Friday, May 4, 2012

Happy Birthday, Richard Jenkins!

Today, we're celebrating the 65th birthday of Academy Award-nominated actor Richard Jenkins. A native of Illinois, Jenkins nabbed his first feature film performance in 1985's Silverado, but it was until his role in 1986's Hannah and Her Sisters that he started to get noticed. He worked consistently in film and television throughout the late 1980s and all through the 1990s, but it is only recently that Jenkins has truly started to gain more prominent national attention. After an uncredited performance in the 2004 comedy I Heart Huckabees, Jenkins found work in such big-time fare as 2005's Fun with Dick and Jane and 2007's The Kingdom. He scored his sole Oscar nomination for his performance in the 2008 film The Visitor. Jenkins then burst onto the comedy scene after co-starring with Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in 2008's Step Brothers, as well as co-starring in the Coen brothers ensemble comedy, Burn After Reading. Most recently, audiences have seen Jenkins in the 2012 film The Cabin in the Woods, and he'll appear in a slew of other 2012 releases, including Killing Them Softly and The Company You Keep. And so, to celebrate his birthday, I've created a list of my five favorite of Jenkins' performances, and I've found some clips to illustrate those roles. Once again, happy birthday, Richard!


5. Dr. Robert Doback
Step Brothers (2008)

*****

4. Ted
Burn After Reading (2008)

*****

3. Mr. Tyree
Dear John (2010)

*****

2. Mr. Hooten
I Heart Huckabees (2004)

*****

1. Walter
The Visitor (2008)

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