Dennis Quaid remembers his late mother, Nita Quaid
You can hear the love and pride in Dennis Quaid’s voice when he speaks about his mother, Juanita “Nita” Quaid, who died Monday at age 92.
Although the Houston-born actor is grieving, you could feel the warmth even on the phone Thursday as he talked about his mother, who lived in Houston for more than 50 years.
“We could have long talks about anything. She was always there for my brother and me,” Dennis said. “She always looked on the bright side.”
Nita, who was born in Emmett in 1927 to Ollie French Jordan and George Waymon, moved to Houston in her teens, Dennis said.
She relocated to San Francisco for a short time during
World War II to be near her sister, whose husband was in the war, but she returned to Houston as soon as the war ended.
“She was always a Texas gal at heart,” Dennis said.
It was in Houston that Nita met and married the late William R. “Buddy” Quaid, an electrical contractor who owned his own company.
“They met at church,” Dennis said. “She was a member of Houston’s First Baptist Church downtown since 1948.”
The couple had two children, Randy Quaid, 68, and Dennis, 65, who both became actors after studying drama under Cecil Pickett at the University of Houston.
The family lived in Bellaire at 4616 Maple; the home was torn down to make way for new construction in 2017.
Quaid, who graduated from Bellaire High School, said Bellaire was an idyllic place to grow up.
“It’s still a great community,” he said. He returned in 2017 to do a benefit concert for his hometown, which was hit hard by Hurricane Harvey.
Nita encouraged her children in all their endeavors, Dennis said.
“She’d take me to guitar lessons and Bellaire Little League baseball games,” Dennis said. “I grew up feeling like I could be anything.”
In the ’60s, Nita, previously a stay-at-home-mom, began a 30-plus-year career as a top Houston Realtor, Dennis said.
“She was the first mom on the block who had a job,” he said. “She grew up during the Great Depression. That generation believed in hard work and the American dream. She made me feel like I could be anything.”
Even a Hollywood actor. Dennis’ successful career includes such hit films as “Breaking Away” (1979), “The Right Stuff ” (1983), “Top Gun” (1986), “Great Balls of Fire!” (1989) and “Postcards From the Edge” (1990).
He’s currently starring in “A Dog’s Journey,” the sequel to 2017’s “A Dog’s Purpose.”
“It’s very hard to make it in acting and the movies. You get nine ‘no’s’ before you get one ‘yes,’ ” he said. “You have to have fortitude. I get my work ethic from her.”
In 2011, Nita relocated to a retirement home in Austin, where Dennis lives, to be closer to him.
“I can’t imagine a better mom,” he said. “She was the rock of my life.”