Dennis Hopper

Born: 1936-05-17 in Dodge City, Kansas, USA

Died: 2010-05-29

Known For: Acting

Biography

Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954, and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and Giant (1956). During the next 10 years, Hopper appeared frequently on television in guest roles, and by the end of the 1960s had played supporting roles in several films. He directed and starred in Easy Rider (1969), winning an award at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as co-writer. "With its portrait of counterculture heroes raising their middle fingers to the uptight middle-class hypocrisies, Easy Rider became the cinematic symbol of the 1960s, a celluloid anthem to freedom, macho bravado and anti-establishment rebellion." Film critic Matthew Hays notes that "no other persona better signifies the lost idealism of the 1960s than that of Dennis Hopper." He was unable to build on his success for several years, until a featured role in Apocalypse Now (1979) brought him attention. He subsequently appeared in Rumble Fish (1983) and The Osterman Weekend (1983), and received critical recognition for his work in Blue Velvet and Hoosiers, with the latter film garnering him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He directed Colors (1988) and played the villain in Speed (1994). Hopper's later work included a leading role in the television series Crash. Hopper's last performance was filmed just before his death: The Last Film Festival, slated for a 2011 release. Hopper was also a prolific and acclaimed photographer, a profession he began in the 1960s. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Filmography

2026

This Is Buzz as Himself

2025

Films to Die For as (archive footage) (uncredited)

2023

to Crinkle their Wrist, Perfumed Splendour as Frank Booth (archive footage)
Spirit of Golf as Self (archive footage)

2010

Alpha and Omega as Tony (voice)
Beautiful Darling as Self (archive footage)
Stardust as Self (uncredited)

2009

No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos as Self
B movie as Himself
Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder as Self
13 Most Beautiful… Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests as Self

2008

Crash as Ben Cendars
Elegy as George O'Hearn
Swing Vote as Donald Greenleaf
An American Carol as Judge Clarence Henderson
Hell Ride as Eddie Zero
Not Quite Hollywood as Self
Sleepwalking as Mr. Reedy
Palermo Shooting as Frank
Chelsea on the Rocks as Self
Bananaz as Self / Narrator (voice)
The Brothers Warner as Self - Actor
Stanley Kramer: A Man's Search for Truth as Self
The Cool School as Self
Tim Leary: The Art of Dying as Self
Russian Suicide Chair as Himself

2007

The Graham Norton Show as Self
Brando: The Documentary as Self
Brando as Self
Brando: An Icon Is Born as Himself
The Holy Modal Rounders: Bound to Lose as Self

2006

10th & Wolf as Matty Matello
50 Films to See Before You Die as Self
Memory as Max Lichtenstein
Hoboken Hollow as Sheriff Greer
Wanderlust as Himself
Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film as Self
The Art of Football from A to Z as Self
Sketches of Frank Gehry as Self
Gorillaz: Demon Days Live at the Manchester Opera House as Narrator (voice)
The Real James Dean as Self
The Sixth Element: The Ross Clarke-Jones Story as Narrator
Rising Son: The Legend of Skateboarder Christian Hosoi as Narrator (voice)
Gorillaz: Demon Days Live in Harlem at Apollo Theater as Self

2005

Land of the Dead as Kaufman
E-Ring as Eli McNulty
Inside Deep Throat as Narrator (voice)
The Crow: Wicked Prayer as El Niño
House of 9 as Father Duffy
Americano as Riccardo
Champion as Self
Rebel Without a Cause: Defiant Innocents as Himself
On Location in Tulsa: The Making of 'Rumble Fish' as Self (archive footage)

2004

Entourage as Dennis Hopper
10 Things Every Guy Should Experience as Self
The Last Ride as Ronnie Purnell
The Keeper as Krebs
Tell Them Who You Are as Self
Out of Season as Harry Barlow
Dennis Hopper: The Decisive Moments as Self

2003

Las Vegas as Jon Castille
Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self - Guest
A Decade Under the Influence as Self
Unspeakable as Warden
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood as Self
The Night We Called It a Day as Frank Sinatra
New Scenes from America as Himself - Actor
Dennis Hopper: Create (or Die) as Self

2002

V Graham Norton as Self
Flatland as Smith
Firestarter: Rekindled as James Richardson
The Piano Player as Robert Nile
Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film as Self (uncredited)
Leo as Horace
Mysteries of Love as Self
Flatland as Smith
The Groovenians as Dad/King Normans
I Don't Know Jack as Self
The Groovenians as Dad / King Normans (voice)
1 Giant Leap as Self
When Hippies Ruled The World as Self

2001

24 as Victor Drazen
Knockaround Guys as Benny Chains
Ticker as Alex Swan
L.A.P.D.: To Protect And To Serve as Captain Elsworth
Choke as Henry Clark
Andy Warhol: The Complete Picture as Self
Emmanuelle: A Hard Look as Himself
Jazz Seen as Self

2000

Jason and the Argonauts as Pelias
The Prophet's Game as Vincent Swan
Jesus' Son as Bill
Luck of the Draw as Giani Ponti
Welcome to Hollywood as Dennis Hopper
Held for Ransom as JD
The Ten Commandments of Creativity as Self
Michael Angel as Lewis Garou
Spreading Ground as Det. Ed DeLongpre
Homeless ... (Director)

1999

EDtv as Henry 'Hank' Pekurny
Forever Hollywood as Self
Tycus as Peter Crowford
Bad City Blues as Cleveland Carter
The Source as William S. Burroughs
Straight Shooter as Frank Hector
The Venice Project as Roland / Salvatore
The Pursuit of Happiness as Self
A Tribute to Johnny Cash as Self
Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage as Self

1998

Meet the Deedles as Frank Slater
Lured Innocence as Rick Chambers
The A-Z of Separating People from their Money as Self

1997

King of the Hill as Dennis Hopper (voice)
Scene by Scene as Self
Top of the World as Charles Atlas
The Blackout as Mickey
Who Is Henry Jaglom? as Self
Happy Birthday Elizabeth: A Celebration of Life as Self
Road Ends as Sheriff Ben Gilchrist
Vincent Price: The Versatile Villain as Self
U2: A Year in Pop as Narrator (voice)
Willie Nelson: Down Home as Self

1996

The Daily Show as Self
Space Truckers as John Canyon
Basquiat as Bruno Bischofberger
Samson and Delilah as General Tariq
E! True Hollywood Story
The Last Days of Frankie the Fly as Frankie
Carried Away as Joseph Svenden
Cannes Man as Self
The Fine Art of Separating People from Their Money as Self - Host
Rediscovering a Rebel as Self / Goon (archive footage)
Return to 'Giant' as Self

1995

Die Harald Schmidt Show as Self
Waterworld as Deacon
Search and Destroy as Dr. Waxling
James Dean and Me as Self (uncredited)
Dark and Deadly: Fifty Years of Film Noir as Himself
Born to Be Wild as Himself

1994

Speed as Howard Payne
Chasers as Doggie
Inside the Actors Studio as Self
Witch Hunt as H. Phillip Lovecraft
Marlon Brando: The Wild One as Self

1993

True Romance as Clifford Worley
Super Mario Bros. as King Koopa
Red Rock West as Lyle from Dallas
Boiling Point as Rudolph 'Red' Diamond
The Revenge of the Dead Indians as Himself
Willie Nelson: The Big Six-O as Self
Kris Kristofferson: His Life and Work as Self

1992

HBO First Look
The Heart of Justice as Austin Blair
Nails as Harry 'Nails' Niles
Sunset Heat as Carl Madson

1991

The Indian Runner as Caesar
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse as Self
Fishing with John as Self
Doublecrossed as Barry Seal
Paris Trout as Paris Trout
Picture This as Self
Crazy About the Movies: Dennis Hopper as Self (uncredited)
Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only: Alejandro Jodorowsky as Self
SnowwhiteRosered as Self
Eye of the Storm as Marvin Gladstone

1990

The Hot Spot ... (Director)
Catchfire as Milo
Flashback as Huey Walker
Chattahoochee as Walker Benson
Superstar: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol as Self
Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol: Friendships & Intersections as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only: David Lynch as Self
Motion and Emotion: The Films of Wim Wenders as Self

1989

Blood Red as William Bradford Berrigan
Black Leather Jacket as Narrator
Rabbit Ears - The Fisherman and His Wife as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Drawing the Line: A Portrait of Keith Haring as Self

1988

LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Colors ... (Director)
No Frank in Lumberton as Self
On the tracks of a filmmaker as Dennis Hooper
Art, Acting, & the Suicide Chair: A Conversation with Dennis Hopper

1987

Biography as Self
Seitenblicke as self
Black Widow as Ben Dumers
The Pick-up Artist as Flash Jensen
Straight to Hell as I.G. Farben
O.C. and Stiggs as Sponson
Running Out of Luck as Video Director
Santabear's High Flying Adventure as (voice)
The American Way as Captain
Out of the Blue and Into the Black as Self
Blue Peanuts as Snoopy (Voice)

1986

Blue Velvet as Frank Booth
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 as Lieutenant 'Lefty' Enright
Hoosiers as Shooter
River's Edge as Feck
Stark: Mirror Image as Lieutenant Ron Bliss
Some Kind of Genius as Himself

1985

My Science Project as Bob Roberts
Stark as Lieutenant Ron Bliss
A Hero of Our Time as Casey

1984

The Inside Man as Miller

1983

Rumble Fish as Father
The Osterman Weekend as Richard Tremayne
White Star as Kenneth Barlow
Dennis Hopper's Russian Dynamite Death Chair Act as Himself

1982

Human Highway as Cracker / Stranger

1981

Out of the Blue as Don
Reborn as Rev. Tom Hartley
King of the Mountain as Cal

1980

Wild Times as Doc Holliday

1979

Apocalypse Now as Photojournalist

1978

Last In, First Out as Medford
Flesh Color as Mel

1977

The American Friend as Tom Ripley
The Sorceror's Apprentice as A Spy

1976

Mad Dog Morgan as Daniel Morgan
Tracks as 1st Sgt. Jack Falen
To Shoot a Mad Dog as Self

1975

Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche as Self
James Dean: The First American Teenager as Self
The Sky is Falling as Chicken

1973

Kid Blue as Bickford Waner

1972

Yoko Ono: This Is Not Here as Self
Crush Proof as Dennis Hopper

1971

The Last Movie as Kansas
The American Dreamer as Himself

1969

True Grit as "Moon"
Easy Rider as Billy
The Johnny Cash Show as Self

1968

Hang 'em High as Prophet
Head as Self (uncredited)
Panic in the City as Goff

1967

1966

Queen of Blood as Paul Grant
Screen Test #3 as Self (uncredited)
Light Years

1965

The Big Valley as Jimmy Sweetwater
The Legend of Jesse James as Jud Salt
The Sons of Katie Elder as Dave Hastings
Andy Warhol Screen Tests as Self

1964

Tarzan and Jane Regained... Sort of as Tarzan (Double)
The Thirteen Most Beautiful Boys
Screen Test [ST155]: Dennis Hopper as Himself

1963

1962

Combat! as Zack Fielder
The Hold-Out as Fred Judson

1961

The Mike Douglas Show as Self
The Defenders as Alfred Carter Jr.
87th Precinct as Andrew Mason
The Investigators as Adrian
Night Tide as Johnny Drake

1960

Surfside 6
The Barbara Stanwyck Show as Gerald Collins
Key Witness as William "Cowby" Tomkins

1959

Bonanza as Dev Farnum
The Twilight Zone as Peter Vollmer
The Young Land as Hatfield Carnes
Disneyland '59 as Self
The Sunrise Gun as Denny Sunrise

1958

The Rifleman as Vernon Tippert
Naked City as Vinnie Winford
From Hell to Texas as Tom Boyd
Swiss Family Robinson as Fritz

1957

Wagon Train as Emmett Lawton
Sugarfoot as Billy the Kid
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral as Billy Clanton
Sayonara as MP in Kelly's House / MP at Tokyo Airport (voice) (uncredited)
The Story of Mankind as Napoleon Bonaparte
The James Dean Story as Self

1956

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre as Vernon 'Vern' Tippert
Giant as Jordan "Jordy" Benedict III
Conflict
New York Premiere Telecast 'Giant' as Self
High Air as Steve Redman

1955

Cheyenne
Matinee Theater
Gunsmoke as Billy Kimbo
Highway Patrol
The Millionaire as Adam Spencer
Screen Director's Playhouse as Steve Redman
Rebel Without a Cause as Goon
I Died a Thousand Times as Joe (uncredited)
Kings Row

1954

Medic as Robert

1953

Letter to Loretta as Ross Morton
General Electric Theater as Fred Judson

1948

Studio One as David Williams

1944

Golden Globe Awards as Self - Presenter