ST. LOUIS — Some actors don't need the spotlight to produce a great performance. Brian Dennehy was one of those performers. He passed away on Thursday to natural causes, but left behind him a dynamic career most actors could only dream of, one built on longevity.
Don't get me wrong, 99% of actors want the attention. They want the camera honing in on their face and movements all the time. But sometimes, the best work is off to the side hiding a bit, waiting inside the cracks of a screenplay. Only the most intuitive of thespians can find it. Dennehy had this talent in spades.
He was a force to reckon with no matter what size the role. A hulking presence with snake eyes that loomed over most actors. In over 183 different projects, ranging from television to the big screen and on to the stage, Dennehy always made an impact with the viewers. He was as versatile as he was stirring on the screen, producing comedy that still gets read today in "Tommy Boy" or giving a live performance of "Death of a Salesman" that affected so many. Whatever script he had in his hand, Dennehy found a way to provoke thought with it.
While there are certainly top 20 and 30 lists of great Dennehy performances- roles where he played the protagonist, antagonist, or something in between- I always look back at his performance in "First Blood" as the true example of his impact onscreen. Made 38 years ago with a very young Sylvester Stallone, Dennehy played the malevolent sheriff of a small town who takes quick offense to a drifter (Stallone) who walks into his town.
While John Rambo simply wanted a warm bed and meal, Dennehy's Teasle carries a prejudice towards the Vietnam vet and arrests him. Once at the precinct, Teasle and his deputies torture Rambo, which leads to his escape and eventual hunt into the wilderness.
In a supporting role, Dennehy was the perfect villain for this one, a guy who you could halfway understand his history and reasons for carrying out a task but also someone you wanted to see defeated in the end and taught a lesson. He has to run the gauntlet of emotions, from boisterous to vindictive to scared out of his mind at the sight of a knife to his neck. It was similar to his work in the under-appreciated "Silverado," but carried more depth and malice.
It's a role that holds up well nearly four decades later, a movie that still makes an impact due to the subject matter of post traumatic stress disorder, prejudice against the war, and a wide assortment of morals and lessons. In that role, Dennehy showed that he could bring the power of a leading performance to a supporting role.
Dennehy was also a United States Marine vet who used that experience to help Stallone on the set of "First Blood," an experience that the "Rocky" star noted on Instagram Thursday evening.
He was a great adversary in the under-seen boxing drama, "Gladiator," as well as multi-faceted roles in "Split Image" and "Best Seller," where he shared the screen with James Woods.
But for my money, "First Blood" showed the true skill set the actor's craft. Remember, that was before the series became cartoonish with its violence. That was back when it was just a hard-hitting drama about the effects of the war. Dennehy helped ground it all.
He passed away at 81 years old this week, leaving behind a cinematic resume that most actors would dream of assembling. He didn't have movie star looks or a physicality to stand out in action roles; Dennehy had talent and that served him well for 40+ years of screen work.
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