movie actor

Dennis Lee Hopper was born in Dodge City, Kansas, on May 17, 1936; his parents were Jay and Marjorie Hopper. He graduated from Helix High School in La Mesa, California, in 1954, and was voted "Most Likely To Succeed" by his classmates.

Hopper developed his interest in acting at a young age. He first appeared in several television shows in the 1950's and 1960's, including "Medic" (1954), "Cheyenne" (1955), and "Sugarfoot" (1957). His first film role was in the 1954 movie Johnny Guitar, but it would be another fifteen years before he had his first real movie success. That success came with Easy Rider, which centered around a motorcycle gang and was written by Hopper, Peter Fonda and Terry Southern. Released in 1969, Easy Rider was so successful that movies centered on rebellious characters were all the rage in Hollywood for the next several years, many of them starring Hopper's friend James Dean.

Despite the success of Easy Rider, Hopper would not have another major movie role throughout most of the 1970's, due in large part to his abuse of drugs and alcohol during that period. He spent part of the 1970's doing film work in Europe. His next successful appearance came in Apocalypse Now (1979), in which he played a photojournalist. That success prompted Hopper to get clean, and he worked steadily thereafter.

On October 29, 2009, Hopper announced that he had been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. He was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles just before Christmas. He passed away on May 29, 2010.

Marriages and Children

Brooke Howard -- August 9, 1961 - 1969 -- divorced -- daughter Marin Hopper (June 26, 1992)
Michelle Phillips -- October 31, 1970 - November 8, 1970 (divorced)
Daria Halprin -- May 14, 1972-1976 (divorced) -- daughter Ruthanna Hopper
Katherine LaNasa -- June 17, 1989 - 1992 (divorced) -- son Henry Hopper (September 1990)
Victoria Duffy -- April 12, 1996 - present -- daughter Galen Grier Hopper (March 26, 2003)

Filmography

Johnny Guitar (1954)
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
I Died a Thousand Times (1955)
Giant (1956)
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)
The Story of Mankind (1957)
Sayonara (1957)
From Hell to Texas (1958)
The Young Land (1959)
Key Witness (1960)
Night Tide (1961)
The Thirteen Most Beautiful Boys (1964)
Tarzan and Jane Regained... Sort of (1964)
The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
Queen of Blood (1966)
The Trip (1967)
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
The Glory Stompers (1968)
Hang 'Em High (1968)
Panic in the City (1968)
Head (1968)
Easy Rider (1969)
True Grit (1969)
The Last Movie (1971)
The Other Side of the Wind (1972)
Crush Proof (1972)
Kid Blue (1973)
Mad Dog Morgan (1976)
Tracks (1977)
Der amerikanische Freund (1977)
Les apprentis sorciers (1977)
Couleur chair (1978)
L'ordre et la sécurité du monde (1978)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Las flores del vicio (1979)
Wild Times (1980)
Out of the Blue (1980)
Reborn (1981)
King of the Mountain (1981)
Neil Young: Human Highway (1982)
My Science Project (1982)
Rumble Fish (1983)
The Osterman Weekend (1983)
White Star (1983)
Euer Weg führt durch die Hölle (1984)
Slagskämpen (1984)
A Hero of Our Time (1985)
O.C. and Stiggs (1985)
Riders of the Storm (1986)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
River's Edge (1986)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Hoosiers (1986)
Running Out of Luck (1987)
Black Widow (1987)
Straight to Hell (1987)
The Pick-Up Artist (1987)
Blood Red (1989)
Chattahoochee (1989)
Flashback (1990)
Catchfire (1990)
Paris Trout (1991)
The Indian Runner (1991)
Eye of the Storm (1991)
Sunset Heat (1992)
Boiling Point (1993)
Super Mario Bros. (1993)
Red Rock West (1993)
True Romance (1993)
Chasers (1994)
Speed (1994)
Search and Destroy (1995)
Waterworld (1995)
Carried Away (1996)
Space Truckers (1996)
Basquiat (1996)
The Last Days of Frankie the Fly (1996)
Top of the World (1997)
The Good Life (1997)
The Blackout (1997)
Road Ends (1997)
Tycus (1998)
Meet the Deedles (1998)
Lured Innocence (1999)
The Prophet's Game (1999)
Edtv (1999)
Straight Shooter (1999)
Jesus' Son (1999)
The Venice Project (1999)
Bad City Blues (1999)
Michael Angel (2000)
The Spreading Ground (2000)
Luck of the Draw (2000)
Jason and the Argonauts (2000)
Held for Ransom (2000)
Ticker (2001)
Choke (2001)
Knockaround Guys (2001)
L.A.P.D.: To Protect and to Serve (2001)
Unspeakable (2002)
Leo (2002)
The Piano Player (2002)
The Night We Called It a Day (2003)
Legacy (2004)
The Keeper (2004)
Out of Season (2004)
The Last Ride (2004)
House of 9 (2005)
Americano (2005)
The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005)
Land of the Dead (2005)
Hoboken Hollow (2005)
Tainted Love (2006)
10th & Wolf (2006)
Memory (2006)
Hell Ride (2008)
Sleepwalking (2008)
Elegy (2008)
Swing Vote (2008)
Palermo Shooting (2008)
An American Carol (2008)
Forever (2009)

Directorial Credits

Easy Rider (1969)
The Last Movie (1971)
Out of the Blue (1980)
Colors (1988)
Catchfire (1990)
The Hot Spot (1990)
Chasers (1994)
Homeless (2000)

Awards and Honors

Boston Society of Film Critics Award
Best Supporting Actor -- Blue Velvet -- 1987

Brussels International Film Festival
Crystal Iris -- 1998

Cannes Film Festival
Best First Work -- Easy Rider -- 1969

CineVegas International Film Festival
Marquee Award -- 2003

Empire Awards, UK
Lifetime Achievement Award -- 1998

Florida Film Festival
John M. Tiedtke Award -- 1994

Kinema Junpo Awards
Best Foreign Language Film -- Easy Rider -- 1971

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
Best Supporting Actor -- Blue Velvet and Hoosiers -- 1986

MTV Movie Awards
Best Villain -- Speed -- 1995

Method Fest
Lifetime Achievement Award -- 2004

Montreal World Film Festival
Best Actor -- Blue Velvet -- 1986

National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA
Special Award -- Easy Rider -- 1970
Best Supporting Actor -- Blue Velvet -- 1987

New York International Independent Film & Video Festival
Best Antagonist Actor -- The Blackout -- 1998

Razzie Awards
Worst Supporting Actor -- Waterworld -- 1996

San Sebastián International Film Festival
Donostia Lifetime Achievement Award -- 2002

Santa Monica Film Festival
Lifetime Achievement Award -- 2003

Stockholm Film Festival
Lifetime Achievement Award -- 1991

Taos Talking Picture Festival
Maverick Award -- 1999

Young Hollywood Awards
Role Model Award -- 2001

SOURCE
Internet Movie DataBase www.imdb.com/name/nm0000454

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This page was last updated on 05/16/2017.