DENNIS HOPPER COMES OFF HIS HARLEY FOR THE LAST TIME
Dennis Hopper went on a very strange trip as an actor during his lengthy and unusual career in show business. His career began as a bit player in ‘Rebel Without a Cause’; a famous 50s movie about alienated youth that featured an overrated actor named James Dean.
James Dean’s brief career as an actor hit its high water mark in this movie. He got to overact as a troubled kid who just discovered that Thurston Howell was his father before Thurston got on the boat with Gilligan. The movie is dated, but it was a controversial blockbuster in the 50s.
And Dennis Hopper took note of it and Dean’s impact.
After that, Hopper appeared in movies, and on TV, as a bit player in shows like ’Petticoat Junction’, in an episode when he played a beatnik.
It was almost type-casting for a young Hopper.
His iconic role came as a hippy/biker sidekick named Billy in ‘Easy Rider’ during the late 60s. Hopper also directed this pioneer counter-culture movie, so it was easy for him to giggle his way through the shoot as a stoned Robin to Peter Fonda’s Batman. Most people would agree that Hopper’s performance was not a reach because of a steady supply of drugs on the set.
He played a gonzo “Billy- if –he- had- survived- being- shot- off- his- hog “journalist in ‘Apocalypse Now’ in the late 70s. The strange homage to ‘Heart of Darkness’ was a good fit for the unconventional actor.
It was a different Dennis Hopper in the 80s when he stole the show in ‘Hoosiers’ as a burn-out in a basketball movie. He was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for his efforts.
A role as an incredibly violent sociopath Frank Booth in ‘Blue Velvet’ further cemented his image as a very good actor, particularly in off-beat roles.
The horrific lifestyle of drug and alcohol abuse was in his rear view mirror when Hopper turned the corner on his acting career, but he suffered from prostate cancer late in his life. This week Billy came off his bike for the last time.
He leaves behind a legacy of film history that will continue to stand the test of time.
COMMENTS:
SHELLEY:"Peace out Billy...and RIP Dennis...thx as always for a great read!!"
DAVE:"He was one the good ones. Not the typical POS Hollywood type. "
KAREN:"Dave just picked up Easy Rider the other day....ironic...."
GENE:"R.I.P."
DENNIS"I met Hopper, Fonda and David Crosby back in 1990 when I was part of the land speed record effort of the Easy Riders Magazine streamliner. World's fastest motorcycle (322.149 MPH) for 12 years. [img]http://www.easyriders.com/images/about/about11.jpg[/img].
