Jeff Bridges says he has cancer, but ‘the prognosis is good’

Jeff Bridges, the Oscar-winning star of “The Last Picture Show” and “The Big Lebowski,” said Monday that he has cancer of the lymph nodes.

“As the Dude would say, new [s- - -] has come to light,” the 70-year-old actor tweeted, referencing his “Lebowski” character. “I have been diagnosed with Lymphoma. Although it is a serious disease, I feel fortunate that I have a great team of doctors and the prognosis is good. I’m starting treatment and will keep you posted on my recovery.”

Ever the activist, he added, “While I have you, please remember to go vote. Because we are all in this together.”

Bridges won his Oscar for playing a broken-down country singer in “Crazy Heart” (2009). His diverse roster of characters also includes a human possessed by an alien in “Starman” (1984), an idealistic auto exec in “Tucker: A Man and His Dream” (1988), a U.S. president in “The Contender” (2000), a Marvel villain in “Iron Man” (2008) and an Old West lawman in “True Grit” (2010).

To many viewers, his defining role was The Dude, the laid-back, highly quotable philosopher and bowling enthusiast at the center of the Coen Brothers’ 1998 crime comedy “The Big Lebowski.”

Bridges has remained active in recent years, earning an Academy Award nomination for his work as a Texas Ranger in “Hell or High Water” (2016) and playing a schemer in a priest’s collar in “Bad Times at the El Royale” (2018). At the time of his diagnosis he was preparing a series for FX called “The Old Man,” on which he is the star and executive producer.

He is the son of the late actor Lloyd Bridges and broke into show business by appearing on his father’s TV show “Sea Hunt” with his brother, Beau Bridges.