Jeff Bridges

Gregarious demeanor
Often plays very relaxed and mellow characters
Regularly has played "everyman" type roles up against considerable adversity, especially in his more dramatic roles
In his early years, often played very handsome but obstinate, idealistic or even rude young men who desire to buck authority

Is a talented guitarist.
Served in the United States Coast Guard, like his father, Lloyd (during WWII), and his older brother, Beau.
Met his wife, Susan Bridges, while filming Rancho Deluxe (1975) - she was working as a maid on a dude ranch.
Was thought to have turned down the lead role in Indiana Jones, one of the most famous movie characters of all time, in Les aventuriers de l'arche perdue (1981). But he said this wasn't true in an interview with Howard Stern, as he was only considered for, not offered, the role.
His role in Le grand Lebowski (1998) was written with him in mind.

As far as the lack of hits goes, I think perhaps it's because I've played a lot of different roles and have not created a persona that the public can latch on to. I have played everything from psychopathic killers to romantic leading men, and in picking such diverse roles I have avoided typecasting.
I don't think I ever went down that movie star path. I always enjoy taking a 90-degree turn from the last thing I did.
A large part of acting is just pretending. You get to work with these other great make-believers, all making believe as hard as they can. What I learned most from my father wasn't anything he said; it was just the way he behaved. He loved his work so much that, whenever he came on set, he brought that with him, and other people rose to it.
Basically, one of the hardest things about being an actor is getting your first break. I'm a product of nepotism. The doors were open to me. I'd done several movies before I decided what I wanted to do. There was a certain amount of guilt and worry about whether I really had what it takes. I thought I'd spare my girls that.
My father [Lloyd Bridges] encouraged his kids to go into showbiz, not because he wanted to live vicariously through them, but because he dug it so much. Growing up there was like a mild competition with my father and my brother, not so much maybe in reality, but in my own mind.