Dear John Cast: Richard Jenkins as Mr. Tyree

Richard Jenkins (Mr. Tyree) is one of the most in-demand character actors in Hollywood. He has made over fifty feature films, including his recent critically-heralded, Academy Award nominated performance in Tom McCarthy's The Visitor. That film premiered to critical acclaim at the 2007 Toronto Film Festival and the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Prix at the 34th Deauville Festival of American Film.

Richard's performance as Walter Vale, a disillusioned Connecticut economics professor whose life is transformed by a chance encounter in New York City, also earned him the John Garfield Award for Best Actor at the 2008 Method Fest independent film festival, where he was also honored with a career achievement award.

Jenkins other recent film appearances include the Coen Brothers' Burn After Reading, alongside George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, and Frances McDormand. That film marked his third collaboration with the writing / directing duo he also appeared with Billy Bob Thornton, James Gandolfini, and Scarlett Johansson in 2001's The Man Who Wasn't There and opposite George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones in 2003's Intolerable Cruelty.

In July 2008, Jenkins co-starred in Adam McKay's hit comedy Step Brothers alongside Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, and Mary Steenburgen. He received an Independent Spirit Award nomination as Best Supporting Male for his performance in David O. Russell's comedy Flirting with Disaster opposite Ben Stiller, Tea Leoni, Josh Brolin, and Lily Tomlin.

In 1986, Richard had his first starring film role in Oscar-winning writer Horton Foote's On Valentine's Day. Numerous film roles followed, including George Miller's The Witches of Eastwick, opposite Jack Nicholson, Susan Sarandon, Cher and Michelle Pfeiffer; Richard Benjamin's Little Nikita, opposite River Phoenix and Sidney Poitier; Sea of Love with Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin; Mike Nichol's Wolf, appearing again with Jack Nicholson; with Charlize Theron in 2005's North Country; opposite Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni in the Judd Apatow comedy Fun with Dick and Jane; and in Peter Berg's The Kingdom. Over the years, Jenkins has worked with such esteemed filmmakers as Clint Eastwood in Absolute Power; the Farrelly Brothers in There's Something About Mary and Me, Myself & Irene, opposite Jim Carrey; and Sydney Pollack in Random Hearts, opposite Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas.

On television, Jenkins is best remembered as Nathaniel Fisher, the deceased patriarch of the Fisher family on the immensely successful drama Six Feet Under. His occasional appearances at the heart of this often-dysfunctional family help earned the cast a Screen Actors Guild nomination in 2002 for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. He also appeared in numerous made-for-television films, including Sins of the Father and the Emmy-winning And the Band Played On.

In theater, Richard has amassed an impressive list of credits as a company member for 14 years at Rhode Island's Trinity Repertory Company. He served an additional four years as its artistic director.

Other Cast

Channing Tatum Amanda Seyfried Scott Porter Henry Thomas Lasse Hallström