Randy Quaid banned for life from actors' union for bizarre behavior

There's all levels of crazy when it comes to actors. There's a little kooky, then there's the people that get a little too into character, the method actors, and finally the Britney Spears level of actually certifiable. Randy Quaid, brother of much more famous actor Dennis Quaid, is closer to the Britney Spears end of things. He's been acting in the Broadway-bound musical Lone Star Love' based on Shakespeare's 'The Merry Wives of Windsor.' Quaid's behavior on and off the set was so massively inappropriate that he's been banned from the Actors' Equity Association (the union which represents American stage actors) for life, and fined $81,000. The charges against Quaid were assembled by the entire 26 actor cast, so it seems there's little debating that he actually did do these bizarre things. The question remains... why? Here's a rundown of Quaid's behavior.

* Quaid hit an actor on the back of the head four times during performances. When the stage manager told him to stop, he smacked the actor again.

* Another actor was warned that if he made direct eye contact with Quaid onstage, he'd be fired.

* Quaid made 'sexually inappropriate' comments onstage, repeatedly referring to an actress' musical instruments as her 'gynecological instruments.'

* The couple tried to rewrite the script, to eliminate characters.

* Randy 'felt free' to change blocking, lyrics and lines during performances, and repeatedly failed to show up for note sessions and rehearsals.

[From Gothamist]

The show was forced to close before it ever hit Broadway, thus depriving the entire cast and crew of their jobs. It sounds like Randy Quaid is actually mentally unstable, and I'm not trying to be funny when I say that. He's accused the play's actors of being part of a pinko-commie organization' that's trying to destroy him. What's worse is that Quaid's manager, who is also his wife, is equally crazy, so it seems the two are feeding off each other. As his manager, Evi Quaid went to the hearing at the Actors' Equity Association. As soon as she got there, the following transpired:

[When] Evi appeared at the offices of the Association last Friday, [she] sat on the desk and began kicking the 76-year-old receptionist in his shins with her 'extremely tall high heeled shoes,' drawing blood and leaving a scar. According to documents filed in L.A. County Superior Court, Evi screamed it was all 'a Nazi plot to get Randy Quaid.' The claim is — Evi repeatedly screamed 'F**k you' and 'Go f**k yourself.'

Another member says Evi screamed at her, 'I'm going to get you…You are a Nazi bitch.' The member says she felt 'Ms. Quaid's objective was to kill her.' Yet another member says she answered the phone, Evi began railing and the member said, 'I'd like to terminate this call,' to which Evi allegedly responded, 'I'd like to terminate your existence on this planet.'

[From TMZ]

Not exactly normal, rational behavior. Before the hearing, Evi emailed many of the actors in an attempt to threaten them into dropping the charges against Randy. She told them, 'You have one last chance to stop this onerous campaign or else you will be drawn into a legal quagmire,' she wrote. I'm pretty sure only crazy people use the words onerous' and quagmire' in the same sentence. It's in the Physician's Desk Reference somewhere. Randy Quaid has often played crazy and semi-crazy parts in films. He was always really good in them... I think now we know why.

Here's Randy and Evi Quaid at the Museum of the Moving Images Tribute to Will Smith in New York December 2006. Images thanks to PR Photos.