Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, director, screenwriter, photographer, and artist. For Disney, he portrayed Dr. Roberts in My Science Project, Frank Slater in Meet the Deedles, President Koopa in the 1993 Hollywood Pictures film Super Mario Bros., and Donald Greenleaf in the 2008 Touchstone Pictures film Swing Vote.
Hopper was born on May 17, 1936, in Dodge City, Kansas to Marjorie Mae (née Davis) and James Millard Hopper. He had Scottish ancestors and two younger brothers, Marvin and David. After World War II, his family moved to Missouri, where the young Hopper attended Saturday art classes at the Kansas City Art Institute. When he was 13, Hopper and his family moved to San Diego, where he developed an interest in acting. He studied at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, as well as the Actors Studio in New York City (he studied with Lee Strasberg for five years).
Following an uncredited appearance in the 1954 Western film Johnny Guitar, Hopper continued to appear in various films throughout the decades, such as Rebel Without a Cause, Giant, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, The Sons of Katie Elder, True Grit, Cool Hand Luke, Easy Rider (also writer-director), The Last Movie (also writer), Mad Dog Morgan, The American Friend, Apocalypse Now, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Blue Velvet, Hoosiers, The Indian Runner, True Romance, Speed, Waterworld, Basquiat, EDtv, Land of the Dead, and Alpha and Omega (as the voice of Tony, his final film role before his death).
His television credits included Medic, Cheyenne, The Rifleman, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Petticoat Junction, The Twlilight Zone, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, Entourage, The Time Tunnel, Combat!, 24, Las Vegas, E-Ring, and Crash.
Hopper died of prostate cancer at his home in the coastal Venice district of Los Angeles, aged 74, on May 29, 2010, 12 days after his birthday. His body was buried at the Jesus Nazareno Cemetery in Ranchos de Taos.
Roles[]
(My Science Project)
(Meet the Deedles)
Gallery[]
