Thirty years of stealing scenes finally forced Hollywood to hand him the whole movie.
At a glance
- Known for
- Two-time Oscar nominee for *The Visitor* and *The Shape of Water*, Emmy winner for *Olive Kitteridge*
- Before fame
- Drove a linen truck in Chicago, where his boss was John C. Reilly's father
- Off-screen
- Still lives in Rhode Island with his wife of 57 years, co-directing plays at Trinity Rep
Rise to Fame
A linen truck driver from DeKalb, Illinois doesn't have the origin story Hollywood likes to tell. Richard Jenkins spent 14 seasons at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, grinding through regional theater while his film career amounted to bits in Silverado and Hannah and Her Sisters.
The late '90s changed things, but slowly. Five Farrelly brothers comedies and a dead patriarch on Six Feet Under (he dies in the pilot, then haunts his family as a ghost for five seasons) made him a face people recognized without being able to name. It took until 2007, after 30 years of supporting work, for someone to hand him a lead. The Visitor earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination at 61. Most actors would call that a career capstone. For him, it was the industry finally catching up.
In the Spotlight
Two Oscar nominations, an Emmy, and he still doesn't carry himself like a star. The Emmy came for Olive Kitteridge in 2015, opposite Frances McDormand, who'd pulled him in because of their chemistry in Burn After Reading. The second Oscar nod followed for The Shape of Water, a role he got after Ian McKellen passed and del Toro sent him a personal email.
At 78, he isn't slowing down. He played Jeffrey Dahmer's father in Dahmer in 2022, earning another Emmy nomination. HBO's DTF St. Louis premiered in 2026. Directors who work with him once tend to come back: the Coens cast him three times, del Toro twice, the Farrellys five times. He doesn't chase franchises or build brands. He just keeps showing up in good rooms.
Side Notes
Before acting, his boss at Union Linen in Chicago was the father of a four-year-old named John C. Reilly. Decades later, Jenkins played Reilly's father in Step Brothers, which is the kind of coincidence that only happens in a career this long.
He married Sharon Friedrick in 1969 and they still live in Cumberland, Rhode Island, where he has directed 17 productions at Trinity Rep over 40 years, including two co-directed with Sharon. He served as the company's artistic director from 1990 to 1994. Most actors leave regional theater the moment Hollywood calls. He never left. He just added a second job.