Richard Stephen Dreyfuss (/ˈdraɪfəs/; né Dreyfus; born October 29, 1947) is an American actor best known for starring in popular films between the 1970s and 1990s, including American Graffiti, Jaws, Stand by Me, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, The Goodbye Girl, Tin Men, Stakeout, Always, What About Bob? and Mr. Holland's Opus.