Richard Dale Jenkins (born May 4, 1947 in DeKalb, Illinois) is an American actor. He started acting in the mid-seventies though he had prominent roles through the 80's and the 90's. Then in the early 2000's he had his breakout role as the deceased patriarch Nate Fisher Sr. in the HBO series Six Feet Under.
Jenkins has a very solid and long career playing all sort of roles in comedy (Burn After Reading, Step Brothers), action (The Core, The Kingdom (2007), Jack Reacher), drama (North Country, Dear John) and horror (The Cabin in the Woods, Wolf, the Let Me In US remake). He has even been nominated for an Oscar twice, for Best Actor in The Visitor, and for Best Supporting Actor in The Shape of Water.
He is a usual collaborator of two of Hollywood's most well known director brothers: The Farrelly Brothers and the Coen Brothers.
Filmography:
- Silverado (1985) - Kelly
- Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) - Dr. Wilkes
- The Manhattan Project (1986) - Radiation controls officer
- The Witches of Eastwick (1987) - Clyde Alden
- Little Nikita (1988) - Richard Grant
- Blue Steel (1989) - Mel Dawson
- Sea of Love (1989) - Gruber
- How I Got Into College (1989) - Bill Browne
- Blaze (1989) - Picayune
- Challenger (1990) - Gregory B. Jarvis
- Undercover Blues (1993) - Frank
- Wolf (Mike Nichols) (1994) - Detective Bridger
- The Indian in the Cupboard (1995) - Victor
- How to Make an American Quilt (1995) - Howell
- Flirting with Disaster (1996) - Paul Harmon
- Un Divan à New York (1996) - Campton
- Eddie (1996) - Carl Zimmer
- Absolute Power (1997) - Michael McCarthy
- There's Something About Mary (1998) - The Psychiatrist
- The Impostors (1998) - Johnny Leguard
- Snow Falling on Cedars (1999) - Sheriff Art Moran
- Random Hearts (1999) - Truman Trainor
- The Mod Squad (1999) - Mothershed
- Outside Providence (1999) - Barney
- The Confession (1997) - Cass O'Donnell
- Me, Myself & Irene (2000) - Boshane
- What Planet Are You From? (2000) - Don Fisk
- The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) - Walter Abundas
- Say It Isn't So (2001) - Walter Wingfield
- One Night at McCool's (2001) - Father Jimmy
- Stealing Harvard (2002) - Emmett Cook
- Changing Lanes (2002) - Walter Arnell
- The Core (2003) - General Thomas Purcell
- Intolerable Cruelty (2003) - Freddy Bender
- Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) (2003) - Shake
- Shall We Dance 2004 (2004) - Devine
- I ♡ Huckabees (2004) - Mr. Hooten
- North Country (2005) - Hank Aimes
- Fun with Dick and Jane (2005) - Frank Bascombe
- Rumor Has It... (2005) - Earl Huttinger
- The Visitor (2007) - Walter
- The Kingdom (2007) - Robert Grace
- Burn After Reading (2008) - Ted
- Step Brothers (2008) - Robert Doback
- Let Me In (US Remake) (2010) - Father
- Dear John (2010) - Mr. Tyree
- Eat, Pray, Love (2010) - Richard
- Happythankyoumoreplease (2010) - Paul Gertmanian
- The Rum Diary (2011) - Lotterman
- Hall Pass (2011) - Coakley
- Friends with Benefits (2011) - Mr. Harper
- The Cabin in the Woods (2012) - Gary Sitterson
- Liberal Arts (2012) - Peter Hoberg
- Killing Them Softly (2012) - Driver
- Jack Reacher (2012) - Rodin
- Darling Companion (2012) - Russell
- The Company You Keep (2012) - Jed Lewis
- White House Down (2013) - Eli Raphelson
- A.C.O.D. (2013) - Hugh
- Spotlight - Richard Sipe (voice)
- Bone Tomahawk (2015) - Chicory
- LBJ (2016) - Sen. Richard Russell
- The Shape of Water (2017) - Giles
- Kajillionaire (2020) - Robert
- The Humans (2021) - Erik
- Nightmare Alley - Ezra Grindle
- IF (2024) - Art Teacher (voice)
Live-Action Television
- Six Feet Under (TV Series, 2001-2005) - Nathaniel Fisher Sr.
- Olive Kitteridge (TV Mini-series, 2014) - Henry Kitteridge
- Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (TV Mini-series, 2022) - Lionel Dahmer
Western Animation
- The Tale of Despereaux (2008) - The School Principal (voice)
- Turbo (2013) - Bobby (voice)
Tropes associates with Richard Jenkins:
- The Danza: His character in Eat, Pray, Love.
- Production Posse: He has appeared in various films to many directors like the Coen Brothers (Burn After Reading, The Man Who Wasn't There (2001), Intolerable Cruelty) and the Farrelly Brothers (There's Something About Mary, Me, Myself & Irene, as well as films produced by them). He had collaborated at least twice in Josh Radnor's directorial films (Liberal Arts and Happythankyoumoreplease), with the late Mike Nichols (What Planet Are You From?, Wolf (Mike Nichols)) and David O. Russell (Flirting with Disaster, I ♡ Huckabees).
- Star-Making Role: Nathaniel Fisher Sr. in the HBO series Six Feet Under.
- What Could Have Been: In an interview he revealed that the part of Leo O'Bannion in Miller's Crossing was between him or Albert Finney.
