Auditioned for the Pasadena Playhouse at age 23

Moved to Phoenix, Arizona when parents separated; took Allen Dutton's photography course at Phoenix College

Joined Actors Inner Circle Theatre in Phoenix

Joined Old Log Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Began modeling for runway and print ads; his face appeared on the Clairol box for several years

Moved to New York City, appeared at Cafe La Mama

Moved to Los Angleles to reprise his Phoenix stage performance in William Inge's "The Last Pad" (Inge commited suicide four days before the play's opening night in LA); his performance won him an agent and some film and TV work

TV debut in "The Framing of Billy the Kid" episode of "Griff" (ABC)

Appeared in TV pilot, "Winter Kill" (ABC)

Feature film debut in "Return to Macon County"

Gained attention for role as black sheep Tom Jordache in TV miniseries, "Rich Man, Poor Man" (ABC); earned Emmy nomination

Played drug-smuggling Vietnam vet in "Who'll Stop the Rain"; film adapted from Robert Stone's novel Dog Soldiers

Delivered a Super Bowl-level performance as disillusioned pro wide receiver in "North Dallas Forty"

Starred opposite Debra Winger in "Cannery Row"

Held his own opposite Eddie Murphy (in his screen debut) in "48 Hours"

Portrayed Russell Price, a 30-year-old photographer covering the Nicaraguan revolution, in "Under Fire"; director Roger Spottiswoode also wrote "48 Hours" screenplay

Gave memorable performance as a bum who wreaks havoc in the home of a rich couple in Paul Mazursky's "Down and Out in Beverly Hills"

Portrayed a New York artist in "Life Lessons" the Martin Scorsese-directed segment of the anthology film "New York Stories"; first screen collaboration Scorsese

Reteamed with Debra Winger for the bomb "Everybody Wins"; Arthur Miller's first screenplay since "The Misfits"

Re-teamed with Murphy to reprise their roles in "Another 48 Hours"

Found himself waist-deep in NYC police department corruption in Sidney Lumet's "Q&A"

Reteamed with Scorsese for the remake of "Cape Fear"; played the role Gregory Peck created in 1962 original

Co-starred with Barbra Streisand (also directed) in "The Prince of Tides"; received Oscar nomination as Best Actor

Formed production company Kingsgate Films

Starred opposite Susan Sarandon in "Lorenzo's Oil"

Cast as hard-driving college basketball coach in "Blue Chips"; scripted by Ron Shelton who also wrote "Under Fire"

Played Thomas Jefferson in the Merchant-Ivory production "Jefferson in Paris"

Starred in "Mother Night" the film adapted from the Kurt Vonnegut novel

Did a sexy, lovable-old-bear turn opposite Julie Christie in Alan Rudolph's "Afterglow"

Won strong notices for his superb performance as a middle-aged, small-town man becoming unhinged in Paul Schrader's "Affliction"; also executive produced; received second Best Actor Oscar nomination

Appeared in star-studded remake of "The Thin Red Line" directed by Terence Malick

Played a cross-dressing car salesman in "Breakfast of Champions" directed by Alan Rudolph

Had featured role as a politician involved in a scandal in "Trixie"; helmed by Rudolph

Cast as an American billionaire in the Merchant-Ivory "The Golden Bowl"; adapted from the Henry James novel

Returned to stage acting opposite Sean Penn in Sam Shepard's play "The Late Henry Moss"

Reteamed with Rudolph for "Investigating Sex"

Starred as a gambler in the comedy "The Good Thief"

Cast as the father of scientist-turned-monster in Ang Lee's adaptation of the comic book "Hulk"

Co-starred with Don Cheadle in Terry George's "Hotel Rwanda"; based on the true-life story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who housed over a thousand Tutsis refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda

Voiced a bear named Vincent in the animated comedy "Over the Hedge" based on the comic strip by Michael Fry and T. Lewis

Cast as a mentor in Victor Salva's "Peaceful Warrior"

Voiced Mulgrath in the fantasy feature "The Spiderwick Chronicles"

Co-starred in the Ben Stiller directed action comedy "Tropic Thunder"