Actor Roy Scheider Dead at 75

Written by: Tony Lazlo, CC2K Staff Writer

Source: CNN, AP

Roy Scheider, star of Jaws and Marathon Man, died yesterday.

We've all seen Scheider in a lot of movies, but naturally he'll remain best known for his role as the chief of Police in Amity Island, the resort town terrorized by a killer shark in Jaws.

I actually didn't see Jaws until I was in college. I've seen it many times since then, of course, and it's lost none of its impact – mostly thanks to Scheider, who out-acts Richard Dreyfuss' hammy undersea scientist and simply has more screen time than Robert Shaw's modern-day Ahab.

As for kudos, Scheider received two Oscar nominations: One best supporting actor nod for The French Connection and one best actor nomination for All That Jazz.