Early life

Jenkins was born and raised in DeKalb, Illinois. His mother, Mary Elizabeth (née Wheeler; 1914-2003), was a housewife, and his father, Dale Stevens Jenkins (1916-1997), was a dentist. He attended DeKalb High School. Before he was an actor, Jenkins drove a linen truck (his boss was actor John C. Reilly's father). Jenkins earned a degree in drama from Illinois Wesleyan University before relocating to Rhode Island.

Career

Theatre

Jenkins worked with the Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island, while breaking into film with a bit part in Feasting with Panthers (1974), a television film about Oscar Wilde. Jenkins was given the option of joining the Screen Actors Guild. Knowing that it was not that easy to join, Jenkins immediately accepted the offer. He continued as a member of Trinity's resident acting company and served as its artistic director from 1990-94.

Film

Since his film debut in the television movie Feasting with Panthers (1974), Jenkins has been working steadily in film. His earlier film credits include Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Sea of Love (1989), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), and Snow Falling On Cedars (1999).

He has worked with the director siblings the Farrelly brothers in There's Something About Mary (1998), Outside Providence (1999), Me, Myself, & Irene (2000), Say It Isn't So (2001), Hall Pass (2011) and the 2012 Three Stooges remake. He has also appeared in three Coen Brothers movies: The Man Who Wasn't There (2001), Intolerable Cruelty (2003), and Burn After Reading (2008). He is in North Country (2005), has three memorable scenes as FBI Director James (Robert) Grace in The Kingdom (2007), and Step Brothers (2008).

Although primarily known for supporting parts, Jenkins had a lead role in The Visitor (2008) for which he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award and an Academy Award for Best Actor. Jenkins won the International Press Academy's Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture.

Jenkins costarred in Dear John, as the father of John Tyree (Channing Tatum), and in Joss Whedon/Drew Goddard's horror film The Cabin in the Woods (2012). Jenkins also co-starred with Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem in Eat, Pray, Love.

Television

Jenkins is perhaps best known for playing Nathaniel Fisher in the HBO drama series Six Feet Under. His character is the deceased patriarch of the Fisher family, and regularly appears to his family as a ghost or in dreams. He played the role for the show's entire run. He and his castmates received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2002. Jenkins portrayed a DEA agent in one episode of Miami Vice and a mob boss in a later episode. In 2015, Jenkins won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his performance as Henry Kitteridge in the HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge.

Personal life

Jenkins and his wife Sharon R. Friedrick were married on August 23, 1969, and have two children: son Andrew Dale and daughter Sarah Pamela.

Awards and honors

In 2014, Jenkins and his wife Sharon received the Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement from Trinity Repertory Company in Providence.

Filmography

Film and television credits

Title	Year	Role	Notes
Silverado	1985	Kelly
Hannah and Her Sisters	1986	Dr. Wilkes
The Manhattan Project	1986	Radiation Controls Officer - Medatomics Lab
The Little Sister	1986	Roger Davis	TV movie
Rachel River	1987	Cordell
The Witches of Eastwick	1987	Clyde Alden
In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders	1988	Detective
Little Nikita	1988	Richard Grant
Stealing Home	1988	Hank Chandler
Sea of Love	1989	Gruber
Blaze	1989	Picayune
How I Got Into College	1989	Bill Browne
When You Remember Me	1990	Vaughan	TV movie
Challenger	1990	Gregory Jarvis	TV movie
Blue Steel	1990	Attorney Mel Dawson
Doublecrossed	1991		TV movie
Undercover Blues	1993	Frank
Alex Haley's Queen	1993	Mr. Benson	Miniseries
And the Band Played On	1993	Dr. Marc Conant	TV movie
It Could Happen to You	1994	C. Vernon Hale
Trapped in Paradise	1994	Agent Shaddus Peyser
Wolf	1994	Detective Bridger
How to Make an American Quilt	1995	Howell Saunders
The Indian in the Cupboard	1995	Victor
Flirting with Disaster	1996	Paul Harmon	Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male
A Couch in New York	1996	Campton
The Boys Next Door	1996	Bob Klemper	TV movie
Eddie	1996	Carl Zimmer
Eye of God	1997	Willard Sprague
Absolute Power	1997	Michael McCarty
There's Something About Mary	1998	Psychiatrist	Uncredited
The Impostors	1998	Johnny Leguard
Random Hearts	1999	Truman Trainor
Snow Falling on Cedars	1999	Sheriff Art Moran
Mod Squad, TheThe Mod Squad	1999	Det. Bob Mothershed
Outside Providence	1999	Barney
Confession, TheThe Confession	1999	Cass O'Donnell
What Planet Are You From?	2000	Don Fisk
Me, Myself & Irene	2000	Agent Boshane
Say It Isn't So	2001	Walter Wingfield
Man Who Wasn't There, TheThe Man Who Wasn't There	2001	Walter Abundas
One Night at McCool's	2001	Father Jimmy
Stealing Harvard	2002	Honorable Emmett Cook
Changing Lanes	2002	Walter Arnell
Sins of the Father	2002	Bobby Frank Cherry	TV movie
Cheaper by the Dozen	2003	Shake
Intolerable Cruelty	2003	Freddy Bender
Core, TheThe Core	2003	Gen. Thomas Purcell
Mudge Boy, TheThe Mudge Boy	2003	Edgar Mudge
Shall We Dance	2004	Devine
I ♥ Huckabees	2004	Mr. Hooten	Uncredited
Fun with Dick and Jane	2005	Frank Bascombe
Rumor Has It…	2005	Earl Huttinger
North Country	2005	Hank Aimes
Kingdom, TheThe Kingdom	2007	Robert Grace
Visitor, TheThe Visitor	2008	Professor Walter Vale	Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cast Method Fest Independent Film Festival for Best Actor Moscow International Film Festival for Best Actor National Board of Review — Spotlight Award San Diego Film Critics Society — Special Award Santa Barbara International Film Festival — Virtuoso Award Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated—Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated—Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Broken, TheThe Broken	2008	John McVey
Step Brothers	2008	Dr. Robert Doback	San Diego Film Critics Society — Special Award
Burn After Reading	2008	Ted Treffon	San Diego Film Critics Society — Special Award
Tale of Despereaux, TheThe Tale of Despereaux	2008	Principal	voice San Diego Film Critics Society — Special Award
Waiting for Forever	2009	Richard Twist
happythankyoumoreplease	2010	Paul Gertmanian
Dear John	2010	Bill Tyree
Eat Pray Love	2010	Richard
Norman	2010	Doug Long	Breckenridge Festival of Film for Best Ensemble Cast
Let Me In	2010	The Father	Fangoria Chainsaw Awards for Best Supporting Actor
Friends with Benefits	2011	Mr. Harper
Rum Diary, TheThe Rum Diary	2011	Edward J. Lotterman
Hall Pass	2011	Coakley
Liberal Arts	2012	Professor Peter Hoberg
Darling Companion	2012	Russell
Cabin in the Woods, TheThe Cabin in the Woods	2012	Gary Sitterson
Killing Them Softly	2012	Driver
Jack Reacher	2012	Alex Rodin
The Company You Keep	2012	Jed Lewis
White House Down	2013	Speaker Eli Raphelson
Turbo	2013	Bobby	Voice
A.C.O.D.	2013	Hugh
God's Pocket	2014	Richard Shelburn
Olive Kitteridge	2014	Henry Kitteridge	TV miniseries Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Nominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
Lullaby	2014	Robert
Bone Tomahawk	2015	Chicory	Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male
Spotlight	2015	Richard Sipe	Voice (uncredited)
The Hollars	2016	Don Hollar	Filming
LBJ	2016	Senator Richard Russell	Filming
Berlin Station	2016	Steven Frost	Filming

Six Feet Under episodes

Appearances in Six Feet Under by release season

Season	Year	Episode titles	Notes
Season 1	2001	"Pilot", "The Will", "The Foot", "The Room", "Life's Too Short", "Knock, Knock"
Season 2	2002	"In the Game", "The Plan", "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year", "Somebody Else's Eyes", "I'll Take You, The Secret"	Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Season 3	2003	"Perfect Circles", "Nobody Sleeps", "I'm Sorry, I'm Lost"
Season 4	2004	"In Case of Rapture", "Grinding the Corn", "Untitled"
Season 5	2005	"Time Flies", "Ecotone", "All Alone", "Everyone's Waiting"

[ Source: Wikipedia ]