Beau is one of the most versatile of all the Bridges family members.

He was born Lloyd Vernet Bridges, III, on December 9, 1941. Parents Lloyd and Dorothy soon deemed him worthy of the nickname "Beau", after the character in the novel they were reading at the time, Gone With the Wind. He was later joined by brother Jeff and sister Cindy, and the family was now complete.

Like thousands of little boys all over America, Beau was a member of the Cub Scouts. One of the best deeds he ever did was one he probably would have done anyway, even without the encouragement of the scouting program - He realized that their father's frequent work out of town was leaving a void in Jeff's life, so Beau spent extra time with him to make up for it. Consequently, the brothers are still very close.

Beau has been married twice and is the father of five children - two with his first wife, Julie, and three with his present wife, Wendy. Of all his children, it appears that Jordan is following most in his footsteps, having appeared in twelve films and several television shows so far. Beau has carried on more family traditions than just show business, however. Devotion to his family has been evident throughout his life. As a boy, he loved sports and taught his little brother how to play baseball. Just as his father coached Beau's long-ago Little League team, Beau did the same for his children. Lloyd had given his young sons parts in his television series, and Beau cast his children in some of his films, too. In fact, the Outer Limits episode entitled "The Sandkings" was quite fortunate to have three generations of Bridges working together in it - Lloyd, Beau, and his son Dylan. Lloyd and Beau both starred in the "Harts of the West" series, then worked together again in one of the patriarch's final films, "Meeting Daddy".

While Beau has appeared in about a hundred films and dozens of television shows to date, he doesn't limit himself to just acting. He's also a gifted director and producer. In a series of "Defenders" TV movies, for instance, he worked his way up from producer, to co-executive producer, and finally to executive producer. He's a very hard worker and has learned many different aspects of his craft.

A music lover, Beau has been described as honest, loyal, humble, outgoing, and competitive. He might be a very important presence in the entertainment industry, but Beau is just as vital to his family. It would be quite difficult to do both well, but it appears that this man has met the challenge.

Credit: netglimse.com