Jeff Bridges Remembers Late Dad Lloyd in Critics Choice Awards Speech: 'Today Is His Birthday'

Jeff Bridges is shining a light on his supportive family while looking back on his career.

The actor received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 28th annual Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, presented to him by his costar from 1998's The Big Lebowski, John Goodman.

In his speech, Bridges, 73, shared that he's wearing his late father Lloyd Bridges's cuff links since the award show fell on his dad's birthday. The actor died in 1998 at age 85.

"It's my dad's birthday today, January 15. I'm wearing his cuff links. I wouldn't be up here without my dad," said Bridges. "No, he's the reason that I'm up here. I can remember him loving showbiz so much, loving acting so much, and as a kid I said, 'You know, Dad, I'm not sure I wanna be an actor.' He goes, 'What are you talkin' about?' I said, 'I wanna do painting maybe, music.' He said, 'Jeff, don't be ridiculous. Being an actor, they're gonna call on you to do all of those things you're interested in. And besides that, you're gonna get to tell all these wonderful stories from all these different perspectives of people that are alive. This is a wonderful profession.' "

"He's so right," The Old Man actor continued. "I'm so glad I listened to the old man!"

Bridges said his family has been "so supportive," also highlighting his mom Dorothy — the "best actor of the bunch," he said — and his siblings Beau, Cindy, plus his "gorgeous, wonderfully talented" wife Susan: "We've been married 48 years," he proudly declared as the audience cheered. He also gave shoutouts to their kids: Isabelle, Jessica and Hayley.

"Family — that's kinda what it all comes down to," he later added.

Back in 2014, Bridges shared lessons he learned from his parents, explaining that they "were great examples" for him.

"How my father dealt with fame, it didn't seem that unusual to me. He was such a lover of showbiz, loved [doing interviews], loved signing autographs," he said at the time. "He taught me the basics of acting, but what I really got from him was the joy he experienced while working."

Bridges appeared with his father in 1994's Blown Away, a memory he still cherished: "I remember when he came on the set, in a genuine way he was just joyful — it was contagious. It would go through the community. With joy comes relaxation about the way things are, and with that comes getting out of your own way. And you end up with some good work."

The Critics Choice Association announced that Bridges would be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award last month. "We are thrilled to be honoring the one and only Jeff Bridges with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the upcoming Critics Choice Awards," CCA CEO Joey Berlin said in a statement at the time.

"From his debut with his dad on Sea Hunt, to his iconic performance as The Dude in The Big Lebowski, to his Oscar-winning performance in Crazy Heart, right through his amazing work in The Old Man, his decades-spanning career is unmatched," Berlin added.

Bridges has been nominated for seven Academy Awards over the course of his career, first receiving a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1971's The Last Picture Show. Bridges has won one Oscar, for his performance in 2009's Crazy Heart, for which he also received a Critics Choice Award.

In total, the actor has received three Critics Choice Award nominations in his career, including for his performances in 2010's True Grit and 2016's Hell or High Water.