Eleanor Roosevelt was his godmother.
Alumnus of New Trier Township High School East, Winnetka, Illinois. Other New Trier graduates include Ralph Bellamy, Charlton Heston, Rock Hudson, Hugh O'Brien, Ann-Margret, Penelope Milford, Virginia Madsen and Liz Phair.
An avid runner and ultra-marathoner, having run many 50 mile races.
Born at 3:11am-CDT
Father-in-law of (musician) Ben Harper.
Grandfather of Ellery Walker Harper & Jaya Harper.
He had two daughters by Diane Ladd. His eldest daughter, born in 1961, accidentally drowned at 18 months of age, years before his second child, Laura Dern, was born in 1967.
His grandfather was George Dern, former Governor of Utah & President Franklin D. Roosevelt's first Secretary of War.
Nephew of poet Archibald Macleish.
Of German and Scottish ancestry.
One of the few actors to have killed John Wayne on screen (The Cowboys (1972)). He even received some death threats out of it.
Was a competitive middle distance runner at Villanova.