Actor. He attended Rutgers University & Franklin and Marshall College, graduating with a degree in history. He received his distinctive broken nose in the New Jersey Diamond Gloves Boxing Competition. After military service, he made his stage debut in 1961 with the New York Shakespeare Festival. He then appeared in a pair of television soap operas before making his film debut in 'Curse of the Living Corpse' (1963). After a handful of minor films in such films as 'Star!' (1968), 'Paper Lion' (1968), and 'Stiletto' (1969), he made his mark in the 1971 thriller 'Klute.' That success led to a role in 'The French Connection' (1971) later that year, which earned him an Academy Award nomination. He also appeared in films such as 'The Seven-Ups' (1973), in the signature role of Chief Brody in 'Jaws' (1975); as well as 'Marathon Man' (1976), 'All That Jazz' (1979), which earned him a second Academy Award nomination, 'Blue Thunder' (1983), and '52 Pickup' (1986). In 1993, he appeared as the lead in the Steven Spielberg television series 'seaQuest DSV' with which he stayed for three seasons. He continued both film and television appearances throughout the 1990s and into the new century, including voice-over work in documentaries such as 'Diamond Hunters' in 2001. He also appeared as a recurring character in the television series 'Third Watch' in 2002 as well as 'The Punisher' in 2004, and the 2006 'Jaws' documentary 'The Shark is Still Working.' A year after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, he underwent a bone marrow transplant in June 2005 to treat the disease but continued to work. In March 2007, he was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the SunDeis Film Festival at Brandeis University. He was receiving treatment for his illness at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences hospital in Little Rock when he passed away at the age of 75. His final two films, 'Dark Honeymoon' and 'Iron Cross' had been completed, and were released posthumously.