American actor and noted family, the son of Lloyd Bridges and the younger brother of Beau Bridges. As part of an acting family, he made his screen debut at four months. Jeff served a stint in the coast guard Reserves and did not decide on an acting career until after he had made six films.
He built over 20 films credits by 1990 and worked his way up to top starring roles. Bridges was praised for stories portraying troubled youths and was nominated for an Oscar for “The Last Picture Show,” 1984. Other films include his debut film, “Halls of Anger,” 1970, “King King,” 1976 and “Tucker, The Man and His Dream,” 1988.
With quarterback good looks, he has played an amazing variety of roles, from a high school hero to an extraterrestrial to a homicidal psychopath to a cynical jazz pianist. He has earned three Oscar nominations while working with much of Hollywood’s top talent. He sees acting as a profession, from the viewpoint of a second generation actor who has grown up in Hollywood. Never star-struck or ambitious for the bigger-and-better role, he spends weeks at a time at his ranch in Montana, letting his hair and beard grow and holed up with his books, music and painting. He enjoys his hiatus-time with his family. While in Hollywood, he is part of a tightly-knit clan with his brother and sister, wives and kids and over ten grandkids for the patriarch, Lloyd and his wife Dorothy. The family is tightly bonded with love and respect for each other and steadily supportive.
When Jeff was born, his dad was a struggling actor, a former chairman of the UCLA drama department. He was their third son, born two years after a prior child had died of S.I.D.S. Beau, eight years older, became Jeff’s champion and mentor. Though both boys played parts on their dad’s TV series “Sea Hunt,” as kids Beau wanted to go into sports and Jeff into music. As Beau became more committed to acting, it was he who encouraged Jeff to follow in the family footsteps. It was not until after Jeff made “The Last Picture Show,” for which he received an Oscar nomination, that he decided that he was in the right field.
Jeff met his wife, Susan Geston, when he was making “Rancho Deluxe” in Montana in 1974. It was love at first sight, but commitment did not come easily. They lived together for a long time, but did not wed until 1977. At the turn of the century, he and Susan celebrated 23 years together. Isabelle was born in 1982, Jessica in 1983 and Haley in 1986. In an interview, Bridges said, “My family is pretty damn remarkable. We’re all on the same team, rooting for one another. I’m a pretty lucky guy. And having that kind of love and support has given me a real responsibility as far as my own children are concerned. It’s the responsibility of being blessed and not squandering it.”
His performance in “Crazy Heart” won him an Oscar for Best Leading Actor on March 7, 2010.
Link to Wikipedia biography