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Richard Dreyfuss and Rest of 'Jaws' Cast 45 Years after Premiere of the Iconic Movie

By Joe Akins

May 30, 2020

10:30 P.M.

June 20 will make it exactly 45 years since the iconic movie "Jaws" broke box office records. The stars of the American thriller movie, which was directed by Steven Spielberg, have since moved on to have exciting lives.

"Jaws" is a film about three men's bravery (local sheriff, Martin Brody, a marine biologist, Matt Hooper, and an old veteran, Quint.) The trio was forced to hunt down and capture a killer shark that has been terrorizing the area. After four decades, here are some of the actors and what they are doing now.

STEVEN SPIELBERG

Steven Spielberg was the director of the 1975 movie, and he was only 27 years old when the movie was released.

He is still a movie director, and some of the projects he worked on after "Jaws" include an adaptation of Ernest Cline's "Ready Player One" and a Pentagon Papers movie starring Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep.

RICHARD DREYFUSS

Richard Dreyfuss played the role of Matt Hooper, a marine biologist in the movie "Jaws." The actor's recent works include playing the role of Bernie Madoff in the TV mini-series "Madoff" and Arlen Cox in Fox's "Shots Fired."

Mikaela Spielberg, Steven Spielberg, Drew Barrymore and Destry Allyn Spielberg arrive on the red carpet for the premiere of "Whip It" on September 29, 2009, in Hollywood, California | Source Getty Images

ROY SCHEIDER

Roy Scheider acted as Chief Martin Brody, a local sheriff in the "Jaws" movie. The movie star is dead, he passed away in 2008, at the age of 75. His last appearances on TV were in "Iron Cross," and voicing himself in "Family Guy."

ROBERT SHAW

Robert Shaw is another cast member of the movie "Jaws" who is no longer with us. He played Quint in the film, an old veteran who had a destructive feud with sharks. Shaw died a few years after "Jaws" at the age of 51 after suffering a heart attack.

Roy Scheider poses on Sunset Blvd during a 1987 West Hollywood, California, photo portrait session | Photo: Getty Images

LORRAINE GARY

Lorraine who played Ellen Brody, the sheriff's wife in "Jaws" stopped acting about ten years after she did the movie.

She continued appearing in the "Jaws" franchise, starring in "Jaws 2" and "Jaws: The Revenge", which was her last appearance on the big screen till date.

SUSAN BACKLINIE

Susan Backlinie played Chrissie Watkins, she was the very first victim in "Jaws." She later appeared in a few more notable movies, such as "The Great Muppet Caper" and Spielberg's "1941."

Roy Scheider stars as the police chief of a small resort community who must hunt down and kill a marauding, man-eating Great White Shark in "Jaws," | Photo: Getty Images

MURRAY HAMILTON

Murray Hamilton played the role of Mayor Larry Vaughn. Hamilton continued his role in "Jaws 2," and appeared in some other movies, including "1941," "The Amityville Horror," and "The Last Days of Patton" before he died from lung cancer in 1986, at the age of 63. Shaw married 3 different women between 1952 and 1976, and he left behind 10 children.

American actors Murray Hamilton, Roy Scheider, and Richard Dreyfuss on the set of Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg | Photo: Getty Images

At first, Spielberg was hesitant about directing "Jaws," as he did not want to be tagged as a shark and truck director because his first movie, "Duel," was about a highway motorist that was being troubled by a mysterious tanker truck.

After deciding to take the job, Spielberg removed many plots from Peter Benchley's novel because he thought they were not necessary, and some were too distracting.