Beau Bridges gives ensembles a dependable, lived-in presence, especially as an authority figure or a member of the family. We value his steadiness, though a familiar face can become an excuse to leave a part underwritten.
Fi1m perspective
In The Good German (2006), Beau Bridges’s Colonel Muller has a room in which to explain things to George Clooney’s Jake. Bridges is often cast as someone entitled to be listened to, and we value the solidity he brings to supporting parts. Here, though, Paul Attanasio’s screenplay puts him among a procession of men delivering information while the hero waits for something to happen. We were irritated when we stopped caring about those explanations: the succession of briefings had made the film’s 1945 Berlin feel remote. The writing gives a dependable supporting actor little to work with.
The earlier film roles are a useful reminder of what else he can do. Hal Ashby’s The Landlord (1970) gave him his adult breakthrough as Elgar, and Norma Rae (1979) cast him as Sonny alongside Sally Field. Wider notice came with Frank Baker in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), opposite Jeff Bridges. His effectiveness in that film’s brotherly dynamic matters to our view of him: familiar, long-established relationships suit his lived-in approach.
Alexander Payne’s The Descendants (2011) makes better use of that supporting presence, with Bridges as Cousin Hugh. It is a film we recommend for its patient attention to family and its willingness to be funny. George Clooney and Shailene Woodley do the most persuasive work; Bridges’s contribution is smaller, and we would not pretend otherwise. His grounded presence fits this company, even when the voice-over explains too much and the second half loses some sharpness. Payne gives us people worth spending an evening with, which makes the smaller parts worth attending to.
The recurring television work includes Hank Landry in Stargate SG-1 from 2005 to 2007, part of a career frequently spent in ensembles. Those parts need an actor who can establish himself without much space, and Bridges’s steadiness has a clear use there. We would still like scripts to ask more of him than another authoritative explanation. For the brotherly pairing, try The Fabulous Baker Boys.
Biography
Beau Bridges is an American actor. Born Lloyd Vernet Bridges III on 9 December 1941 in Los Angeles, California, he is the son of actor Lloyd Bridges and the elder brother of actor Jeff Bridges.
He began acting as a child, with early uncredited roles in the late 1940s. Bridges has appeared in films including The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) and The Good German (2006), in which he played Colonel Muller. His television work includes recurring roles in Stargate SG-1 (as Hank Landry) and Desperate Housewives (as Eli Scruggs).
Bridges has received three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a Grammy Award. He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003 for his contributions to television.
