Dennis Christopher

American actor Dennis Christopher's Italian upbringing served him well early in his career when he appeared fleetingly in Fellinis Roma (1972). Stage and TV work followed his graduation from Temple University, then several American movies, September 30, 1955 (1977) and A Wedding (1978). In Breaking Away (1978), Christopher dominated the proceedings as the Indiana-born teenaged bicyclist who adopted an Italian accent and mannerisms to draw attention to himself. Few of Christopher's subsequent film appearances were up to this level; when last heard from, he was starring in such direct-to-video potboilers as Dead Women in Lingerie (1991), with a few above-average assignments such as the made-for-TV Stephen King's It! (1991). Outside of Breaking Away, Dennis Christopher had at least one other "cult" film to his credit: Fade to Black (1979), in which he played a disturbed young cineast who murders his enemies while dressed up as famous movie villains.

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide