Saturday, May 29, 2010

Dennis Hopper - Iconic Bad Boy Of American Film

After Gary Coleman, we've lost Dennis Hopper, an iconic bad boy of American cinema.

He succumbed to cancer at 74 on May 29, 2010.

Here's his life story from Wikipedia.

Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker and artist.

He made his first television appearance in 1955, and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without A Cause (1955) and Giant (1956).

Over the next ten years, Hopper appeared frequently on television in guest roles, and by the end of the 1960s had played supporting roles in several films.

He directed and starred in Easy Rider (1969), winning an award at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as co-writer.

He was unable to build on his success for several years, until a featured role in Apocalypse Now (1979) brought him attention.

He subsequently appeared in Rumble Fish (1983) and The Osterman Weekend (1983), and received critical recognition for his work in Blue Velvet and Hoosiers, with the latter film garnering him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

He directed Colors (1988), and played the villain in Speed (1994).

Hopper's later work included a leading role in the television series Crash.

Hopper, who grew up in Kansas City and San Diego credited veteran actor Vincent Price as the man who introduced him to acting.

Hopper was married five times, including to actress Michelle Phillips for two weeks in 1970.

He is survived by four children.

As an artist he created the album cover for Tina Turner's River Deep, Mountain High in 1966.

Throughout his life, he battled drug addiction.

He campaigned for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.