Biography

Richard Dreyfuss has been acting in American theater and films for forty-five years and is one of America’s most versatile and individualistic actors. Early in his career, he appeared in television and in many notable films including American Graffiti, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Jaws, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Mr. Dreyfuss won an Academy Award for his performance in The Goodbye Girl and he was nominated for his performance in Mr. Holland’s Opus. He makes his debut under San Francisco Symphony auspices at this performance.

As a community leader, Mr. Dreyfuss’s current focus and passion is to encourage, revive, elevate, and enhance the teaching of civics in American schools, in addition to his work as founder of the nonprofit organization, TheDreyfussInitiative.org. He is a spokesperson on the issue of media-informing policy, legislation, and public opinion, both speaking and writing as an advocate of privacy, freedom of speech, democracy, and individual accountability. 

Mr. Dreyfuss serves on the Committee for Education with the American Bar Association, has served twelve years on the Board of the National Constitution Center, is a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and served as Senior Research Advisory Member of Saint Antony's College, Oxford University.  

In 2016, Mr. Dreyfuss portrayed Bernie Madoff in the acclaimed ABC miniseries, Madoff. Recent and upcoming projects include Bayou Caviar opposite Cuba Gooding Jr., and The Last Laugh with Chevy Chase.