Brian Dennehy, Tony and Golden Globe winning actor, dies at 81

"Larger than life, generous to a fault, a proud and devoted father and grandfather, he will by missed by his wife Jennifer, family and many friends," Elizabeth Dennehy said Thursday.

Dennehy was born July 9, 1938, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the first of three sons. His venture into acting began when he was 14 in New York City and a student at a Brooklyn high school.

Dennehy launched his professional acting career in the ’70s, subsequently appearing in shows including 1978′s “Dallas” and 1981′s “Dynasty.” His breakthrough role didn’t come until he starred opposite Sylvester Stallone in the first film in the Rambo franchise, 1982′s “First Blood.”

Over the course of his career, Dennehy was nominated six times for Emmy Awards between 1990 and 2005. He earned two Tony Awards, both for best lead actor in a play: one in 1999 for his portrayal of Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” and one in 2003 for his portrayal of James Tyrone in Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night.” He also earned a Golden Globe in 2000 for his performance in “Death of a Salesman.”

"What this actor goes for is close to an everyman quality, with a grand emotional expansiveness that matches his monumental physique," wrote Ben Brantley in his review of the play for The New York Times. "Yet these emotions ring so unerringly true that Mr. Dennehy seems to kidnap you by force, trapping you inside Willy's psyche."

Dennehy was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2010.

Friends and colleagues took to social media to remember Dennehy:

He is survived by his second wife, costume designer Jennifer Arnott and their two children, Cormac and Sarah. He also is survived by three daughters — Elizabeth, Kathleen and Deirdre — from a previous marriage to Judith Scheff.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.