The Early Show

Dennis Quaid: A Busy Man

December 23, 2004 / 1:15 PM EST / CBS

2004 has been a very hectic year for Dennis Quaid.

It began with a portrayal of Sam Houston in "The Alamo."

On July 4, he married Texas real estate agent Kimberly Buffington. Also over the summer, he starred in one of the highest-grossing films of the year, the big-budget disaster movie, "The Day After Tomorrow." It's taken in over a $500 million worldwide.

Now, Quaid wraps up the year with two more films: "Flight Of The Phoenix" and "In Good Company," in which he plays a middle-aged ad executive coping with a corporate takeover and a new boss nearly half his age, who also happens to be sleeping with his daughter.

Quaid managed to talk about it all with co-anchor Rene Syler on The Early Show.

According to the film's production notes, Quaid was drawn to "In Good Company" by the chance to work with director Paul Weitz "and his smartly written, relatable, multi-dimensional script."

Quaid is quoted as saying, "Paul is one of the most talented directors out there. …Not too many people can do comedy like this. …It's very human and intimate."

Weitz returns the compliments: "I think it's really cool that Dennis, who's still doing action movies and very much a leading man, was willing to take on the role. …Some actors would think it would make them less viable. But what I think really works is that here is a character who is in danger of being sidelined, who is still relatively young and incredibly vital. It's more interesting to see that kind of man being pushed aside.

"Flight of the Phoenix" is the story of a group of survivors of a plane crash, stranded in the Gobi desert with no chance of rescue. Facing a brutal environment, dwindling resources, and an attack by desert smugglers, they realize their only hope is doing the "impossible": building a new plane from the wreckage to escape the desert.

The film's cast is headed by Quaid, who plays a down-and-out pilot who's been reduced to shutting down oil fields in the most remote areas of the world.

"Towns is cynical and jaded," says Quaid in the production notes. "Somewhere along the line, he's lost the joy of life. His journey in this film, like the other characters' journey, is to get 'stripped down.' The story explores what happens to these people when they are stripped of everything they know."

The cast members had strong reactions to the Namibian desert locations, the notes say. "Walking in the sand all day, and having it blow in your face when winds picked up to over 50 miles per hour, was a very different experience for me as an actor," Quaid said.

Some Facts About Dennis Quaid

Dennis William Quaid was born in Houston, Texas, on April 9, 1954.

Dennis Quaid's brother is actor/director Randy Quaid.

Quaid attended University of Houston in Texas, but he dropped out to pursue acting.

Quaid's former wife is actress Meg Ryan.

In 1977, Quaid performed in his first feature role as one of a group of friends helping Richard Thomas cope with the death of his idol James Dean in "9/30/55."

In 1979, Quaid gained Hollywood's attention for his role in "Breaking Away."

In 1980, Dennis Quaid teamed with his brother Randy to play the outlaw Miller brothers in Walter Hill's Western "The Long Riders."

In 1983, Quaid played astronaut Gordon Cooper in "The Right Stuff."

In 1987, the actor played a Louisiana detective in "The Big Easy"; he also starred in the sci-fi comedy "Innerspace."

In 1989, Quaid played singer Jerry Lee Lewis in the biopic "Great Balls of Fire."

In 1993, Quaid had many roles in features such as "Wilder Napalm," "Thin Man," "Undercover Blues," "Flesh and Bone." and "Wyatt Earp."

In 1995, Quaid co-starred with Julia Roberts in "Something to Talk About."

In 1996, the actor played a medieval knight in "Dragonheart."

In 1998, Quaid co-starring with Natasha Richardson in the remake of Disney's "The Parent Trap."

In 1999, he played an aging quarterback in the Oliver Stone-directed "Any Given Sunday."

In 2000, Quaid played a firefighter who is able to communicate across time with his grown son (James Caviezel) in the fantasy "Frequency"; also, in the same year, the actor was cast as a slippery lawyer advising the wife of a drug lord in "Traffic."

In 2002, Quaid starred in the surprise hit film "The Rookie," which was based on a true story of a middle-aged high school baseball coach who tries out for the Major Leagues and becomes the league's oldest rookie; he next appeared in the intense drama "Far From Heaven" -- he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a SAG nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role.

In 2003, Quaid was teamed with Sharon Stone in Mike Figgis' sly but commercially lackluster take on the haunted house thriller in "Cold Creek Manor."

In 2004, Quaid married Texas real estate agent Kimberly Buffington. He also played Sam Houston in "The Alamo," and starred in "The Day After Tomorrow," Flight of the Phoenix" and "In Good Company."

Brian Dakss

Brian Dakss is a longtime New York-based editor and writer for CBS News, at the Radio network and with CBSNews.com. He has written and edited for NBC News, Dow Jones and numerous radio stations and been a radio anchor and reporter.

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