In this June 6, 1999 file photo, actor Brian Dennehy, left, applauds playwright, Arthur Miller, before awarding him the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Tony Awards in New York. (AP Photo / Kathy Willens, File)

The burly actor who started in films as a macho heavy and later in his career won plaudits for his stage work in plays by William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov, Eugene O’Neill and Arthur Miller, died last week at age 81.

We catch up with actor Brian Dennehy, who is in Chicago performing a double header at the Goodman Theatre.