Dennis Hopper dead at 74 after long battle with prostate cancer
Actor Dennis Hopper died Saturday at his Venice home of complications from prostate cancer, a friend of the actor said.
Hopper, whose battle with the disease was revealed in October, was 74.
In addition to his illness, Hopper had made headlines recently in light of the messy divorce proceedings with wife Victoria Duffy; he accused Duffy of stealing $1.5 million worth of his art.
But on this day we forget the scandal.
He gave us photography. He gave us art. He gave us "Easy Rider."
More from the Los Angeles Times obituary:
In a more than five-decade acting career that was influenced early on by working with James Dean and studying at the Actors Studio, he made his film debut as one of the high school gang members who menace Dean in the 1955 classic "Rebel Without a Cause.
Hopper went on to appear in more than 115 films, including "Giant," "Cool Hand Luke," "Hang 'Em High," "True Grit," "Apocalypse Now," "The American Friend," "Rumble Fish," "Speed," "True Romance" and "River's Edge."
But it's his role as the long-haired, pot-smoking biker Billy opposite Peter Fonda's Wyatt (Captain America) in the hit movie "Easy Rider" that gave Hopper his most enduring claim to fame.
The low-budget tale of two bikers on an ultimately tragic cross-country odyssey after scoring a big cocaine sale, "Easy Rider" became a generational touchstone.
The movie, which boasted a star-making performance from a little-known Jack Nicholson as a boozy small-town lawyer who goes along for the ride and gets his first taste of marijuana, set old-guard Hollywood back on its heels.
Earlier this year, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Share with us your favorite Hopper film(s) below in the comments.
--Yvonne Villarreal
Top photo: Dennis Hopper earlier this year. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times
Bottom photo: Hopper and Peter Fonda in 1969's "Easy Rider." Credit: Columbia Pictures Industries Inc.
A new Times database puts readers on the sidewalks of Hollywood, using more than a century of archives to track the lives of the stars, including recent Oscar winners Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock and recent honorees Dennis Hopper and Russell Crowe.
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A sad day for Hollywood, for the film industry & all fans of film, with the passing of Dennis Hopper.
While I may not have liked all his films, his acting was never less than wonderful. The obvious films we can all speak to, but he did a small film several years back, The Keeper, which I did not really like, however, his role was played beautifully. But I feel everyone needs to see Easy Rider, if for nothing else, to see what may very well be the epitome of counterculture.
I didn't see all of his 200+ performances in film & in TV, but of the many I did see, he was always provided an exemplary performance. I believe he also directed Colors as well as starring in it, & was a very well done film, from the story, to acting & direction.
Mr Hopper, thanks for the wonderful films & performances. To your family & friends, I send my sincere thoughts, prayers & sympathies.
RIP Mr. Hopper....
Posted by: Dallas | May 29, 2010 at 12:26 PM