Home   >   Movie Stars   >   H   >   Dennis Hopper   >   More Biographies

More Dennis Hopper Bios & Profiles

 

The most recent Dennis Hopper biography is published on the main page.
 


Biography #2 (for Sleepwalking)

Dennis Hopper brings over five decades of acting and directorial experience to the cast of Sleepwalking. His myriad film and television credits over the years include such titles as Easy Rider, Hoosiers, Blue Velvet, Waterworld, True Romance, Speed and starring roles in the hit TV series 24 and E-Ring, among many, many others. Upcoming releases include such films as Elegy, Hell Ride and Swing Vote.

Born in Kansas and raised in San Diego, Hopper began his long and distinguished career after his graduation from high school, appearing in stage productions at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego and the La Jolla Playhouse and on numerous television shows before making his feature film debut in Johnny Guitar. Shortly after that, he appeared opposite James Dean and Natalie Wood in Rebel Without A Cause and then again with Dean in Giant. He followed that with roles in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and From Hell to Texas.

After studying with Lee Strasberg in New York for five years, Hopper starred in over 140 television shows including The Rifleman, Naked City, The Defenders, The Twilight Zone and Wagon Train, as well as John Frankenheimer's live production of The Last Summer for Studio One and George Roy Hill's Carnival opposite Natalie Wood, among many others. He also starred on Broadway as Franchot Tone's son in Mandingo.

Upon his return to Hollywood, the actor worked in features such as True Grit, Hang ‘Em High, Cool Hand Luke, Night Tide and Key Witness, and went on to star in several low-budget films for A.I.P., including cult classic The Trip, directed by Roger Corman, written by Jack Nicholson script and starring Peter Fonda; and The Glory Stompers. Hopper directed second unit sequences for both projects.

In 1969, Hopper made his directorial debut with the landmark feature Easy Rider, in which he co-starred Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson. The script, written by Hopper, Fonda, and Terry Southern, was nominated for an Academy Award; Nicholson also received an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor. Made at a cost of $340,000, the film grossed in excess of $50 million. At the Cannes Film Festival, Hopper was named Best New Director. The success of Easy Rider opened the doors of opportunity for young filmmakers to work in Hollywood. In 1985, Hopper re-emerged as a leading actor in films such as David Lynch's cult classic Blue Velvet, River's Edge and Hoosiers, for which he received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor. In 1988, he directed the highly acclaimed and successful Colors starring Sean Penn and Robert Duvall.

In addition to acting and directing, Hopper is a noted photographer and painter. Many exhibitions of his work have been mounted throughout the United States, Europe and Japan, in both galleries and major museums. He has had three books of his photographs published: Abstract Reality, Out of the Sixties and 1712 North Crescent Heights, a collection of photographs from the 1960s when he lived at this Hollywood address.

Bio courtesy Universal Pictures for "Sleepwalking" (12-Jul-2008)


Biography #3 (for George A. Romero's Land of the Dead)

An acclaimed actor and filmmaker with an iconic and distinctly American voice, Dennis Hopper was born in Dodge City, Kansas and grew up in San Diego, California. Following stage performances at the Old Globe Theatre and the La Jolla Playhouse as well as early television appearances, Hopper made a lasting, national impression with his performance in Nicholas Ray's classic Rebel Without a Cause, opposite James Dean and Natalie Wood. He quickly followed this with equally revelatory performances in George Stevens' epic Giant and John Sturges' Gunfight at the

O.K. Corral. He expanded his range and career after relocating to New York City where he studied with one of the giants of the craft, Lee Strasberg; while in New York, Hopper starred in a myriad of television shows, including The Rifleman, Naked City, The Defenders, The Twilight Zone and Wagon Train.

Following a return to Hollywood and continued work in cutting-edge, independent films (as both an actor and second-unit director), Hopper forever changed the face of American cinema with the 1969 film Easy Rider, which Hopper directed, co-wrote (with co-star Peter Fonda and Terry Southern) and headlined. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay, as did another of its stars, Jack Nicholson (for Best Supporting Actor). The film, made for $350,000, went on to gross in excess of $50 million and garnered Hopper the Best New Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Since Easy Rider, Hopper has been a familiar presence both in front of and behind the camera for more than three decades. He has been in over 140 television shows and has starred in more than150 films including Apocalypse Now, River's Edge, Blue Velvet, Hoosiers, True Romance, Speed, Waterworld and EdTV.

Hopper received the prestigious CIDALC award at the Venice Film Festival for The Last Movie (1971), which he directed, co-wrote and starred in. He received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for his role in Hoosiers. He also received a Golden Globe nomination for his role as Frank Booth in David Lynch's now-classic Blue Velvet.

More recently, Hopper lent his distinctive voice to narrate the Sundance hit documentary INSIDE Deep Throat, produced by Oscar-winning producer Brian Grazer and written, directed and produced by Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato. He became Chair of the CineVegas Film Festival in June of 2004. Hopper has also appeared on the television show Las Vegas with James Caan, in the USA Networks feature The Last Ride and on the acclaimed series 24; he also starred as legend Frank Sinatra in the independent film The Night We Called It a Day.

Upcoming film projects for Hopper are: 10th & Wolf (starring opposite James Marsden, Giovanni Ribisi and Brad Renfro), Out of Season (opposite Gina Gershon) and The Keeper (with Asia Argento). Hopper also recently played opposite outstanding cast members Joseph Fiennes, Sam Shepherd, Elisabeth Shue and Debra Unger in the feature Leo.

Hopper also co-stars opposite Benjamin Bratt in the new Jerry Bruckheimer/Warner Bros. Television-produced NBC series E-Ring, starting fall 2005; the pilot was directed by Taylor Hackford.

In addition to acting and directing, Hopper is a noted photographer and painter. Dennis Hopper is married to Victoria Duffy, who gave birth to their first child, daughter Galen, in March 2003. Hopper remains close to his three other children from previous marriages: Marin, Ruthanna and Henry.

Bio courtesy Universal Pictures for "George A. Romero's Land of the Dead" (06-Jul-2005)


Biography #4 (for Knockaround Guys)

Dennis Hopper is often described as a Hollywood icon, having acted in at least 115 feature films as well as 140 television productions.

Hopper's film career began in the mid-fifties in Rebel Without A Cause, with James Dean, followed by such classics as Giant and Gunfight at the OK Corral. He helped change the face of cinema forever with Easy Rider, a representation of youthful alienation in the sixties that won him the best new director award at the Cannes Film Festival.

In the seventies, he went on to appear in such films as Apocalypse Now and The American Friend, only to emerge in the eighties with classic performances in Blue Velvet, directed by David Lynch, and Hoosiers, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor. He also directed the highly-acclaimed Colors, in addition to Backtrack and The Hot Spot.

Hopper's credits in the nineties include True Romance, Red Rock West, Speed, Super Mario Brothers, Boiling Point, Search and Destroy and Waterworld.

Born in Dodge City, Kansas, Hopper graduated from high school in San Diego, where he appeared in numerous productions at the La Jolla Playhouse. He worked extensively in television in such classic shows as Twilight Zone, Loretta Young and Wagon Train and more recently earned Emmy and ACE nominations for best actor in Showtime's Paris Trout.

Hopper studied acting extensively with Lee Strasberg at New York's famed Actors Studio and is a noted photographer and painter.

Bio courtesy New Line Cinema for "Knockaround Guys" (04-Sep-2002)