Roy Scheider was an athletic lead and supporting actor known for his angular face and authoritatively spoken performances. He defied the old actor's axiom about "never appearing with kids or animals" and achieved pop cultural status by starring in the hit film Jaws (1975) alongside a 25-foot-long Great White shark nicknamed "Bruce".
Born in November 1932 in Orange, New Jersey, Scheider was the son of Anna (Crosson) and Roy Bernhard Scheider, a mechanic. He was of German and Irish descent and was a keen sportsman from a young age, competing in baseball and boxing. He studied drama at Rutgers and Franklin and Marshall colleges and later appeared with the New York Shakespeare Festival, winning an "Obie Award" for his performance in the play "Stephen D".
Scheider's film career began with the campy horror film The Curse of the Living Corpse (1964) and continued with appearances in Star! (1968),Paper Lion (1968),Stiletto (1969),and Puzzle of a Downfall Child (1970). He gained widespread recognition for his roles in the Jane Fonda thriller Klute (1971) and the crime drama The French Connection (1971),for which he received his first Oscar nomination.
Scheider's iconic performance as police chief Brody in Jaws (1975) cemented his status as a Hollywood star, and he went on to appear in a range of films, including the thriller Marathon Man (1976),the action film Sorcerer (1977),and the semi-autobiographical drama All That Jazz (1979),for which he received another Oscar nomination.
In the 1980s, Scheider continued to appear in a variety of films, including the action film Blue Thunder (1983),the science fiction film 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984),and the thriller Cohen and Tate (1988). He also starred in the TV series SeaQuest 2032 (1993),playing the captain of a futuristic submarine.
Although Scheider continued to work in film and television throughout his career, his popularity seemed to wane in the latter half of his life. He appeared in a number of B-grade political thrillers, including The Peacekeeper (1997),Executive Target (1997),Chain of Command (2000),and Red Serpent (2003),before his death in 2008.
