Dennis Hopper (May 17, 1936May 29, 2010) was an American actor, director, writer, film editor, photographer 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 Writing (Original Screenplay) as co-writer. He had a featured role in Apocalypse Now (1979). 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). Hopper starred in the 1990 Motion Picture Flashback which was inspired by the 1960s Love Movement. He also played the villains King Koopa in Super Mario Bros (1993), and Howard Payne in Speed (1994). A total of six films starring Dennis Hopper have been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Hopper died of prostate cancer on May 29, 2010, 12 days after his 74th birthday and two months after he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Filmography Hopper's film career spanned 55 years and encompassed appearances in over 150 films. Of those films: Rebel Without a Cause, Giant, Cool Hand Luke, Easy Rider, Apocalypse Now, and Hoosiers have been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. As actor Year Title Role Notes1955 Rebel Without a Cause Goon I Died a Thousand Times Joe Uncredited 1956 Giant Jordan Benedict III1957 Gunfight at the O.K. Corral Billy Clanton Napoleon Bonaparte Sayonara MP In Kelly's House / MP At Tokyo Airport Voice, Uncredited 1958 From Hell to Texas Tom Boyd 1959 Hatfield Carnes 1960 Key Witness William "Cowboy" Tomkins 1961 Night Tide Johnny Drake 1964 Short film Tarzan and Jane Regained... Sort of 1965 Dave Hastings 1966 Queen of Blood Paul Grant 1967 Max Cool Hand Luke Babalugats Luke Himself Short film The Glory Stompers Chino 1968 Panic in the City Goff Hang 'Em High The Prophet Head Long Haired Guy In Restaurant Extra, uncredited1969 Easy Rider Billy True Grit Moon 1970 Himself Documentary1971 Kansas Himself Documentary 1972 Crush Proof Himself Cameo 1973 Kid Blue Bickford Waner 1975 Bloodbath Chicken 1976 Mad Dog Morgan Daniel Morgan 1977 Tracks 1st Sergeant Jack Falen Tom Ripley The Sorcerer's Apprentice A Spy 1978 Flesh Color Mel CIA contro KGB Medford 1979 Apocalypse Now Photojournalist 1980 Out of the Blue Don 1981 King of the Mountain Cal Reborn Reverend Tom Hartley 1982 Human Highway Cracker 1983 Rumble Fish Father The Osterman Weekend Richard Tremayne White Star Kenneth Barlow 1984 Jungle Warriors Deleted scenes The Inside Man Miller 1985 A Hero of Our Time The Mogul Short film O.C. and Stiggs Sponson My Science Project Bob Roberts 1986 Riders of the Storm The Captain Lieutenant "Lefty" Enright River's Edge Feck Blue Velvet Frank Booth Hoosiers Shooter 1987 Black Widow Ben Dumers Straight to Hell IG Farben Running Out of Luck Video Director "Flash" Jensen 1989 Blood Red William Bradford Berrigan Chattahoochee Walker Benson Drawing the Line: A Portrait of Keith Haring Himself Documentary short film1990 Flashback Huey Walker Catchfire Milo1991 Caesar Eye of the Storm Marvin Gladstone Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse Himself Documentary 1992 Sunset Heat Carl Madson 1993 Boiling Point Rudolph "Red" Diamond Red Rock West Lyle, From Dallas Super Mario Bros. King Koopa True Romance Clifford Worley 1994 Chasers "Doggie" Speed Howard Payne 1995 Search and Destroy Dr. Luther Waxling Waterworld Deacon 1996 Carried Away Joseph Svenden Basquiat Bruno Bischofberger Space Truckers John Canyon The Last Days of Frankie the Fly Frankie 1997 The Blackout Mickey Wayne Top of the World Charles Atlas Road Ends Sheriff Ben Gilchrist "Mr. B" Unreleased Cannes Man Himself Cameo Who Is Henry Jaglom? Himself Documentary1998 Meet the Deedles Frank Slater Welcome to Hollywood Himself Cameo Lured Innocence Rick Chambers1999 Tycus Peter Crawford Direct-to-DVD EDtv Henry "Hank" Pekurny Straight Shooter Frank Hector Jesus' Son Bill Roland / Salvatore Bad City Blues Cleveland Carter Robert Rauschenberg: Inventive Genius The Narrator Voice; Documentary William S. Burroughs Documentary2000 The Apostate Lewis Garou The Prophet's Game Vincent Swan Direct-to-DVD The Spreading Ground Detective Ed DeLongpre Luck of the Draw Giani Ponti Direct-to-DVD Held for Ransom J.D. Direct-to-DVD2001 Ticker Alex Swan Direct-to-DVD Choke Henry Clark Direct-to-DVD Knockaround Guys Benny Chains L.A.P.D.: To Protect and to Serve Captain Elsworth Direct-to-DVD2002 Unspeakable Warden Earl Blakely Leo Horace The Piano Player Robert Nile Direct-to-DVD2003 Frank Sinatra New Scenes from America Himself – Actor Short film Easy Riders, Raging Bulls Himself Documentary2004 Legacy CHP Officer Short film Out of Season Harry Barlow Lieutenant Joe Krebs 2005 Americano Riccardo Direct-to-DVD House of 9 Father Duffy "El Niño" Direct-to-DVD Land of the Dead Paul Kaufman Inside Deep Throat The Narrator Voice; Documentary Sketches of Frank Gehry Himself Documentary2006 Hoboken Hollow Sheriff Greer 10th & Wolf Matty Matello Memory Max Lichtenstein Rising Son: The Legend of Skateboarder Christian Hosoi The Narrator Voice; Documentary Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film Himself Documentary2008 Sleepwalking Mr. Reedy Hell Ride Eddie "Zero" Elegy George O'Hearn Swing Vote Donald Greenleaf Palermo Shooting Frank An American Carol The Judge Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! Himself Documentary Bananaz Himself Documentary 2010 Alpha and Omega Tony Voice; Released posthumously 2016 The Last Film Festival Nick Twain Released posthumously 2018 The Other Side of the Wind Himself Cameo; Released posthumously2020Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth Himself Documentary; Released posthumously I denotes film preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
Filmmaking credits Year Title Director Writer Notes 1964 Mary Jennifer at the Beach Short film 1967 The Trip Uncredited 1969 Easy Rider 1971 The American Dreamer Documentary The Last Movie Also editor 1980 Out of the Blue 1988 Colors 1990 Catchfire Credited as Alan Smithee The Hot Spot 1994 Chasers 2000 Homeless Short film 2008 Pashmy Dream Short film
Television Early in his career, Hopper made multiple appearances on television series, beginning with a single appearance on the anthology series Cavalcade of America. Hopper continued guest starring on television throughout the 1950s and '60s. Late in his career, Hopper returned to television with a recurring role on 24, a one-time appearance on Las Vegas, and starring roles on E-Ring and Crash.
Year Title Role Notes 1954 Cavalcade of America Unknown Role Episode: "A Medal for Miss Walker"1955 Medic Robert Episode: "Boy in the Storm" Public Defender Frankie Episode: "Mama's Boy" The Loretta Young Show Ross Morton Episode: "Inga II"1956 Kings Row Tod Monaghan Episode: "Carnival" Screen Directors Playhouse Steve Redman Episode: "High Air" Pauly Episode: "Carnival" 1956–1957 Cheyenne Abe Larson / Utah Kid / Roden's Ranch Hand 3 episodes1957 Conflict Ed Novak 2 episodes Sugarfoot Billy The Kid Episode: "Brannigan's Boots"1958 Studio One David Williams 2 episodes Swiss Family Robinson Fritz Television film1958–1959 Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre Vernon "Vern" Tippert / Denny Sunrise 2 episodes Vernon Tippert / Johnny Clover 2 episodes 1959 Leighton Episode: "Wake Up to Terror"1960 Mike Episode: "Goldie Meets Mike" Adam Spencer Episode: "Millionaire Julie Sherman" Gerald Collins Episode: "No One"1961 Naked City Vinnie Winford Episode: "Shoes for Vinnie Winford" 87th Precinct Andrew Mason Episode: "My Friend, My Enemy" The Investigators Adrian Brewster Episode: "The Mind's Own Fire"1962 General Electric Theater Fred Judson Episode: "The Hold-Out" Surfside 6 Trask Episode: "Vendetta Arms" 1962–1963 Alfred Carter Jr. / Jason Thomas 2 episodes1963 Peter Vollmer Episode: "He's Alive" Ross Kendrick Episode: "Requiem at Dancer's Hill" Wagon Train Emmett Lawton Episode: "The Emmett Lawton Story" Espionage Ferno Episode: "The Weakling" Rhymer Episode: "The Wrecker"1964 Petticoat Junction Alan Landman Episode: "Bobbie Jo and the Beatnik" Arrest and Trial Coley Mitchum Episode: "People in Glass Houses" Peter Devlin Episode: "To Set It Right" Bonanza Dev Farnum Episode: "The Dark Past"1965 Gunsmoke Billy Kimbo Episode: "One Killer on Ice" Convoy Roger Small Episode: The Many Colors of Courage"1966 Jud Salt Episode: "South Wind" Passenger Episode: "Rendezvous with Yesterday"1967 Combat! Zack Fielder Episode: "A Little Jazz" Vern Reed Episode: "Find a Sonnett, Kill a Sonnett" Leon Grell / Jimmy Sweetwater 2 episodes 1980 Wild Times Doc Holliday 2 episodes 1985 Stark Lieutenant Ron Bliss Television film 1986 Stark: Mirror Image Lieutenant Ron Bliss Television film 1987, 1990 Saturday Night Live Himself (host) 2 episodes 1989 Black Leather Jacket The Narrator Voice; Television film1991 Doublecrossed Barry Seal Television film Paris Trout Paris Trout Television film Fishing with John Himself Episode: "Dennis Hopper Parts 1 & 2"1992 Nails Harry "Nails" Niles Television film The Heart of Justice Austin Blair Television film 1994 Witch Hunt H. P. Lovecraft Television film 1995 Dennis Hopper: L.A. Blues Himself (host) Television special 1996 Samson and Delilah Generale Tariq Television film 1997 King of the Hill Himself (guest voice) Episode: "Hank's Got The Willies" 2000 Jason and the Argonauts Pelias 2 episodes2002 24 Victor Drazen 5 episodes Flatland Smith Pilot The Groovenians Dad / King Norman Voice; Television short Firestarter: Rekindled James Richardson 2 episodes 2003 Suspense The Narrator Voice; Television film2004 Las Vegas Jon Castille Episode: "New Orleans" Ronnie Purnell Television film 2005–2006 E-Ring Colonel Eli McNulty 23 episodes 2007 Entourage Himself Episode: "Malibooty" 2008–2009 Crash Ben Cendars 26 episodes
Video games Year Title Role Notes 1994 Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller Mr. Beautiful 1998 Black Dahlia Walter Pensky 2002 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Steve Scott 2009 Deadly Creatures George Struggs 2021 Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition Steve Scott Archival recordings; Remaster of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City only
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