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Oscar-winning actorRichard Dreyfusshas experienced a major fall from grace over the past seven years. The once-beloved actor who came to prominence in the 1970s with such classic George Lucas andSteven Spielberg moviesasAmerican Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind,and others has recently made headlines by lashing out and insulting several marginalized groups at a publicJawsretrospective screening in Beverly, Massachusetts. The latest controversy comes seven years after Dreyfuss was accused of sexual harassment by a female TV writer.
This follows years of controversies, from his cocaine-fueled breakdowns in the ’80s to sitting in the same room while his 18-year-old son was molested by Kevin Spacey. In the past year, Dreyfuss has also spoken out against the Academy Awards' new diversity rules that promote inclusion. The once-venerated Hollywood actor has doubled down on his seething outrage, with the latest outburst in Beverly as the latest example of how far Dreyfuss has fallen in the public eye. The sad development bears more scrutiny as fans wonder what happened to Richard Dreyfuss and his recent bizarre behavior.
Who Is Richard Dreyfuss?
Richard Dreyfuss is an American actor who began his career in television in 1964. After briefly appearing in several TV shows, Dreyfuss made uncredited cameos inThe GraduateandValley of the Dollsin 1967 to begin his movie career. In 1973, Dreyfuss starred in George Lucas' ensemble teen coming-of-age movieAmerican Graffiti,launching the most successful decade of Dreyfuss' movie career.
Dreyfuss' popularity skyrocketed after starring in Steven Spielberg’sJaws,the first Hollywood blockbuster on record.Two years later, Dreyfuss and Spielberg reunited for the classic alien invasion movieClose Encounters of the Third Kind. That same year (1977), Dreyfuss won an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance inThe Goodbye Girl. Dreyfuss' only other Oscar nomination came in 1996 following his role inMr. Holland’s Opus.
‘I Became a Lying, Low-Down, Dirty Dog’
Other notable post-‘70smovie credits for DreyfussincludeStand By Me, Stakeout, Another Stakeout, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, What About Bob?, The American President,and more. Unfortunately, the massive success that Dreyfuss experienced in the ’70s quickly affected the actor negatively. AsThe Telegraphwrites:
“With the world at his feet, Dreyfuss enthusiastically plunged headlong into the gutter. As he later said, ‘[I was] more than a bit silly. I became the worst kind of person… I was doing a play in LA and I had a revelation: if I had no secrets, no one could hurt me. I became a lying, low-down, dirty dog.’
“Perhaps inspired by the scene in Close Encounters in which his character Roy Neary makes a tower out of mashed potato, Dreyfuss eschewed the opportunity to take the excellent roles that he could have been offered, and instead coasted by on the kudos that his Oscar had given him for a couple of years, while burying himself in mountains of cocaine.”
Even outside his cocaine days, Dreyfuss famously feuded with several of his collaborators in the past,according to Yahoo!This includes but is not limited to Bill Murray, (What About Bob?), Robert Shaw (Jaws), and director Oliver Stone (W.). The article paints a picture of a prickly, combative personality who often does not work well with others; a description amplified in the past few years.
Struggling to Remember His Lines While His Son Was Allegedly Molested
Dreyfuss’ stage performance at The Old Vic in 2009 provides a possible microcosm of why people dislike Dreyfuss and how his actions may have harmed people. He was leading a play titled, of all things,Complicit. Refusing or unable to learn his lines, Dreyfuss insisted on an earpiece for each night’s performance, through which the lines could simply be read to him each night.
That performance was directed by Kevin Spacey, and led to one of several infamous incidents that would cast a nefarious light upon Spacey.While Dreyfuss and his son Harry were at Spacey’s apartment at the time, Spacey groped and molested the 18-year-old. Harry Dreyfuss would eventually open up about the incident, writing forBuzzfeed:
“It took that long because it just never occurred to me that Kevin would be interested in me in the first place. He was an adult man, a hero of mine, my dad’s boss, none of which were categories on my radar for sexual interactions. Besides,I thought,Surely he can’t be coming on to me like this right in front of my dad. But his hand stayed there.”
“I was unable to process what was happening:My dad and I were pretending to be lovers in a play while Kevin Spacey was trying to seduce meand all the while in real life I was a hapless, straight virgin who just wanted to become a famous actor,” wrote Dreyfuss. “I didn’t think there was anything I could do short of alerting my dad to what was happening. But I didn’t want to start a feud between them. I didn’t want the play to be threatened.”
2017 Sexual Harassment Allegations
The public decline of Dreyfuss can be traced to sexual harassment allegations by a TV writer in 2017. When filming a TV special for ABC in the 1980s, Dreyfuss was accused of sexually harassing writer Jessica Teich. The allegations claimed Dreyfuss used his vast position of power to humiliate and subjugate Teich by inviting her to his trailer and sexually exposing himself to her in private (as reported by Vulture). Although the alleged event occurred in 1984, Dreyfuss' public image took a serious hit when the report was released in 2017 and has only worsened.
Dreyfuss denied Teich’s accusations (though, as he’s previously said, he was so zonked out on drugs during the ’80s that he completely forgot filming certain movies and scenes). Dreyfuss stated that he “values and respects women” and that, despite being openly flirtatious in the past, he is “not an assaulter” (via CBS News). However, his public persona has declined dramatically since the accusations were made public. In the next seven years, Dreyfuss would continue to espouse prejudicial views, railing against diversity and inclusion in Hollywood, insulting women,transgender culture and representation, LGBTQ+ communities, and other marginalized groups advocating for equal rights.
Richard Dreyfuss' Best Performances, Ranked
With over five decades in his acting career, he has starred in a variety of movies and made his way up the ladder of fame.
May 2023 Academy Award Controversy
In April 2023,Dreyfuss appeared on Bill Maher’s Podcast,Club Random. During the interview, viewers ridiculed and expressed concern about Dreyfuss' physical and mental fitness when the actor continuously slid off the reclining chair he was assigned to.Clips of Dreyfuss constantly melting out of the seat went viral, leaving many to wonder about his health.One month later, in May 2023, Dreyfuss made controversial headlines by roundly criticizing the Academy Awards' new diversity inclusion efforts.
The new Academy diversity guidelinesstipulate that at least two of four initiatives must be met for each movie production registered with the MPAA. The initiatives include that the lead performers must come from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups, or that no less than 30% of the cast and crew comprises such groups. Despite the effort to promote representational parity and equal rights for all creative types,Dreyfusstold PBS' Firing Linethat the new rules “Make me vomit.”
Further discussing his problems with the new diversity guidelines, Dreyfuss added:
“[Movies are] an art form … and no one should be telling me as an artist that I have to give into the latest, most current idea of what morality is. And what are we risking? Are we really risking hurting people’s feelings? You can’t legislate that.”
There’s Two Things Jamie Foxx Needs You to Know About Oscars Diversity
The star of the upcoming legal drama [Just Mercy, Jamie Foxx has weighed in on the issue of diversity at the Oscars.
Although Dreyfuss discussed his bipolar disorder with Stephen Fry in 2006, not much can justify his erratic behavior and the archaic views he’s expressed in the past decade or so. In May 2024, Dreyfuss may have hit rock bottom relative to his public downfall. Of course, The First Amendment of the American Constitution grants free speech. Dreyfuss has the right to say what he believes. It’s just that the beliefs he espouses (and the way he spits them) sound hateful and senile.
May 2024 Cabot Theater Controversy
The most recent outburst by Dreyfuss occurred at the Cabot Theater in Beverly, Massachusetts on July 29, 2025. As fans gathered in the Boston suburbs to celebrateAn Evening with Richard Dreyfuss + Jaws, Dreyfuss appeared interested in anything but discussing the classic horror/thriller and his iconic role as oceanographer Matt Hooper. Instead, fans were greeted by the76-year-old Dreyfuss enteringthe Q&A portion of the event in a blue floral dress, trucker hat, walking cane, and medical patches on both hands. Stranger yet, Dreyfuss stumbled onto the stage as Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” played in the background.
Hamming it up to a rabid crowd of fans there to see him and hear about his experience onJaws, Dreyfuss finally stopped his strange dance routine and launched a full-fledged attack on several groups. As two stagehands raced to remove his dress and fit him in a pre-selected white blazer for the event, Dreyfuss used the platform to air several ugly cultural identity grievances.Dreyfuss insulted hisNutsco-star and producer Barbra Streisand, first calling her a “Genius” before stating that “Women are so passive, that’s why the movie sucked” (via an attendee’sX).
Later in the uncouth rant, Dreyfuss allegedly took on the #MeToo Movement before berating the audience, “How you shouldn’t be listening to some 10-year-old who says they want to be a boy instead of a girl” (per theXuser above).The vocal attack on women, LGBTQ+ rights, and the trans community led to the Cabot Theater issuing a public apology, lamenting the lack of oversight in failing to anticipate such a bizarre outburst.
Whileit’s unclear what has caused Dreyfuss' bizarre behavior in recent years(if anything), it will be difficult for the once-venerated actor to rebound from such an unfortunate public downfall. The reality is that the recent Cabot event was not an isolated incident. It’s the latest in a pattern of unhealthy and prejudicial behavior from a once-prominent Hollywood luminary.
