Jaws Star Richard Dreyfuss Diagnosed With Viral Bronchitis

Richard Dreyfuss is sharing an unfortunate health update.  

A few days prior to his scheduled appearance at SharkCon in Tampa, Florida, the former star from “Jaws” unexpectedly canceled due to a sudden illness.

Greetings to all SharkCon fans, this is Richard speaking from a hospital bed. Unfortunately, I must share some news that isn’t good – I’ve been diagnosed with viral bronchitis. My doctors have advised me that I can’t fly due to my condition, and as you might imagine, it takes five hours for me to reach the venue.

I regret to inform you that I won’t be able to attend the shark-themed fan convention as planned, as I’m currently unable to go. I value the health and safety of everyone involved, including myself, so I don’t want to risk spreading illness.

As a 77-year-old man focuses on recuperating from bronchitis, an illness characterized by inflammation of the airways’ lining (as defined by Mayo Clinic, causing symptoms such as coughing and chest pain), he assures everyone that he will return to good health as soon as possible.

“There will be other times,” Richard promised, “and I will make it my business to show up.”

As a devoted admirer, let me extend my heartfelt wishes for luck and joy to each one of you. I can’t help but express a shared sense of sorrow in this moment, given the challenges I’m facing. My priority right now is my wellbeing, as I grapple with pain that demands immediate attention. However, I’m incredibly optimistic about having the time, regaining my health, and being surrounded by such incredible supporters.

Svetlana Erokhin, who got married to the star from ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ in 2006, later shared similar views through her role as a director.

“We love you,” she told his fans. “We miss you and we will see you soon.”

In response, a mix of both fans and celebrities – such as Sharon Stone and Rosie O’Donnell – took to commenting with messages of goodwill.

Dear One, I hope you’re feeling better soon,” the actress from ‘Basic Instinct’ penned down. “This world seems less bright without your presence, so when you can, come over and let’s share a warm embrace.

In response, the previous host of the “Rosie O’Donnell Show” kept her statement straightforward, expressing “I love you, Richard.

To discover some of the biggest secrets from Steven Spielberg’s iconic 1975 film, keep reading…

1. The film was adapted from Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel with the same title. Initially, Benchley didn’t anticipate the story to gain such popularity, not even as one of the most successful books, let alone a blockbuster movie.

In the 2007 documentary “The Shark Is Still Working”, Benchley stated, “I knew they couldn’t make a movie about it because the technology was nowhere near advanced enough to create a great white shark, and I knew you couldn’t catch and train one.” He continued, “So I had no idea this would be successful beyond just being published until the movie had been out for a while and the paperback was selling millions of copies. Even then, who could have predicted that it would maintain its relevance over time?”

2. Interestingly, the iconic movie poster featuring a woman swimming peacefully with a shark lurking beneath was actually designed for the paperback cover.

In the documentary “Jaws”, producer David Brown commented, “Oscar Dystel, who was the chairman of the company [Bantam Books], always regretted that he didn’t sell it to us. He could have sold us the artwork, but he gave it to us as a promotional item.”

3. As for how Benchley came up with the title “Jaws”?

With just 20 minutes left before the book had to go into production, Benchley and his editor were at a restaurant in New York. He said, “We don’t agree on anything except one word: Jaws. Call it ‘Jaws'”, to which his editor replied, “What does it mean?” Benchley responded, “I haven’t the faintest idea, but at least it’s short.”

4. Although Jaws propelled Steven Spielberg into stardom, he wasn’t the film’s initial director. The project caught his attention when producer Richard Zanuck asked him to review the script.

5. Interestingly, Spielberg contemplated refusing the offer due to his preference for directing the 1975 movie Lucky Lady. However, the former president of Universal Studios, Sid Sheinberg, successfully persuaded him to take on Jaws instead.

Initially, Steven Spielberg had Lee Marvin in mind to portray Quint in “Jaws,” but Marvin wasn’t keen on joining the production. The star of “The Dirty Dozen” was enjoying his vacation and fishing for real big fish down in Cabo San Lucas at that time.

Spielberg also considered Sterling Hayden, who had worked on “The Godfather,” but he was burdened with back taxes owed to the government. Since they would have seized his salary, Hayden decided not to take part in the project.

Ultimately, it wasn’t until Zanuck and Brown suggested Robert Shaw—who had previously acted in “From Russia With Love” and “A Man for All Seasons”—that they found their ideal candidate.

7. In the documentary, Gottlieb disclosed that initially, the studio intended for Jan-Michael Vincent to portray marine biologist Matt Hooper in ‘Jaws’. However, Spielberg was keen on Richard Dreyfuss, and it proved challenging to convince him.

Dreyfuss recalled in ‘Jaws: The Inside Story’ that Spielberg had asked, “‘Do you want to do it?'” To which he replied, “No.” When asked why, Dreyfuss explained, “That’s going to be a pain to film. I’m lazy and I’d rather just watch it than make it.” Eventually, with concerns about the reception of his film ‘The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz’, Dreyfuss reached out to Spielberg and implored for the role in ‘Jaws’.

8. In reference to Roy Scheider, it was during a party that he secured the role of police chief Martin Brody after Spielberg approached him, expressing concern about not finding the right actor for the part.

According to Spielberg, as he sat alone at the party, someone approached him and asked if he was alright. It turned out to be Roy Scheider.

Recounting his struggle to find a suitable actor for Chief Brody, Spielberg shared with Scheider—who had previously starred in The French Connection—his predicament.

“I told him the entire story and even disclosed the five or six actors I had considered but ultimately decided against,” Spielberg added. “Roy looked at me and proposed, ‘What about me? I’m an actor and I’d love to be in Jaws‘.”

Initially, Charlton Heston was also contending for the role, but Spielberg felt that, given Heston’s past roles in films like “The Ten Commandments,” “Ben-Hur,” and “The Agony and the Ecstasy,” he might have been too well-known for the audience to relate to. In fact, Spielberg expressed this concern during an interview for “Jaws: The Inside Story” by saying, “I thought it wouldn’t be fair for Charlton Heston to play that part because the shark wouldn’t make it through the first act.

You’ll want to express gratitude to Roy Scheider for his memorable line, “We need a bigger boat,” which he spontaneously came up with during filming, as Gottlieb mentioned in the 1995 documentary titled “The Making of Jaws“. I admit that I appreciate him saying it.

11. In his book, “In the Teeth of Jaws“, Gottlieb disclosed that Spielberg nicknamed the mechanical shark used for the movie character, after his lawyer named Bruce Ramer, who is referred to as Bruce here.

12. It’s worth noting that multiple mechanical sharks were employed during the filming process.

11. Gottlieb spilled the beans in his book “In the Teeth of Jaws” that Spielberg named the mechanical shark used for the movie after his lawyer, Bruce Ramer.

12. During the making of the movie, several mechanical sharks were utilized.

13. If you’re curious about the size of those mechanical sharks, let me tell you that one of them was 25 feet long and weighed an impressive 1,208 pounds. For your understanding, the largest great white sharks usually grow up to around 20 feet, but most are smaller.

14. Interestingly, these mechanical sharks had been tested in fresh water before filming, but when they were put in saltwater, there were numerous technical problems that arose. As a result, Spielberg had to make adjustments to the original plan.

In his book “Jaws: The Inside Story”, Dreyfuss stated, “The shark never worked.” This meant that the movie Spielberg intended to shoot couldn’t be made as planned. Instead of showing many shots of the shark, Spielberg suggested its presence by filming swimmer legs kicking, water rippling, and barrels being dragged across waves. In fact, it’s not until one hour and 21 minutes into the movie that viewers actually see the shark in full.

15. In an intriguing scene, a character named Chrissie (Susan Backlinie) appears to be attacked by a shark. To create this illusion, they used a technique where 20 people pulled her in different directions on ropes towards the shore.

16. The music definitely contributed to the tension, but when Spielberg first heard John Williams’ now-iconic theme song for Jaws, it wasn’t quite what he anticipated. “I imagined something strange and melodic,” the director reminisced in ‘The Making of Jaws’, “something tonal but eerie, almost like outer space music or inner space music underwater.” In truth, Spielberg laughed upon hearing it. “He had a great sense of humor,” he continued. “I thought he was joking. But he replied, ‘No, that’s the theme for Jaws.'” However, through this tune, Williams found a signature melody for the entire film.

17. Though the story takes place in the fictional town of Amity Island, the majority of the movie was filmed on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Interestingly, some local residents even appeared as extras in the film.

18. During the final day of shooting, Spielberg decided to leave the set early. As Dreyfuss shared in “Jaws: The Inside Story”, he feared the crew might play a prank and push him into the water. This became one of Spielberg’s trademark moves, as he often doesn’t shoot the final shot himself.

19. As detailed in “Jaws: The Inside Story,” the iconic scene showing Ben Gardner’s (Craig Kingsbury) head floating through a boat hole was actually filmed in editor Verna Fields’ California swimming pool. Spielberg utilized milk to create a more ocean-like appearance in the water.

20. To suggest that “Jaws” made a splash would be an understatement. According to Guinness World Records, it is recognized as the first-ever summer blockbuster and was the first film to gross over $100 million at the U.S. box office. It earned three Oscars for editing, sound, and original score, but lost out on the Best Picture award to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

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2025-07-13 21:47