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Top 10 Jeff Bridges

After reprising his classic role in TRON: Legacy and still riding high off the back of Crazy Heart, actor, songwriter and musician Jeff Bridges will release his self-titled album on 5 September. Read our Top 10 list below, which stretches from The Fabulous Baker Boys to The Big Lebowski, and enter our competition for your chance to win a copy of the album…

His Top 10 Films

The Last Picture Show (1971)

As a teenager, Jeff Bridges' acting career started when he appeared alongside his brother Beau in their Dad’s TV series, The Lloyd Bridges Show. His first film role was The Last Picture Show which won him his first of five Oscar nominations; he missed out to his co-star Ben Johnson who took home the Best Supporting Actor gong. Although filmed in 1971 the story is set in 1951, and it was the renowned filmmaker Orson Welles who suggested to director Peter Bogdanovich that the film should be shot in black and white.

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Thunderbolt And Lightfoot (1974)

Bridges’ second Oscar nomination was for his performance opposite Clint Eastwood in the 1974 action adventure Thunderbolt And Lightfoot, about a gang that restages a robbery that previously went wrong. Eastwood had originally planned to direct Thunderbolt and Lightfoot himself, but after reading Michael Cimino’s screenplay decided that he should also taking on directorial duties. This was Cimino’s big break and he went on to direct Starman.

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TRON (1982)

For this character Bridges had to don an all-in-one jumpsuit and apparently he had too much of a bulge in the, ahem, crotch area of his costume, so a belt was added to help conceal it. To help inspire the actors, arcade games were on set for them to play with inbetween takes, but Bridges got a little too involved and had be torn away to shoot his scenes. Twenty-eight years after the original, the forthcoming sequel Tron Legacy, will be released in December. Returning to his original character Kevin Flynn, Bridges joins Michael Sheen and Olivia Wilde in what’s set to be a highlight of 2010.

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Starman (1984)

John Carpenter directed Starman to redeem his credibility after his box office flop The Thing. The lead was originally offered to Kevin Bacon, but when he turned it down Bridges stepped in and earned his third Oscar nomination, this time for Leading Actor. During filming Bridges’ co-star, Karen Allen, suggested he take up photography. He began taking pictures on set and the hobby has stayed with him, culminating in a book Pictures: Photographs by Jeff Bridges, which was published in 2003.

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The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)

Bridges teamed up with real-life brother Beau to play siblings struggling to make a living as jazz pianists in Seattle. The role of Susie Diamond helped boost Michelle Pfeiffer’s career to movie star status. She received a Best Actress Oscar nomination. Pfeiffer and Bridges both proved they could hold a tune by doing the singing themselves, rather than using vocal doubles. Steve Kloves wrote and directed The Fabulous Baker Boys; he’s also responsible for writing all the Harry Potter screenplays.

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The Fisher King (1991)

Robin Williams was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar in this Terry Gilliam film about a radio host (Bridges) who tries to makes amends by helping a homeless man (Williams). Gilliam took on the project because he wanted a break from doing big budget special effect films. Throughout the film, posters can be seen of Gilliam’s previous films: The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen and Brazil.

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The Big Lebowski (1998)

The film that made him The Dude. The Coen brothers wrote the screenplay for The Big Lebowski with Bridges in mind to play The Dude, in a story that involves mistaken identity, kidnapping and ransom. Much of the clothing Bridges wears in the film is actually his own, including the jelly sandals. As his character smoked a lot of weed Bridges would rub his knuckles in his eyes just before a scene to get the ‘stoned’ look.

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The Contender (2000)

With its R rating, and political subject matter, this thriller didn’t appeal to a mass audience. Even so the film received mainly positive reviews and made way over than its modest $9 million budget. Bridges and Joan Allen both got an Oscar nod for their performances as Vice-President and President respectively. This film saw Bridges reunite with his The Big Lebowski co-star Sam Elliot. .

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Iron Man (2008)

Bridges versatility as an actor was highlighted in Iron Man when he signed on to play baddie, Obadiah Stane, Tony Stark’s business partner. To prepare for his role, Bridges read up on the Iron Man comic books, grew a beard and even shaved his head – something he'd always wanted to do. Starring opposite Robert Downey Jr’s confident Stark, Bridges’ understated yet menacing style made for the ultimate baddie.

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Crazy Heart (2010)

It took almost four decades and six nominations before Bridges finally got Oscar glory. The winning role was his portrayal of Bad Blake, a run-down country singer who’s seen too much of life. The character in Thomas Cobb’s original novel was reportedly inspired by musician Hank Thompson, but Bridges modeled his performance on the film’s music producer Stephen Bruton, along with a touch of Kris Kristofferson for good measure. Both Bridges and Colin Farrell did their own singing.

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Tegan Kniveton