Opinion | Tony Award-winner Brian Dennehy was happiest on the live stage - TheSpec.com

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Most people don’t know that Hollywood tough guy Brian Dennehy was really a closet intellectual.

When I met him I was surprised by his warm and gentle manner.

He may have punched guys senseless on those giant movie screens, but sitting at the bar in the Stratford Festival Theatre he was a big pussy cat.

He was, in fact, the kind of guy you could hang out with, especially if you were in love with the theatre.

Dennehy was in Stratford to take a stab at Shakespeare. And he was, “quite frankly scared to death.”

“I’m dipping my big toe in,” he shrugged. “I mean I was asked to come here in 2008 and do ‘All’s Well That Ends Well.’ What did I know about Shakespeare? Not much. But I took a chance. I had fun. And nobody died. So, here I am again three years later, back for a second try.”

Dennehy could be found most nights after show at the Festival Theatre Bar talking to strangers. And that’s where I found him.

Brian Dennehy and the cast of "Twelfth Night" at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in 2011.Stratford Shakespeare Festival

A broad smile and a welcoming grin were Dennehy imperatives.

“This is the tiara of jewel-like acting,” he told me. “And frankly, I feel I’m way behind everybody else. But you know, I’m going to catch up.”

A staunch celebrant of the great American dramatists, Dennehy had enormous respect for serious plays and serious acting.

“Our classic American writers are Eugene O’Neill, Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller and I love their works. But Shakespeare? Well, he’s a bit alien to us Americans. It’s the language you see,” he said. “We don’t really know how to speak it. But then, when you think about it, it’s really just conversation, isn’t it.”

Dennehy was a star on the big screen and on Broadway. At Stratford, he felt like a newcomer.

“I come from Irish immigrant stock,” he said, nursing his beer. “Shakespeare just doesn’t come to me easily,” he added, fixing me with a Dennehy stare.

Joe Grifasi as the Night Clerk and Brian Dennehy as Erie Smith in "Hughie" at the Stratford Festival in 2008.Stratford Shakespeare Festival

“I was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, but I still have the gift of the blarney. I know people think they know me from the movies I’ve made. Well, half the time I don’t even remember what they were. Hollywood is mostly a load of crap. The movies they make are strictly for kids.”

He lowered his voice and grinned.

“Now, I don’t mind doing crap,” he said. “If I’m asked, I’m there in a shot. But I have no illusions. Hollywood isn’t all that interested in me anymore. I’m too old, I suppose. But I don’t care, because I’ve had a great ride. You know we have this youth thing in America. Movies want you to be 18. Younger even.”

For all that, films were good to Dennehy. He made most of his money in action flicks like “Gladiator” (the 1992 boxing film) “Silverado” and “Assault on Precinct 13.”

“And why not? Those things helped me afford the joy of doing important plays in Chicago and New York. Those films paid the bills.”

The plays Dennehy chose to do on Broadway were often stellar. There were two Tony Awards on his mantle for roles as Willy Loman in “Death of a Salesman” in 1999 and James Tyrone in “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” in 2003.

Brian Dennehy speaks after being named Best Actor in a Play, for his part in "Death of a Salesman" at the Tony Awards on June 6, 1999.The Associated Press file photo

As an actor, Dennehy was fearless. He took on the tough plays of Eugene O’Neill and Samuel Beckett. And when he acted in “Krapp’s Last Tape” and “Hughie” at Stratford, he brought the gold standard of American acting to Canada.

In 2011, Dennehy was back, playing Sir Toby Belch in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” as well as a heavyweight role in Pinter’s “The Homecoming.” Talk about contrasts in performance skills.

“Americans have trouble with Pinter,” he laughed. “They’re essentially upbeat people and at $120 a ticket they want to celebrate that, not deal with despair.”

Was he up for doing any more TV?

“Television, oh please. It’s so moronic. It works to the lowest level of intelligence. My best work was on the stage with Vanessa Redgrave in ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’ as well as 650 performances as Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of a Salesman.’”

He grinned.

“Maybe I’m nuts, but I’m 70 years old. I feel my head very close to the ceiling. I’m aware of mortality. Ten years ago, I thought ‘Oh hell, I’ve got plenty of time.’ Now, it’s another thing. But you know I’ve squeezed it all out. That’s not a sad comment, just an honest thought.”

Brian Dennehy died from heart failure in 2020. He was 81. In spite of his criticism of TV, he was appearing on “The Black List” in the recurring role of Dominic Wilkinson at the time.