For Jeff Bridges, acting is the family business; his mother, father, and older brother Beau have all had Hollywood careers. Born December 4, 1949, Jeff Bridges was just four months old when he made his film debut alongside his mother in The Company She Keeps. As a young adult, Bridges served in the Coast Guard reserves before studying acting at the Herbert Berghof Studio in New York. He has been called the "most underappreciated great actor of his generation" and is often hailed for his relaxed performance style. Over the course of a career that has spanned more than three decades, Bridges has built a career out of playing a wide assortment of characters (from a high school football hero to a struggling boxer).