“What are they gonna say about him? What are they gonna say? That he was a kind man? That he was a wise man? That he had plans, man? That he had wisdom? Bullshit, man. What are they gonna do when he’s gone?”
Dennis Hopper died at 9am local time at his home in Venice, California yesterday after losing his battle with prostate cancer he was 74.
He was born in Dodge City Kansas on 17th May 1936 and showed interest in acting from a young age. He began his acting career with several TV performances but his first movie role was in Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and it was during the making of this film that he met James Dean, their meeting had a huge influence on Hopper and went a long way to transforming him into the great career actor he has become in the staggering five and a half decades since.
“Jimmy was the most talented and original actor I ever saw work. He was also a guerrilla artist who attacked all restrictions on his sensibility. Once he pulled a switchblade and threatened to murder his director. I imitated his style in art and in life. It got me in a lot of trouble.”
It was this trouble that became the other side to Hopper’s career, one of the original ‘enfant terribles’ and by his own admission it nearly killed him on several occasions. His battles with alcohol and drugs but mainly alcohol led to a decade of torment and abject anonymity during the 1970’s after his colossal achievement of starring and directing in the classic Easy Rider (1969). After this low period in his career he returned with a vengeance with his role in Apocalypse Now in 1979, he directed and starred in Out of The Blue in 1980 and then a few years later played Frank Booth in Blue Velvet (1986) after reading the script for Blue Velvet he allegedly rang director David Lynch and asked him for the part of Frank because he was Frank.
With his career back on track Hopper was cast in a number of high profile, mainstream releases during the 1990’s including Super Mario Bros. (1993), Waterworld (1995), Speed (1994) and True Romance (1996)which of course contains that unforgettable scene with Christopher Walken. He continued to work throughout his illness up to his death and his final appearances in Alpha and Omega and The Last Film Festival are both due for release this year.
As well has his distinguished acting career he was a man of many talents he was photographer, a skill he was encouraged to pursue by James Dean during their short time together, he was also a great collector and creator of art.
But living and working with Hopper was no easy ride. He was divorced five times, his last wife whom he was with for over 18 years also had a restraining order against her meaning she was not allowed within 10 feet of her ex husband. He was once married to Michelle Phillips for only 8 days, he claimed that; ‘The first seven days were pretty good’.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno he claimed that he had fired Rip Torn from the set of Easy Rider after a knife fight, the allegation saw him in court facing charges of deformation of character for which he had to pay $475,000.
So what am I ‘gonna say’ to try and sum up this great man’s life in a few trite lines now he is gone? I’m not, I wouldn’t want to, not when he did it so much better himself.
“I am just a middle-class farm boy from Dodge City and my grandparents were wheat farmers. I thought painting, acting, directing and photography was all part of being an artist. I have made my money that way. And I have had some fun. It’s not been a bad life.”
Ride easy Mr. Hopper.
