Jeff Bridges was born into a family of actors. He joined his father Lloyd Bridges onscreen as an infant in the 1951 movie “The Company She Keeps” and again as a young child in his action series “Sea Hunt.” A young Bridges continued acting into his young adulthood, snagging small roles in series like “Lassie” and renowned films like Peter Bogdanovich’s “The Last Picture Show.” Bridges’ supporting role in the Bogdanovich film earned him his first Academy Award nomination in 1972. The actor soon earned another nomination in the same category for his work in “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.” It’s safe to say his star was already on the rise when he landed the lead role in the 1982 sci-fi “Tron.”
After “Tron,” Bridges went on to star in acclaimed movies like the Coen Brothers’ “The Big Lebowski” and “True Grit.” The actor even won an Oscar in 2010 for his lead role in “Crazy Heart.” The same year, he reprised his role as Kevin Flynn in “Tron: Legacy,” although he was hesitant to revisit the franchise at first.
“I have hesitation making any kind of decision, really in my life,” he told CinemaBlend in 2010. “I’m really slow at it. […] I have difficulty making a decision. But I really resisted. With this one, I said, ‘Oh God, are we going to pull it off?’ I could see all the technology and everything, but are they going to be able to pull it off right? And Disney did a beautiful job of that.”
“Tron: Legacy” wasn’t exactly well-received, but the reboot’s mixed reception hasn’t stopped Bridges from booking more impressive roles. Most recently, he starred in the Emmy-nominated action series “The Old Man,” which premiered in 2022. The actor is getting to be a bit of an old man himself these days at 74 years old but remains active.