photo:
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/arts/photos/2006/03/24/quaid_randy_cp_519640.jpg
Biography
In a career that spans over 30 years, he has appeared in over 90 movies. Peter Bogdanovich discovered him when Quaid was a student at the University of Houston, Texas. He got his first exposure (in more ways than one) in The Last Picture Show, when escorting Jacy Farrow (played by Cybill Shepherd) to late-night indoor skinny dipping at a swimming pool. It was the first of several roles he has had which were directed by Bogdanovich and/or based on the writings of Larry McMurtry.
Quaid appeared in several National Lampoon's Vacation movies where he proved an impressionable scene stealer as the sweet dim bulb relative of Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase). He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in The Last Detail (1973) and won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of President Lyndon Johnson in LBJ: The Early Years (1987) He was featured (with Margaret Colin) in two science fiction movies, the unsuccessful Martians Go Home and very successful Independence Day. Other movies include Kingpin, where he played the lovable Amish bowler Ishmael, alongside Woody Harrelson, a loser father in Not Another Teen Movie and an obnoxious neighbor to Richard Pryor's character in Moving. More recently, he had a supporting role in Brokeback Mountain (2005) in which he played the homophobic man who caught his two employees (played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal) having sex while they were supposed to be herding his sheep. Quaid is often considered to be at his best when portraying either drunks or rednecks.
His television appearances include a season as a Saturday Night Live cast member (1985-1986), the role of real-life gunslinger John Wesley Hardin in the miniseries Streets of Laredo, and a starring role in The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire (2003). He recently featured in the television disaster miniseries Category 6: Day of Destruction and Category 7: The End of the World.
He also provided the voice of an animated Colonel Sanders character in a series of commercials for fried chicken restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Selected Filmography
The Ice Harvest (2005)...Bill Guerrard
Brokeback Mountain (2005)...Joe Aguirre
Not Another Teen Movie (2001)...Mr Briggs
The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000)...FBI Director Cappy von Trapment
Kingpin (1996)...Ishmael Boorg
Independence Day (1996)...Russell Casse
The Paper (1994)...Michael McDougal
Days of Thunder (1990)...Tim Daland
Martians Go Home (1990)...Mark Devereaux
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)...Cousin Eddie
Caddyshack 2 (1988)...Peter Blunt
Moving (1988)...Frank/Cornall Crawford
LBJ: The Early Years (1987)...Lyndon Baines Johnson
The Wraith (1986)...Sheriff Loomis
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)...Cousin Eddie
The Long Riders (1980)...Clell Miller
Foxes (1980)...Jay
Three Warriors (1978)...Quentin Hammond
Breakout (1975)...Hawk Hawkins
The Last Detail (1973)...Larry Meadows
Paper Moon (film) (1973)...Leroy
What's Up, Doc? (1972)...Professor Hosquith
The Last Picture Show (1971)...Lester Marlow
The Quaid Game
Randy Quaid's cult popularity spawned a new, informal but highly competitive game in late 2005, called Quaid. It is thought to originate from somewhere in Central England, most likely the Film department at the University of Warwick.
Rules of Quaid
Ideally a drinking game, Quaid requires at least two players. A film featuring Randy Quaid is screened, whilst all players sit in good view of the screen. The game lasts for the duration of the film, rotating in a clockwise direction as each player takes his or her turn. The foundational premise of the game is that whenever Randy Quaid is depicted in at least a mid-shot with no other human element in frame, the player whose turn it is must say - clearly so to leave no room for ambiguity - Quaid. If a player does not say Quaid when Quaid is valid, then they must drink. Alternatively, if an overexcited player does say Quaid when it is inappropriate to do so (e.g. if the arm of a barman is in shot) then they must also drink. The presence of other human elements needs to be strictly regulated- even a blurred extra in the background invalidates a given recitation of "Quaid."
Additional Rules
Having successfully completed his or her turn by intoning "Quaid", a player can impose additional factors affecting the way in which the following player(s) are expected to perform. There are several add-on rules that govern this. These are not all mandatory, but should be agreed upon by all players before the game starts, depending on the level of Quaid-complexity desired.
Quaid Joker - If a player says "Quaid" followed by "joker", then the next player must use a different surname (of their choice) when it is next appropriate to say "Quaid".
Quaid Accent - If a player says "Quaid" followed by the name of a national/regional dialect, then the next player must take their turn in the outlined accent.
Quaid Surrogate - If a player says "Quaid" followed by "surrogate", then the next character in the film to appear on screen in at least a mid-shot with no other human element in the frame merits a "Quaid". This character replaces Randy Quaid himself for three turns.
Other more complicated rules include the 'Perpetual Music Round', the 'Scotch Pancake Clause' and the always-controversial 'Imitative Boozing Cycle'.
Quaid Recommendations
The first-ever game of Quaid was played using the TV movie Last Rites. This film remains a good choice for basic Quaid Play. The criteria for a good choice of beginner Quaid would be one with a healthy amount of Randy Quaid screen-time, limited stylistic aspirations and a heavy reliance upon dialogue.
For a more complicated Quaid experience, the unrivalled choice remains The Long Riders, as it features both Randy Quaid and his brother Dennis Quaid. For fast-paced Quaid-play, the younger brother can simply be treated as another reason to say "Quaid". Additionally, the film allows a version of the game to be played in even-numbered teams, where half a team is assigned Randy, and the other half Dennis.
