Film Villain Finds Love Off-Screen

In a career that has lasted over three decades, actor Jeff Goldblum has starred in such diverse films as "The Big Chill," "Jurassic Park," "The Fly" and "Independence Day." In his latest film, "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou," he plays the arch nemesis and rival oceanographer of the title character, played by Bill Murray.

Actually, Zissou thinks Goldblum's Alistair Hennessey is his nemesis, but that is not so, Goldblum tells The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm. The issue is that Zissou is threatened by Hennessey's success.

Goldblum explains, "I'm doing great in my career and he's down in his luck and I have a great relationship with my former wife, his current wife, Anjelica Huston. We go back a long time. We share and we're both talented. We go out on this sea and there are pirates and we have a forgiving spiritual epiphany with a big fish."

Director Wes Anderson said Goldblum had the perfect combination of "eccentricity and brilliance" for the "villainous" role. But brilliant is how Goldblum describes Murray's work.

"He's brilliant and far out and like a monk of comedy," Goldblum says, "He's just special. And there is a lot going on in him. I think he's complicated, interesting."

But the person who is most special for Goldblum right now is Canadian stage actress Catherine Wreford. After meeting at the Seattle airport, the couple fell in love and is now engaged.

Recalling their chance encounter, Goldblum says, "They were making me take off my shoes, and she said, 'Oh, there is Jeff Goldblum.' I gave her my number and she called me."

And although she is not a Hollywood starlet, he forsees a marvelous artistic future for her.

"She is going to be a super-duper star. She was starring in '42nd Street' on the road. She is a world-class athlete," says Goldblum proudly. The two worked together in a Pittsburgh production of "The Music Man" last summer.

"My hometown. Go Steelers," he adds cheering. The two also are shooting a documentary together. "I'm a big documentary fan," Goldblum says, pointing out his is more like a mockumentary with a bunch of real events.

For the holidays, the couple plans to go back to Los Angeles and spend time with their new kitten named Billy. And Goldblum's jazz group is scheduled to play at Club 424 on New Year's Eve.

Goldblum also just finished the film, "Mimi's First Time," starring Alec Baldwin, Carrie Anne Moss, and Nikki Reed. And he has also shot a few "Will & Grace" episodes, which he says have been really fun to do.

Fast Facts About Jeff Goldblum

• Goldblum was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., Oct. 22, 1952.
• He attended Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
• In 1971, he made his stage debut as a guard in a New York Shakespeare Festival production of "Two Gentlemen of Verona."
• In 1974, he made his film debut, "Death Wish."
• He starred in the TV series, "Tenspeed and Brown Shoe", with Ben Vereen and made his TV movie debut as Ichabod Crane in "The Legand of Sleepy Hollow" in 1980.
• Goldblum played a journalist in Lawrence Kasdan's "The Big Chill" in 1983.
• In 1986 he co-starred with Geena Davis (his ex-wife) in the David Cronenberg's remake of "The Fly."
• Goldblum had lead role in the blockbuster "Jurassic Park" directed by Steven Spielberg in 1993.
• In 1996, he appeared in the sci-fi thriller "Independence Day" starring Will Smith.
• In 1997, he reprised his role as Dr. Malcolm in "The Lost World," which is the sequel to "Jurassic Park."
• He appeared with Selma Hayek and Steve Zahn in the comedy "Chain of Fools" in 2000.
• In 2001, he gave his voice to animated hit children's film "Cats & Dogs."
• In 2002, he worked with Susan Sarandon in "Igby Goes Down" and the following year he starred in "War Stories," a television movie in which Goldblum portrayed a conflicted newspaper war correspondent assigned to cover a civil war that has broken out in Afghanistan as a result of the U.S. campaign against the region.
• Goldblum most recently starred in Showtime's "Spinning Boris," directed by Roger Spottiswoode ("Tomorrow Never Dies"). The film, based on a true story, takes a behind-the-scenes look at the orchestration of Russian President Boris Yeltsin's 1996 political comeback by a trio of U.S. political consultants, played by Goldblum, Anthony LaPaglia and Liev Schreiber.
• Goldblum is in a jazz band called The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra with fellow actor Peter Weller.