Welcome to ODYSSEY ~ KEIR DULLEA ONLINE @keirdullea.org a site dedicated to the career of actor Keir Dullea. Best known for his role as Commander Dave Bowman in Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey. In a career that has spanned five decades, Keir has worked in film and television including Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Castle, Damages, The Hoodlum Priest, Bunny Lake Is Missing, The Fox, Paperback Hero, David & Lisa, Madame X, Isn't It Delicious, and the sequel to 2001, 2010: Odyssey Two. Keir's favourite medium is the stage where he's starred in such projects as the original production of Butterflies Are Free, On Golden Pond, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, P.S. Your Cat Is Dead, Doubles, Dr. Cook's Garden, I Never Sang for My Father, The Shawshank Redemption, Tales from Hollywood, The Cherry Orchard and many other workshop productions.
Upcoming Projects
Film:HBO'S Fahrenheit 451 playing The Historian Status: Post-Production
ODYSSEY ~ KEIR DULLEA ONLINE @ keirdullea.org is a website dedicated to the work of American actor Keir Dullea. I am in no way affiliated with his person, his management, nor his family. All content, except otherwise noted, is copyrighted to their original owners and no infringement is intended and no rights implied. Content contained within are subject to fair use and used here either in whole or in part as a commentary on the work and career of Keir Dullea.
BIRTHPLACE: Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio; United States of America
BIRTH SIGN: Gemini — The Twins
CULTURAL BACKGROUND: Scottish-Irish/American
HEIGHT: 6’1″
HAIR: Sandy Brown, now grey.
EYES: Blue
FATHER: Robert Dullea, bookstore owner (Deceased) — (b.06/16/1901 – d. 08/22/1996) appeared as the aged Marquis De Sade in the final scene of DE SADE (1969). This was an add-on scene to the film, Keir didn’t want to go through the old age makeup, so he suggested they hire his father for the scene. This was done, Robert Dullea went to Germany, did the scene, and according to Keir, enjoyed the whole experience.
MOTHER: Margaret Ruttan (pronounced ‘Rut-tain’), bookstore owner (Deceased) — (b. 09/09/1904 – 08/06/1999) appeared in a non-speaking role in DAVID and LISA (1963). She was going up a flight of stairs in the background of a scene between Keir Dullea and Janet Margolin.
SIBLINGS: Keir is an only child.
SPOUSE(S):
Mia Dillon (1999 – present)
Susie Fuller (1972 – 5 January 1998) (her death)
Susan Schloss Lessans (1969 – 1970) (divorced)
Margot Bennett (1960 – 1968) (divorced)
CHILDREN: Two Step-daughters from his marriage to Susie Fuller; Suki (born: 1984); Sasha (born: 1967).
EDUCATION: George School, Pennsylvannia; Rutgers University, New Jersey; San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre: New York , New York
FORMER JOBS: Carpenter.
Milestones:
1939: Family moved to New York when Dullea was three
Grew up in NYC’s Greenwich Village
Hitchhiked to San Francisco where he worked as a carpenter before enrolling at San Francisco State College
1956: First appearance on New York stage in the revue “Sticks and Stones”
1956: Acted in stock productions at the John Drew Theatre, Totem Pole Playhouse, Hedgerow Theatre and Berkshire Playhouse
1959: Off-Broadway debut in “Season of Choice”
1960: TV debut on special, “Mrs. Miniver”
1961: Made impressive film debut as a confused juvenile delinquent in “The Hoodlum Priest”
1963: Portrayed emotionally disturbed youth in “David and Lisa”
1963: Had a regular role as a university student in the ABC series “Channing”
1967: Broadway debut opposite Burl Ives in Ira Levin’s “Dr Cook’s Garden”
1968: Achieved greatest film succes as astronaut Dave Bowman, the lead in Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”
1969: Created the role of the blind boy in Broadway production of “Butterflies Are Free”
1973: Topped a cast which included Walter Koenig (“Star Trek”) in syndicated sci-fi series “The Starlost”
1974: Played Brick opposite Elizabeth Ashley’s Maggie the Cat in Broadway revival of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”
1978: Portrayed General George Armstrong Custer in NBC movie “The Legend of the Golden Gun”
1980: Appeared as a flamboyant master criminal in CBS movie “The Hostage Tower”
1982: Left Hollywood for good
1982: Head of The Theatre Artists Workshop of Westport, a professional workshop for actors, writers and directors, with director-wife Susan Fuller
1984: Made cameo appearance in the sequel “2010”
1985: Returned to Broadway in “Doubles”
1989: Acted in “Test of Wills” episode of “Murder She Wrote” (CBS)
1992: Starred Off-Broadway in “The Other Side of Paradise”, a one-man show about F Scott Fitzgerald
1992: Last film to date, “Oh, What a Night”
1997: Returned to stage acting, appearing in a production of “Molly Sweeney” at the Playmakers Repertory Company in North Carolina
2000: Appeared opposite Jennifer Love Hewitt in the Fox TV-movie “The Audrey Hepburn Story,” as Hepburn’s father Joseph
2006: Acted in Robert De Niro’s long-anticipated “The Good Shepherd”
Film Roles Keir Didn’t Get
Dear and Glorious Physician — Dullea was tapped to star as St. Luke in a big Paramount project of the mid-Sixties based on Taylor Caldwell’s well-received historical novel. The studio lost faith in the undertaking, fearing that such movies had gone out of style.
The Dunwich Horror — Keir was considered for the part of Wilbur Wateley. The part went to Dean Stockwell.
The Graduate — Keir was offered the part of Benjamin Braddock. The part went to Dustin Hoffman.
