Roy Scheider

Who hasn’t seen the movie Jaws? The movie was made in 1975 and starred Roy Scheider. I remember going to the movie theater with my best friend and my brother. We kept asking my brother what happens next since he had read the book. The worst part was, I grew up in Southern California. No one wanted to swim at the beach that summer!

Roy Scheider starred in the movie and was great in the role. I have seen him in other movies, but he will still be the Jaws man to me!

Roy Scheider was born November 10, 1932 in Orange, New Jersey. He studied drama at Rutgers University and Franklin and Marshall College. He then served three years in the US Air Force. After the Air Force, Scheider appeared in the New York Shakespeare Festival and received and Obie Award.

He starred in his first film in 1963 and then in supporting roles in Klute and The French Connection. His role in The French Connection earned him an Oscar nomination.

In 1975, he starred in the blockbuster movie Jaws. His famous line in the movie (which was ad libbed) - “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” - is number 35 on the American Film Institute’s list of best movie quotes.

Roy Scheider made a number of movies, a list of which can be found here. Although I recognize many of the movies, he will still be most remembered for Jaws.

Scheider was married in 1962 to Cynthia Bebout and they had one daughter. The couple divorced in 1989. Scheider then married Brenda King. They had a son and a daughter.

Scheider was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2004 and received a bone marrow transplant in 2005. The cancer was said to be in partial remission. Scheider died on February 10, 2008 in Little Rock, Arkansas. He had just finished two movies that will be released in the future - Dark Honeymoon and Iron Cross.