Hollywood legend
Dennis Hopper has succumbed to prostate cancer at his home in Venice, California, aged 74
says BBC. The first Hopper performance I think I ever saw was his dastardly turn as the former cop turned evil terrorist in
Speed, where for a long time in my eyes he was the embodiment of what a ruthless and unmerciful film bad guy should be. I don't know if it I was at the right age to get caught up in it but his
Speed role was something that always stayed with me. I always remember fondly around a decade ago, hoping that
24's mystery villain they were building up would be someone who could a
Dennis Hopper part. Low and behold and I kid you not that I didn't know of his casting, once we got to the final few episodes - it was Hopper himself who was the villain. That's something that will always stay with me for Hopper, one of the ultimate action villains. Or in the case of
Blue Velvet, just screen villains in general. Of course I would be remiss not to mention
Easy Rider, a movie he co-wrote, directed and starred in which made him an icon of a new generation of bad-ass hell-raisers that audiences ate up in the 70's. The likes of Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty. Few actors made such a memorable screen debut either with his turn in
Rebel Without A Cause. He would go on to appear in
Giant, Cool Hand Luke,Apocalypse Now,
True Grit,
Rumble Fish... would be Oscar nominated for Hoosiers - and would chew dialogue in one of Tarantino's classic written scenes in
True Romance. Rather fittingly (if that's even the right word), his final moments in public were the receiving of his Hollywood star in March, and one of his last on screen roles proved to be rather poignant - as a dying sex addicted, ex-player of the field in the brilliant
Elegy. Hopper will be missed. Hopefully I will get a chance to write some more soon....