His 1970 marriage to Michelle Phillips lasted just a few days, during his wild and woolly, drug-fueled period. She also appears briefly in The Last Movie (1971), Hopper's almost-disastrously appropriately entitled solo directorial effort, following Easy Rider (1969). At one point in this era, Hopper was arrested after he was found raving, naked, After early success as a child star in theater, his movie career was practically stillborn when Louis B. Mayer banned him from the MGM lot after Hopper responded forcefully, in kind, when the mogul belittled his desire to play Shakespearen roles.
His house in Venice Beach, LA is a radical architectural statement
Ranked #87 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]
Reported that Rip Torn has won a $475,000 defamation suit against Hopper. Lawsuit came about after remarks made by Hopper on the Tonight Show on 31 May 1994. [14 March 1997]
Dennis Hopper married Victoria Cane Duffy in Boston, at the Old South Church.
Lamenting to an audience Q & A in Sydney that he had "never had any great roles", Hopper nominated 'Splendor in the Grass' as the one he most wished he'd been given.
Belongs to the Top 100 collectors of modern art.
Had his photography exhibited at Fort Worth, Denver, Wichita, Cochran, and Spileto art museuems, as well as the Parco Gallery, and in the cities of Tokyo, Osaka, and Kumatomo, Japan.
As a youngster in Kansas City, he took classes taught by legendary painter Thomas Hart Benton, who told him: "One day you'll learn to get tight, and paint loose."
At one time, was blackballed from Hollywood roles for eight years.
1 September 2000 - A Canadian judge dismissed marijuana charges against Hopper stemming from an October 1999 arrest in Calgary.
Father of Marin Hopper
In The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986), he says "Boys, boys, boys." when he first meets Leatherface and the Sawyer family. Hopper says the exact same thing when he first meets the heroes in Super Mario Bros. (1993).
Dennis and Victoria Duffy Hopper's first child, daughter Galen Grier Hopper was born on March 26, 2003 in L.A.
His parents are Jay and Marjorie Hopper. His father died in 1982 and his mother remarried.
Graduate of Helix High School, La Mesa, California. Class of 1954, which voted him "Most Likely To Succeed."
Hopper is quoted in the book "Marilyn Beck's Hollywood" (1973) as saying that the Manson Massacre of Sharon Tate and friends was the backlash from a sex and drugs party the week previously, in which a drug dealer was tied up and whipped before a crowd for selling "bad dope" to the residents of 10050 Cielo Drive. As can be seen by Rip Torn's success in prosecuting a defamation suit against Hopper in the 1990s, he is not the most reliable witness to history.
James Dean learned he had an interest in photography when they worked together, and encouraged him to pursue it as an alternative to just being an actor. Hopper published a book of photos in the late 1980s, including pictures of stars he'd known, and thanked Dean.
Is portrayed by Jarrod Dean in The Mystery of Natalie Wood (2004) (TV)
Provided the narration for the Gorillaz song 'Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head'.
Member of the US Republican Party.
Dennis Hopper Detailed Biography
Born:
May 17, 1936
Dodge City, Kansas, USA
Died:
Occupation:
Actor and film-maker.
Annual salary:
Net worth:
Spouse:
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Website:
Dennis Hopper (born May 17, 1936) is an American actor and film-maker.
Born in Dodge City, Kansas, Hopper was voted most likely to succeed by his high school class (Helix High School, La Mesa, California) and it was there he developed an interest in acting. He was especially fond of the plays of William Shakespeare. Hopper made his acting debut on an episode of the Richard Boone television show Medic in 1955 playing a young epileptic. Hopper was then cast in two roles with James Dean (whom he admired immensely) Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and Giant (1956).
Dean's death in a 1955 car accident affected the young Hopper deeply and it was shortly afterwards that he got into a confrontation with veteran director Henry Hathaway on the film From Hell To Texas. Hopper refused directions for 80 takes over several days. This infamous incident resulted in his being blacklisted from films for several years.
In his book Last Train to Memphis, American popular music historian Peter Guralnick says that in 1956 when Elvis Presley was making his first film in Hollywood, Dennis Hopper was roommates with fellow actor Nick Adams and the three became friends and hung out together.
Hopper moved to New York and studied at the famous Lee Strasberg acting school. He appeared in over 140 episodes of television shows such as Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, The Defenders, The Big Valley, The Time Tunnel and Combat. Hopper also became an accomplished professional photographer (he has had many exhibitions of his work). He also was very talented as a painter and a poet.
Hopper had a supporting role as "Babalugats" the bet-taker in "Cool Hand Luke" (1967).
Although Hopper was able to resume acting in mainstream films including The Sons Of Kate Elder (1965) and True Grit (1969), in both of these films he had death scenes with John Wayne, it was not until he teamed with Peter Fonda and made Easy Rider that he really shook up the Hollywood establishment. This film became an anthem of sorts to the lost generation of the Vietnam war and to this day is one of the most successful independent films ever made. Hopper won wide acclaim as the director of the film for his improvisational methods and stop action photography.
Hopper wrote and directed another film that was released in 1971 called The Last Movie that was a box office failure and derailed his career for years. Hopper had long been an alcoholic and drug abuser and it was at this point his addiction began to dominate his life. However, Hopper did act in several films during this period such as Mad Dog Morgan (1976), Tracks (1976), The American Friend (1977), Apocalypse Now (1979) and he won acclaim for directing and acting in Out of the Blue (1980).
In the early 1980s, Hopper entered a drug rehabilitation program and cured himself of his addictions. He gave powerful performances in Rumble Fish (1983) and The Osterman Weekend (1983). However, it was not until he portrayed the alkyl nitrites-huffing, obscenity-screaming Frank Booth in David Lynch's film Blue Velvet (1986) that his career truly revived. After reading the script, Hopper called Lynch and told him "You have to let me play Frank Booth. Because I am Frank Booth!" Hopper won critical acclaim and a slew of awards for this role and the same year won an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Hoosiers.
In 1988, Hopper directed a critically acclaimed film about Los Angeles gangs called Colors. He has continued to be an important actor, photographer and director. He was nominated for an Emmy award for the 1991 HBO films Paris Trout and Doublecrossed (in which he played real life drug smuggler and DEA informant Barry Seal). He also co-starred in the 1994 blockbuster Speed with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. He recently contributed to the film 1 Giant Leap with provocative anecdotes on spirituality, unity and culture.
In the early 90's, Hopper teamed with Nike to make a series of successful television commercials. Hopper appeared as a "crazed referee" in those ads.
In 2001, Hopper joined the cast of 24 for the last five episodes of Season 1. He is currently starring in the NBC television series E-Ring, a drama set at The Pentagon.
One of the top collectors of modern American art, Hopper's collection bring collect millions at auction.
On the 2005 Gorillaz album Demon Days, Hopper performs the spoken word track "Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head."
Unlike most of his colleagues in Hollywood, Hopper is a strong supporter of the Republican Party
