Randy Quaid has been acting since 1971, and though he may now be better known for his stances on politics and culture, his filmography includes an impressive amount of notable and celebrated roles in movies and on television. The older brother of Dennis Quaid and the uncle to Jack Quaid, Randy Quaid was born on October 1, 1950, in Houston, Texas, and began acting in high school. It did not take long for him to earn his first professional role, and in 1971, he was cast in the Oscar-winning The Last Picture Show as Lester Marlow.
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This type of role is what would come to define Randy’s career over the next three decades. He ended up appearing in many more dramatic comedies and less serious comedies over the years, though he always found the most success in charming but earnest films. Emmy and Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning, Quaid was a very successful actor. It makes his fall from grace in the 2010s and 2020s all the more odd, with legal troubles and dips into the political arena. Still, we have these roles to fondly look back on.
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10
Saturday Night Live (1975-Present)
Cast Member (17 Episodes, 1985-1986)
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Saturday Night Live
TV-14
Comedy
News
Music
8/10
65
7.8/10
Release Date
October 11, 1975
Network
NBC
Cast
See All
-
Michael Chernus
-
Mikey Day
Showrunner
Lorne Michaels
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Randy Quaid was part of the Saturday Night Live cast for season 11 (and for one uncredited appearance in season 16). This was the first season Michael Lorne returned to the sketch comedy series after a five-year hiatus, and instead of casting up-and-comers, he cast known quantities. Quaid appeared alongside Anthony Michael Hall, Robert Downey Jr., and Joan Cusack, all in their first year. They joined veterans like Jon Lovitz and Dennis Miller.
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These actors could not connect with the crowd as well as the casts from previous seasons, and for the most part, floundered. Quaid memorably played Ed McMahon, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan in his tenure, but only had a few original characters, like Rudy Randolph Jr. and Floating Head. It’s a feather in his cap to be on the show, but Quaid’s tenure is mostly forgotten.
9
Midnight Express (1978)
Jimmy Booth
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Midnight Express
R
Biography
Crime
Drama
10.0/10
Release Date
October 6, 1978
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In Midnight Express, based on Billy Hayes’ 1977 memoir of the same name, an American college student, Billy Hayes (Brad Davis), is sent to prison while abroad in Turkey for trying to smuggle out hashish from the country. In the brutal prison, he meets a few other foreigners, including Jimmy Booth (Randy Quaid). Jimmy is in prison for stealing two candlesticks from a mosque. Jimmy joins Hayes in his attempts to escape the prison.
On their last attempt, the sadistic prison guard Hamidou (Paul L. Smith) suspects Jimmy of being involved and takes him away. He’s never seen again. It’s a moving and sad role by Quaid, who injects as much humor as he can into a film that’s grim and often tough to watch. His departure from the film is a sobering reminder of what Hayes actually went through.
8
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Joe Aguirre
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Brokeback Mountain
R
Drama
Romance
10/10
8.5/10
Release Date
December 9, 2005
Runtime
134 minutes
Cast
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Jake Gyllenhaal
-
Heath Ledger
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Brokeback Mountain is one of the best movies of the 21st century and for good reason. Based on the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx, Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain is a heartbreaking story about a gay romance between two cowboys, Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), who realize their feelings for one another while working on a pasture in 1960s Wyoming, the last place that sort of love was tolerated.
Randy Quaid co-stars as Joe Aguirre, the rancher who hires Ennis and Jack in the first place. Joe doesn’t like the young men to begin with, and when he catches them sleeping together, he’s even colder. It’s a harsh part, and one that Quaid plays with important simplicity. He doesn’t approve of the lifestyle, but a surly, stoic cowboy won’t make a big scene out of anything either.
7
Parents (1989)
Nick Laemle
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Parents
R
Horror
Comedy
Mystery
Release Date
January 27, 1989
Runtime
81 Minutes
Cast
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Randy Quaid
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Mary Beth Hurt
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Sandy Dennis
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Bryan Madorsky
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Randy Quaid stars in the black comedy horror movie, Parents, as Nick Laemle, the father of a family of three who move from Massachusetts to California. Nick’s young son, Michael (Bryan Madorsky), has an active imagination and begins to suspect there’s something sinister going on with his parents, namely, that they are cannibals and are trying to turn him into one as well. It’s absurd and bloody and a lot of fun.
While the film itself doesn’t always understand what tone it wants to be, Quaid goes for it in every scene he’s in.
Nick is a perfect character for Quaid. There’s a fatherly aspect to the actor, which is critical for making it seem like everything at home is alright, but there’s also a hint of insanity in his eye, which makes his turn to human devourer believable. While the film itself doesn’t always understand what tone it wants to be, Quaid goes for it in every scene he’s in.
6
A Streetcar Named Desire (1984)
Harold ‘Mitch’ Mitchell
A Streetcar Named Desire
Drama
Release Date
March 4, 1984
Runtime
119 minutes
Cast
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Ann-Margret
Blanche DuBois
-
Treat Williams
Stanley Kowalski
-
Beverly D’Angelo
Stella DuBois Kowalski
-
Randy Quaid
Harold “Mitch” Mitchell
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A Streetcar Named Desire is a TV movie based on Tennessee Williams’ 1947 play of the same name, which was also the basis for the critically acclaimed film starring Marlon Brando, which came out in 1951. The 1984 version is nowhere near as culturally significant as Brando’s, but it’s surprisingly effective, and not just a rehash of the Elia Kazan-directed movie. Randy Quaid plays Harold “Mitch” Mitchell, Stanley’s (Treat Williams) friend who falls in love with Blanche (Ann-Margret).
Mitch is played by Karl Malden in the 1951 film.
Quaid presents Mitch’s journey from a foolish young man, to someone capable of more, back down to a dolt again in excellent fashion. He is a momma’s boy with little ability to do anything without the encouragement of others, but his soft-spoken style brings out the best in whoever he happens to be sharing a scene with. Quaid was nominated for an Emmy for his role.
5
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Cousin Eddie Johnson
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Midnight Express
R
Biography
Crime
Drama
10.0/10
Release Date
October 6, 1978
Runtime
121 minutes
Cast
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-
Brad Davis
-
Irene Miracle
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Randy Quaid actually appears in four of the National Lampoon Vacation movies, including one devoted entirely to him, Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie’s Island Adventure. Quaid plays Cousin Eddie Johnson in each film, but it’s National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation that is by far his best work in the series. In that holiday classic, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) attempts to host an old-fashioned Christmas with his family, but everything keeps going wrong.
Eddie is Catherine’s (Miriam Flynn) husband, who is Ellen’s (Beverly D’Angelo) cousin, which means there are a few degrees of separation between him and Clark. So though they know one another, they’re not exactly close. Eddie is a bit of a redneck with manners that always get on Clark’s nerves. It’s a hilarious and ridiculous performance from Quaid, who perfectly mimics a character most fans will be all too familiar with.
4
Elvis (2005)
‘Colonel’ Tom Parker (2 Episodes, 2005)
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Elvis
TV-14
Drama
Music
Release Date
2005 – 2005-00-00
Network
CBS
Directors
James Steven Sadwith
Writers
Patrick Sheane Duncan
Cast
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Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Uncredited
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Jonathan Rhys Meyers
‘Colonel’ Tom Parker
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Michael St. Gerard
Sam Phillips
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Millie Perkins
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Priscilla Presley
Elvis, released in 2005, is a biographical miniseries that chronicles the rise of American music icon Elvis Presley. It traces his journey from his high school years to achieving international superstardom.
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Elvis is a 2005 CBS two-part miniseries that chronicles the incredible climb of Elvis Presley (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), tracking him from his high school years all the way to international stardom. The series goes deep into the darker aspects of Elvis’ rise to fame and examines the dangers he encountered that ended up harming him. One of the most significant was Colonel Tom Parker (Randy Quaid), who was Elvis’ volatile manager.
This version of Parker is very two-dimensional compared to the Hanks’ version from 2022’s Elvis, who hides his nefarious side with a kind of fatherly attitude. Quaid is angry and brash, kicking around Elvis almost like a pet. Quaid won a SAG and was nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his performance. It’s the last significant performance of his career as of 2025.
3
LBJ: The Early Years (1987)
Lyndon Baines Johnson
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LBJ: The Early Years
NR
TV Movie
Drama
Release Date
February 1, 1987
Runtime
155 minutes
Cast
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Patti LuPone
Claudia Alta ‘Lady Bird’ Taylor Johnson
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Randy Quaid
Lyndon Baines Johnson
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Pat Hingle
Sam Rayburn
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Barry Corbin
Judge Alvin J. Wirtz
LBJ: The Early Years is a 1987 television movie aired on NBC, chronicling the life of Lyndon B. Johnson from 1934 to 1973. Randy Quaid stars as Johnson, a role that earned him a Golden Globe award for his portrayal of the former U.S. President.
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LBJ: The Early Years is a made-for-TV movie that, as the title implies, depicts the early years of Lyndon B. Johnson, played by Randy Quaid. It specifically examines the time in his life before he became the 36th president of the United States. The film starts with him as a clerk for a congressman and ends with him taking the oath of office on board Air Force One just after Kennedy (Charles Frank) is assassinated.
There’s a refusal to back down with Johnson that Quaid nails, but underneath the bravado is someone interested in succeeding for likely good reasons
Quaid manages to play all sides of the multi-faceted politician. He’s loud and freewheeling as a young Texan congressman, but he gets more politically astute and clever as he climbs the political ladder. There’s a refusal to back down with Johnson that Quaid nails, but underneath the bravado is someone interested in succeeding for likely good reasons. Quaid was nominated for an Emmy for the role and won the Golden Globe.
2
Independence Day (1996)
Russell Casse
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Independence Day
PG-13
Adventure
Sci-Fi
Action
8/10
9.3/10
Release Date
July 3, 1996
Runtime
145 minutes
Cast
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-
Will Smith
-
Bill Pullman
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For a certain cohort of viewers, Russell Casse is the role they will always associate with Randy Quaid, and for good reason. Russell is a supporting character in the massively popular Independence Day. A former combat pilot, Russell has claimed for a decade that he was abducted by aliens, but is now a lonely alcoholic and single father with a lot of regrets. While the arrival of aliens on Earth is a disaster for most everyone else, Russell is finally vindicated.
He’s a goofy and lovable character, and his tragic backstory and fall into depression is one of the more heartbreaking storylines in the film. Russell earns one of the most heroic deaths in film history towards the end of Independence Day. With the alien ship about to fire, Russell flies his plane right into the main gun, laughing all the way, and ending the invasion for good.
1
The Last Detail (1973)
Meadows
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The Last Detail
R
Drama
Comedy
Release Date
December 11, 1973
Runtime
104 minutes
Cast
See All
-
Jack Nicholson
SM1 Billy ‘Bad Ass’ Buddusky
-
Randy Quaid
GM1 ‘Mule’ Mulhall
-
Randy Quaid
Seaman Larry Meadows
-
Clifton James
M. A. A.
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One of Randy Quaid’s earliest roles was also one of his most celebrated. The Last Detail is a Hal Ashby comedy-drama starring Jack Nicholson as Signalman 1st Class Billy L. “Badass” Buddusky and Otis Young as Gunner’s Mate 1st Class Richard “Mule” Mulhall, two Navy-men assigned to bring an 18-year-old sailor, Seaman Laurence M. “Larry” Meadows (Quaid) to prison after he’s court-martialed. Coming to like the young man, the two older sailors try to make the trip to prison as pleasant as possible.
Quaid is fantastic in the role, and he earned both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. A sweet young man who’s trying to keep his chin up, the way his bravado falters throughout the film is as heartbreaking as it is often funny. It’s a profound film, and Randy Quaid is up to the task as the soul of the film.
Source: https://dinhtienhoang.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment