Roy Scheider

Known to movie fans the world over as Chief Martin Brody in the blockbuster hit "Jaws" (1975), Roy Scheider was one of the most prolific and respected journeyman actors to emerge from the 1970s auteur movement. Born in 1932 in Orange, New Jersey, Scheider studied acting at Rutgers University and later at Franklin and Marshall College before embarking on a professional career, landing his first screen role on the popular soap opera "The Secret Storm" (CBS, 1954-1974) in 1954.

Though his first film role would be in the obscure horror movie "The Curse of the Living Corpse" (1964), Scheider would eventually begin establishing his reputation as a serious actor with roles in the acclaimed drama "Klute" (1971) and the hugely popular crime drama "The French Connection" (1971). Scheider would make his famous turn in "Jaws" in 1975, and he followed it with appearances in other iconic films of the period like "Marathon Man" (1976) and Bob Fosse's autobiographical musical drama "All That Jazz" (1979), as well as the '80s action thriller template "Blue Thunder" (1983).

He played Dr. Heywood Floyd in the "2001" (1968) sequel "2010: The Year We Made Contact" (1984), and starred alongside Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer in the drama "The Russia House" (1990), before returning to television for a starring role on the iconic science fiction series "SeaQuest 2032" (NBC, 1993-96) in 1993. Scheider remained just as relevant in the 1990s, co-starring in films like "The Myth of Fingerprints" (1997) and "The Rainmaker" (1997).

Scheider would make his final film appearance in the thriller "Iron Cross" (2009) before he passed away in 2008. He was 75 years old.