Jeff Bridges, the rascally dude of cult classic “The Big Lebowski” and star of “Crazy Heart,” was awarded the annual Golden Globe for life time achievement on Sunday after a 60-year career on film and television.
Bridges who is 69 years old got his start as a child star appearing alongside his parents Lloyd and Dorothy Bridges and also his older brother Beau in the 1950’s before carving his own path in mostly offbeat roles.
While accepting his award, Bridges thanked his sibling’s and parents, noting that he was wearing his late father’s cufflinks.
Never typecast, Bridges has played a bank robber, a struggling writer, a blank-faced alien, a United States president and a video game programmer in both independent and block buster movies.
However it is his 1988 role as a man mistaken for a millionaire “The Big Lebowski” that has proved most memorable, earning Bridges the enduring nickname “The Dude” after his laid-back stoner character in the crime caper.
“If I’m lucky I’ll be associated with The Dude for the rest of my life. I feel so honoured to be a part of that film,” says Bridges.
Bridges is known for his naturalistic style and for often playing rambling and unpredictable characters.
After multiple nominations for movies including “The Last Picture Show,” “The Contender,” and “True Grit,” Bridges took home both a Golden Globe and an Oscar in 2010 for his performance as a drunken country singer who finds redemption in “Crazy Heart.”
In his acceptance speech, Bridges thanked a long list of people who he has worked with over six decades, including the man who has served as his stand-in for close to 70 films, Loyd Catlett.
“He’s the thread to the whole deal,” says Bridges.
Officially known as the Cecil B. DeMille award, the Golden Globe recognizes lifetime achievement in both show business and humanitarian work.
In 1983, Bridges founded the End Hunger Network, a non-profit organization dedicated to feeding children around the world. He is also a spokesman for the Share Our Strength/No Kid Hungry campaign.
Previous Golden Globe lifetime achievement honourees have included Oprah Winfrey, Meryl Streep, George Clooney, Harrison Ford and Barbra Streisand.
