Biography
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 Katie 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 1990s, 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
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) (voice only)
From Hell to Texas (1958)
The Young Land (1959)
Key Witness (1960)
Night Tide (1961)
Tarzan and Jane Regained... Sort of (1964)
Screen Test #2 (1965) (short subject)
Screen Test (1965) (short subject)
The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
Screen Test #4 (1966) (short subject)
Screen Test #3 (1966) (short subject)
Queen of Blood (1966)
Luke (1967) (short subject)
The Trip (1967)
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
The Glory Stompers (1968)
Hang 'Em High (1968)
Panic in the City (1968)
Head (1968) (cameo appearance)
Easy Rider (1969) (also director and writer)
True Grit (1969)
The Festival Game (1970) (documentary)
The American Dreamer (1971) (documentary) (also writer)
The Last Movie (1971) (also director and writer)
The Other Side of the Wind (1972) (unfinished)
Crush Proof (1972)
Kid Blue (1973)
Tracks (1976)
Mad Dog Morgan (1976)
The American Friend (1977)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1977)
Concorde Affair (1978)
Flesh Color (1979)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
The Sky Is Falling (1979)
Out of the Blue (1980) (also director and writer)
Reborn (1981)
King of the Mountain (1981)
Neil Young: Human Highway (1982)
Rumble Fish (1983)
The Osterman Weekend (1983)
White Star (1983)
Jungle Warriors (1984)
The Inside Man (1984)
A Hero of Our Time (1985)
My Science Project (1985)
Riders of the Storm (1986)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
River's Edge (1986)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Hoosiers (1986)
Black Widow (1987)
Straight to Hell (1987)
O.C. and Stiggs (1987)
The Pick-Up Artist (1987)
Blood Red (1989)
Chattahoochee (1989)
Catchfire (1990) (also director)
Flashback (1990)
Hollywood Mavericks (1990) (documentary)
Superstar: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol (1990) (documentary)
Motion & Emotion (1990) (documentary)
Sunset Heat (1991)
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991) (documentary)
Picture This: The Times of Peter Bogdanovich in Archer City, Texas (1991) (documentary)
The Indian Runner (1991)
Eye of the Storm (1991)
Snow White, Rose Red (1991) (documentary)
Red Rock West (1992)
The Revenge of the Dead Indians (1993) (documentary)
Boiling Point (1993)
Super Mario Bros. (1993)
True Romance (1993)
Chasers (1994) (also director)
Speed (1994)
Witch Hunt (1994)
Search and Destroy (1995)
Waterworld (1995)
Cannes Man (1996) (cameo)
Carried Away (1996)
Basquiat (1996)
Space Truckers (1996)
Top of the World (1997)
The Good Life (1997)
The Last Days of Frankie the Fly (1997)
The Blackout (1997)
Who Is Henry Jaglom? (1997) (documentary)
Road Ends (1997)
Michael Angel (1998)
Meet the Deedles (1998)
Robert Rauschenberg: Inventive Genius (1999) (documentary) (narrator)
The Prophet's Game (1999)
Lured Innocence (1999)
The Source (1999)
Edtv (1999)
Straight Shooter (1999)
Jesus' Son (1999)
The Venice Project (1999)
Bad City Blues (1999)
Choke (2000)
The Spreading Ground (2000)
Luck of the Draw (2000)
Welcome to Hollywood (2000) (documentary)
Held for Ransom (2000)
Jason and the Argonauts (2000)
L.A.P.D.: To Protect and to Serve (2001)
Ticker (2001)
Jazz Seen: The Life and Times of William Claxton (2001) (documentary)
Knockaround Guys (2001
1 Giant Leap (2002) (documentary)
I Don't Know Jack (2002) (documentary)
Unspeakable (2002)
Leo (2002)
Venice: Lost and Found (2002) (documentary)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) (voice)
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003) (documentary)
A Decade Under the Influence (2003) (documentary)
Dennis Hopper: Create (or Die) (2003) (documentary)
New Scenes from America (2003) (short subject)
The Night We Called It a Day (2003)
The Last Ride (2004)
Legacy (2004)
The Keeper (2004)
House of 9 (2004)
Tell Them Who You Are (2004) (documentary)
Inside Deep Throat (2005) (documentary) (narrator)
Champion (film) (2005) (documentary)
Americano (2005)
Going Through Splat: The Life and Work of Stewart Stern (2005) (documentary)
The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005) (currently completed filming)
Sketches of Frank Gehry (2005) (documentary) (currently completed filming)
Land of the Dead (2005)
E-Ring (2005) (TV series)
Mem-o-re (2005]]) (currently filming)
10th & Wolf (2006) (currently in post-production)
3055 Jean Leon (2006) (documentary) (currently filming)
Trivia
Super Mario Bros. is the only film in the comedy film genre he appeared in.
