dahl children’s tale,James and the Giant Peachis a delightful animated musical film. The story concerns James Trotter, an orphan who embarks on a wild adventure when he meets a group of anthropomorphic critters living inside a large peach. Dreyfuss voices the role of Mr. Centipede, one of the creepy crawly creatures who join James on his journey.
While Dahl’s story provides enough drama to keep viewers engaged, it’s the dazzling technical marvels brought to life by director Henry Selick that drew the most acclaim from critics at the time. The innovative animation and colorful technical designs that fuse stop-motion and live-action capture the lightheartedness and grim darkness of Dahl’s twisted imagination.
6The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974) - 93%
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitzis a hidden ’70s gem featuring Dreyfuss at his finest. The actor plays Duddy, a poor young Jewish man in Montreal who hatches bold and brazen get-rich-quick schemes in order to raise himself and his family out of poverty. The coming-of-age character study helped put Canadian cinema on the map and marks one of Dreyfuss' early breakout roles.
Directed by Ted Kotcheff, the film drew praise for its realistic depiction of ’70s Montreal, including the ugly sense of antisemitism Duddy is forced to deal with as he climbs the socioeconomic ladder. Kotcheff was also lauded for faithfully translating Mordecai Richler’s 1959 source novel. While it’s hardly the most famous movie in Dreyfuss' filmography, he has rarely been more convincing on screen in the eyes of many critics.
5Dillinger (1973) - 93%
Written and directed by John Milius,Dillingeris a gritty biopic that chronicles the rise and fall of the notorious real-life bank robber John Dillinger (Warren Oates) and the dogged FBI manhunt to capture him. Dreyfuss plays Baby Face Nelson, another real-life criminal who accompanied Dillinger on his crime spree during the Great Depression.
Beyond Oates' magnetic performance, Dillingerreceived critical acclaim for Milius' swift and stylish direction and ability to bring realistic violence to the screen. While some felt the film mimicked the bullet-laced aesthetic ofthe iconic gangster movieBonnie and Clydea little too much, others were impressed by the authentic recreation of 1930s-era gangsters and the riveting gunplay featured in the exhilarating shootouts.
4Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) - 94%
Dreyfuss gives a terrific turn inClose Encounters of the Third Kind, Steven Spielberg’s wondrous sci-fi opus about aliens visiting Earth. The story follows Roy Neary (Dreyfuss), a Midwestern electrician whose life is upended when he witnesses a UFO and goes on a road trip to understand what the aircraft is and where it came from. Without exaggeration, the movie is simply one of the best sci-fi movies ever made.
Related:The Top 10 Highest-Grossing Steven Spielberg Movies
The plaudits for the film are far and wide. Chief among them is Spielberg’s unique ability to capture humanity’s profound questions regarding the cosmos and life outside the solar system. The music, special FX, and state-of-the-art technology of the time pushed the limits of cinematic storytelling and gave audiences a far more benevolent depiction of extraterrestrials than most Sci-Fi movies.
3American Graffiti (1973) - 97%
George Lucas’American Graffititakes place on high school graduation night in 1962 California. The story follows a group of teenagers riding around in cars, getting into trouble, and voicing their anxiety about going off to college. Dreyfuss plays Curt Henderson, a nervous teen set to travel to the East Coast to begin the next chapter of his life the following day.
One of the most influential teen comedies of all time,the inaugural Lucasfilm titledrew universal praise for its nostalgic portrayal of American adolescence in the ’60s. The characters are well-defined, easy to identify with and root for. Meanwhile, the wall-to-wall rock-n-roll soundtrack is second to none, and the underlying sense of friendship helped define a generation of coming-of-age movies that is felt to this day.
2Jaws (1975) - 97%
Easily the most popular movie of his illustrious career,Jawshelped put Dreyfuss on the map as an A-list Hollywood actor. The story of a vicious Great White Shark stalking the shores of Martha’s Vineyard became the first blockbuster in cinematic history and still holds up as one of the most entertaining action adventure thrillers ever made. Dreyfuss adds the comedic relief as Matt Hooper, a marine biologist who clashes with the gruff shark hunter, Quint.
Thanks to Steven Spielberg’s brilliant vision,Jawshit all the right notes in 1975 to become a commercial and critical smash hit. Although the mechanical shark rarely worked while making the movie, the result is beyond reproach thanks to the committed performances, riveting sense of danger, and old-school storytelling. It’s hard to find a single bad word about Jaws among critics or general movie fans, making the historical landmark a near-perfect movie that will endure the test of time.
1Fail Safe (2000) - 100%
Fail Safeis a TV remake of Sidney Lumet’s classic 1964 original. Set during the height of the Cold War, the story imagines an American warplane accidentally launching a nuclear attack on Moscow and the mad dash to reverse the action before the bomb detonates. Dreyfuss adds gravitas to the story as the U.S. President who is tasked with making grave decisions in a time-sensitive scenario with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Although it may lack the level of suspense of Lumet’s original,the all-time great TV moviewas extolled for its outstanding supporting cast, dedicated performances, and most of all, the timely and topical story that continues to be explored in 2023 with movies likeOppenheimer.
For his part, Dreyfuss plays the U.S. President with a palpable sense of urgency and intensity that weighs on his shoulders as the race to stop the bomb ensues.
