Appeared in both Cold Feet (1989) and Bright Angel (1990) during the time he was teaching at Montana State University in Bozeman. "Bright Angel" is one of the few films in which he played a bad guy. "Cold Feet" was shot in Livingston, MT, only 30 miles or so from Bozeman, and "Bright Angel" was shot entirely in and around Billings, MT.
Attended the State University of New York at Oneonta in the mid-'70s, but did not graduate. However, he was guest speaker for the Oneonta graduating class of 1992.
Brother teaches English at Ithaca High School in Ithaca, NY
Children: Maesa (b. 1988), Jack (b. 1989), Lewis (b. 1993)
Considers Liebestraum to be one of his best films.
Currently co-owns a ranch in Montana with his brother.
His dad was a doctor and city coroner.
Is the sixth of seven children. His father was a doctor and his mother a nurse.
Lost his sense of smell after a head injury and two-day coma.
Received an honorary doctorate of fine arts on 24 May 2008 from The University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
When promoting Independence Day (1996) in South America, some people actually thought he was the President of the United States,
While teaching at Montana State University one of his students was director John Dahl. Later Dahl gave him a role in his film The Last Seduction (1994).