Personal life

Dullea was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Margaret (née Ruttan) and Robert Dullea. Dullea was raised in the Greenwich Village section of New York City where his parents ran a bookstore. He graduated from George School in Pennsylvania. After graduating from high school he attended both Rutgers University in New Jersey and San Francisco State University in San Francisco, California, before he decided to pursue acting.

Dullea has been married four times. His first marriage was to stage and film actress Margot Bennett from 1960 until their divorce in 1968. He was married from 1969 to 1970 to Susan Lessons. In 1972, Dullea married a third time to Susie Fuller, who had two daughters from a previous relationship. The couple had met during the London run of Butterflies Are Free. After their wedding, Dullea, Fuller and her children lived in London for several years. She died in 1998 after 26 years of marriage. In 1999, Dullea married actress Mia Dillon. They divide their time between an apartment in Manhattan and a house in Connecticut.

Career

Early career

Dullea made his film debut in 1961's Hoodlum Priest, in which he played a juvenile delinquent, though he had had an earlier role as the German pilot in a 1960 television adaptation of Mrs. Miniver starring Maureen O'Hara. In 1962, he starred with Janet Margolin in David and Lisa, a film based on the book by Theodore Isaac Rubin, M.D., a psychiatrist who treated the two mentally ill adolescents portrayed in the film. He played a number of emotionally disturbed youths in films such as the first screen adaptation of James Jones' The Thin Red Line (1964), and Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965), which co-starred Dullea with Laurence Olivier, Carol Lynley, and Noël Coward. Although they shared no scenes together in the film, when Coward initially met Dullea on the set, he uttered the often quoted line, 'Keir Dullea, gone tomorrow.'

Dullea also appeared on television in shows such as Naked City, a police drama about New York City, The Eleventh Hour, a medical drama about psychiatry, and Channing, a drama about life on a college campus starring Jason Evers and Henry Jones. In 1965, he guest-starred as Lieutenant Kurt Muller in episode 20, "To Heinie, With Love", of 12 O-Clock High (TV series). He appeared with John Huston in the movie De Sade (1969), playing the title role (the Marquis de Sade). He also appeared with Anne Heywood and Sandy Dennis in the 1967 film The Fox.

In 1968 he appeared as astronaut David Bowman in Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey, which became a box-office success and was eventually recognized by critics, filmmakers, and audiences as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. His line, "Open the pod bay doors please, HAL," is #78 on the American Film Institute's list of 100 movie quotes.

Later career

Since the great success of 2001, Dullea has had difficulty reproducing a similar success on film, although he was a regular vocal performer on CBS Radio Mystery Theater, which ran from 1974 to 1982. Dullea's other notable roles include Devon in the short-lived 1973 science fiction series The Starlost, Clayton Anderson Jr. in Madame X, Paul Renfield in The Fox, and Thomas Grambell in Brave New World (1981).

He had a major role in the Canadian production, 1974 cult classic Black Christmas. He also appeared as a regular cast member in the Canadian adult soap opera Loving Friends and Perfect Couples, which ran in 1983.

In 1984, he reprised his role as David Bowman in 2010: The Year We Make Contact, Peter Hyams' sequel to 2001. 2010 was nominated for five Academy Awards.

In 2000, he appeared in The Audrey Hepburn Story as Hepburn's father Joseph.

In 2006, he had a role as a US Senator and a "major influence and mentor" to Matt Damon's character, in Robert De Niro's film The Good Shepherd.

Stage

Dullea has also had a long and successful career on stage in New York City and in regional theaters; he has stated that despite being more recognized for his film work, he prefers the stage. His first Broadway appearance was in 1967 in Ira Levin's Dr. Cook's Garden with Burl Ives. Two years later he starred in the 1969 hit Broadway comedy, Butterflies Are Free alongside Eileen Heckart and Blythe Danner. The play detailed a blind youth's desire to break free from his overprotective mother and pursue love with a free spirited girl. In the play, he introduced the title song written by Stephen Schwartz (later recording the tune on an album for Platypus Records). In 1974, he played Brick in the Tennessee Williams classic Cat on a Hot Tin Roof opposite Elizabeth Ashley. The production featured the now definitive rewrite of the play. He also starred in the 1975 Broadway play, P. S. Your Cat Is Dead!. In 1982, Dullea starred in an Off-Broadway production of AE Hotchner's Sweet Prince, under the direction of his wife, Susie Fuller. The following year, the couple co-founded the Theater Artists Workshop of Westport.

In July 1984, Dullea was guest artist aboard the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2. On July 11, he performed Anton Chekov's one-act play "The Harmfulness of Tobacco" in the QE2 Theatre.

In December 2004, for their annual birthday celebration to "The Master", The Noel Coward Society invited Dullea as the guest celebrity to lay flowers in front of Coward's statue at New York's Gershwin Theatre, thereby commemorating the 105th birthday of Sir Noel. Around the same time, Sony Home Video released Bunny Lake Is Missing for the first time on DVD.

In April 2010, Dullea performed the role of Tom Garrison in the off-Broadway production of the Robert Anderson play, I Never Sang For My Father co-starring Oscar-nominated actress Marsha Mason (as Margaret Garrison) and film and stage actor Matt Servitto (as Gene Garrison).

In October 2012, Dullea performed the role of Heinrich Mann in the Guthrie Theater production of "Tales from Hollywood" by Christopher Hampton.

During August and September 2013, Keir Dullea, starred as Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," playing opposite wife Mia Dillon in a joint production for Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater and Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival.

Filmography

Film

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1961	Hoodlum Priest	Billy Lee Jackson
1962	David and Lisa	David Clemens
1964	The Naked Hours	Aldo
	Mail Order Bride	Lee Carey
	The Thin Red Line	Pvt. Doll
1965	Bunny Lake Is Missing	Stephen Lake
1966	Madame X	Clayton Anderson Jr.
1967	The Fox	Paul Grenfel
1968	2001: A Space Odyssey	Dr. David Bowman
1969	De Sade	Louis Alphonse Donatien, Marquis de Sade
1972	Devil in the Brain	Oscar Minno
	Pope Joan	Dr. Stevens	Uncredited Role
1973	Paperback Hero	Rick Dylan
1974	Paul and Michelle	Garry
	Black Christmas	Peter Smythe
1977	Three Dangerous Ladies	David	Segment: The Mannikin
	Welcome to Blood City	Lewis
	Full Circle	Magnus Lofting
1978	Leopard in the Snow	Dominic Lyall
1983	Brainwaves (it)	Julian Bedford
1984	Blind Date	Dr. Steiger
	The Next One	Glenn/The Next One
	2010	Dr. David Bowman
1992	Oh, What a Night	Thorvald	Released Direct-to-Video
2000	The Audrey Hepburn Story	Joseph Hepburn-Ruston	TV film
	The Divine Inspiration		Short film
2003	Three Days of Rain
	Alien Hunter	Secretary Bayer
2006	The Day My Towers Fell	Harry Gold	Short film
	A Lonely Sky	Older Man	Short film
	The Good Shepherd	Senator John Russell, Sr.
2008	The Accidental Husband	Karl Bollenbecker
2009	Fortune	Jonah Pryce
	All Me, All the Time	Jake
2012	HENRi	Henri (voice)	Short film
2013	Isn't It Delicious	Bill Weldon
2014	Infinitely Polar Bear	Murray Stuart
	Space Station 76	Mr. Marlowe

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1960	Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse	Tim Dryden	Episode: Cry Ruin
	Mrs. Miniver	German Pilot	CBS TV-Movie
1961	Route 66	Paul	Episode: Black November
	Hallmark Hall of Fame	Elisha	Episode: Give Us Barabbas!
	Play of the Week		Episode: All Summer Long
	The New Breed	Frank	Episode: Prime Target
1961, 1962, 1963	The United States Steel Hour	Donald 'Don' McCabe	Episode: The Big Splash Episode: The Golden Thirty Episode: Far from the Shade Tree Episode: The Young Avengers
	Alcoa Premiere	Maples Linc Ketterman Tommy Miller Eric Green	Episode: People Need People Episode: The Tiger Episode:Ordeal in Darkness Episode: The Broken Year
1961, 1963	Naked City	Joey Ross Les Gerard	Episode: Murder Is a Face I Know Episode: The Apple Falls Not Far from the Tree
1962	Checkmate	Eddie Phillips	Episode: A Very Rough Sketch
	Cain's Hundred	Alec Benden	Episode: A Creature Lurks in Ambush
	Kraft Mystery Theater		Episode: Cry Ruin
	The DuPont Show of the Week	Lieutenant	Episode: The Outpost
	The Eleventh Hour	Jerry Bullock	Episode: Cry a Little for Mary Too
1963	Empire	Skip Wade	Episode: Stopover on the Way to the Moon
	Bonanza	Bob Jolley	Episode: Elegy for a Hangman
	Going My Way	Dennis Brady	Episode: One Small Unhappy Family
1964	Channing		Episode: The Trouble with Girls
	The Wednesday Play		Episode: Pale Horse, Pale Rider
1965	Twelve O'Clock High	Lt. Muller	Episode: To Heine - With Love
1970	Black Water Gold	Christofer Perdeger	ABC TV-Movie
1971	Montserrat	Montserrat	PBS TV-Movie
1972	McMillan & Wife	Buzz Simms	Episode: Blues for Sally M
1973-1974	The Starlost	Devon
1975	Switch	Anthony Kirk	Episode: The James Caan Con
1976	Law and Order	Johnny Morrison	NBC TV-Movie
1978	Because He's My Friend	Eric	ABC TV-Movie
1979	The Legend of the Golden Gun	General Custer	NBC TV-Movie
1980	Brave New World	Thomas Grambell	NBC TV-Movie
	The Hostage Tower	Mr. Smith	CBS TV-Movie
1981	No Place to Hide	Cliff Letterman	CBS TV-Movie
1983	Loving Friends and Perfect Couples
1986	Guiding Light	Dr. Mark Jarrett
1989	Murder, She Wrote	Jason Reynard	Episode: Test of Wills
2000	The Audrey Hepburn Story	Joseph Hepburn	ABC TV-Movie
	Songs in Ordinary Time	Sam Fermoyle	CBS TV-Movie
2001	Witchblade	Dr. Immo	Episode: Convergence
2001, 2006	Law & Order	Paul Lyman Andrew Keener	Episode: Hubris Episode: Cost of Capital
2002	Ed	Robert Stanley	Episode: Nice Guys Finish Last
	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Judge Walt Thornburg	Episode: Justice
2009	Castle	Jonathan Tisdale	Episode: Flowers for Your Grave
2011	Damages	Julius	Episode: I'm Worried About My Dog

Awards and nominations

BAFTA Awards

• 1964: Nominated, "Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles" - David and Lisa

Golden Globe Awards

• 1964: Won, "Most Promising Male Newcomer"

Laurel Awards

• 1963: Nominated, "Top New Male Personality"

San Francisco International Film Festival

• 1962: Won, "Best Actor" - David and Lisa

[ Source: Wikipedia ]