Saddle up for a trip through entertainment history with a weekly highlight from Santa Clarita’s Walk of Western Stars! This week, actor Bruce Dern.

Bruce Dern was born in Chicago on June 4, 1936, as the son of Jean and John Dern and grew up in Kenilworth, Illinois. 

Dern attended New Trier High School and the University of Pennsylvania and as a lifelong avid runner, was a track star in high school and sought to qualify for the Olympic Trials in 1956. 

Dern was married to his first wife Marie Dawn Pierce from 1957 until 1959 when they divorced, according to officials. 

Dern studied at the Actors Studio, alongside Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg and also starred with Lyle Kessler in the Philadelphia premiere of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” and starred with Paul Newman and Geraldine Page in the original Broadway run of Tennessee Williams “Sweet Bird of Youth.” 

In the 1960s, Dern played the sailor in a few flashbacks in “Marnie” and a murdered lover in “Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte.” 

The actor married Diane Ladd in 1960 and had their first daughter, Diane Elizabeth Dern who was born on November 29, 1960, but died from head injuries after falling into a swimming pool on May 18, 1962. 

Ladd and Dern were married until the two divorced in September of 1969, however, the couple shared one more daughter, actress Laura Dern.  

After his divorce from Ladd, Dern married Andrea Beckett on October 20, 1969, in Carson City, Nevada. 

Dern played a murderous rustler in “Hang ‘Em High,” a gunfighter in “Support Your Local Sheriff!,” and an impoverished farmer in the film adaptation of Horace McCoy’s novel “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” 

Dern had a leading role in the ecological science-fiction film “Silent Running” and co-starred with Jack Nicholson in “The King of Marvin Gardens.” 

Dern played Tom Buchanan in the film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby (1974). 

In Kirk Douglas’ Revisionist Western film Posse, Dern played a train-robber who uses his wiles to turn the tables on his captor, an ambitious, politically minded marshal. 

Dern starred in the beauty pageant satire film “Smile,“ and in Alfred Hitchcock’s final film “Family Plot.” 

The actor played a detective on the trail of a getaway driver (Ryan O’Neal) in the neo-noir film “The Driver.”  

In John Frankenheimer’s thriller film “Black Sunday”, Dern played a vengeful Vietnam War veteran and Goodyear Blimp pilot who launches a massive terrorist attack at the Super Bowl. 

Dern played another Vietnam veteran and the disturbed husband of a perplexed woman (Jane Fonda) in Hal Ashby’s war film “Coming Home,” and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. 

In Bob Brooks’ erotic thriller film “Tattoo,” Dern played an increasingly-deranged tattoo artist who imprisons a fashion model (Maud Adams). 

The film was dogged by controversy throughout its post-production and pre-release phase – the film’s release was delayed by nearly a year – and for his lead performance, Dern was nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor. 

However, the actor bounced back by winning the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 33rd Berlin International Film Festival for his performance in Jason Miller’s That Championship (1982).

Over the next few decades, Dern played a Vietnam veteran and neighborhood survivalist in Joe Dante’s suburban satire “The Burbs,” a local crime boss in Michael Ritchie’s “Diggstown,” a rival of Wild Bill Hickok in Walter’s Hill’s “Wild Bill,” and George Spahn in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” 

Dern’s autobiography, “Things I’ve Said, But Probably Shouldn’t Have: An Unrepentant Memoir,” was published in 2007.

In Alexander Payne’s film “Nebraska,” Dern played a resident believing he has won a million dollars and undertakes a road trip from Billings, Montana to Lincoln, Nebraska to get the prize. 

Dern won the Best Actor Award at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. 

In 2015, Dern re-teamed with his “Django Unchained” director Quentin Tarantino in the ambitious and critically acclaimed “The Hateful Eight.”

In 2017, he appeared with Jane Fonda and Robert Redford in the Netflix film “Our Souls at Night.”

In 2018, he starred in two high-profile independent films – as Joe Kennedy in “Chappaquiddick” and opposite Matthew McConaughey in Sony’s “White Boy Rick.”

On the television side in 2019 Dern memorably guested on Showtime’s comedy “Black Monday” and was seen in the Stephen King series “Mr. Mercedes” for the AT&T AUDIENCE Network.

Dern currently appears opposite Kristen Wiig, Allison Janney and his daughter Laura in Apple+ TV’s acclaimed comedy series Palm Royale. 

The actor also received critical praise for the last season of the Amazon series “Goliath” opposite Oscar winners Billy Bob Thornton and JK Simmons.

Where is Dern’s Plaque on the Walk of Western Stars? 

In 2003, Bruce Dern was honored with a plaque on the Walk of Western Stars. The plaque is on the west side of Main Street in front of Mixed by Design. 

Click here to view last week’s feature. 

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