Dennis Hopper

Dennis Hopper: Biography in Details

Who Was Dennis Hopper?

Dennis Lee Hopper was a legendary American actor. Dennis was a filmmaker, photographer, and artist. He and  James Dean appeared in Rebel Without a Cause and Giant. Other movies like  Easy Rider, Blue Velvet, and River’s Edge cemented his legacy.

What caused Dennis Hopper’s death?

He passed away from prostate cancer on May 29, 2010, at the age of 74 in Venice, Los Angeles, California, the United States.

He rests peacefully at Jesus Nazareno Cemetery, Ranchos de Taos, Taos County, New Mexico, USA.

Dennis Lee Hopper: Age, Parents, Siblings, Ethnicity

Dennis was born in Dodge City, Kansas, the United States on May 17, 1936, to parents James Millard Hopper and Marjorie Mae Davis. Their ancestry is English- Irish- Scottish-Welsh-American.

He has two siblings namely, David Hopper, and Marvin Hopper.

When he was 13, Hopper and his family moved to San Diego, where his mother worked as a lifeguard instructor, and his father, James was a post office manager.

James had previously served in the Office of Strategic Services- the precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency, in World War II.

In which school did Dennis Hopper attend?

Dennis Hopper was especially fond of the plays of William Shakespeare. And in Kansas City, the young Hopper attended Saturday art classes at the Kansas City Art Institute, Missouri, US.

Hopper studied at Helix High School, La Mesa, California, United States. There he was active in the drama club, speech, and choir.

 Interested as he was in acting, he also studied at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. For five years he studied with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in New York City.

Hopper has a deep friendship with actor Vincent Price, whose passion for art influenced Hopper’s interest in art.

Dennis Lee Hopper: Professional Career

Dennis Hopper began his career in acting during the early 1950s. Likewise, his first role is said to be an unaccredited role in the feature film ‘Johnny Guitar’ (1954). Similarly, he made his debut in Hollywood with minor roles like ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ (1955) and ‘Giant’ (1956).

In 1971, he was part of the drama film ‘The Last Movie’. Moreover, he earned much appreciation for his direction and acting skills in the film ‘Out of the Blue’ (1980). During the time, he also appeared in films like ‘Rumble Fish’ (1983) and ‘The Osterman Weekend’ (1983).

In 1986, his role as the villain in ‘Blue Velvet’ earned much critical acclaim. In the same year, he was part of the sports film ‘Hoosiers’.

In 1988, Dennis Hopper directed the crime film ‘Colors’, depicting gang life and gang violence. Whereas, his other directorial ventures include ‘The Hot Spot’ (1990) and ‘Chasers’ (1994). Eventually, he also played the villain role in ‘Speed’ (1994) against Keanu Reeves.

Television and Feature Movies

During the 2000s, he also began taking up acting roles in television and feature films. He made several cameos as in ‘24’ (2002) as well as regular appearances as in ‘E-Ring’ (2005).

Television shows that he has also made appearances include: ‘Gunsmoke’, ‘Bonanza’, ‘Petticoat Junction, ‘The Twilight Zone, ‘The Defenders, ‘The Investigators’, ‘The Legend of Jesse James’, ‘Entourage’, ‘The Big Valley’, ‘The Time Tunnel’ and ‘The Rifleman’.

During 2008, he was also part of the drama series ‘Crash’. Besides movies, he was also a part of ‘The Keeper’ (2004) and ‘10th & Wolf’ (2006).

Commercials

Similarly, in the 1990s, he in association with sports brand Nike appeared in a series of television commercials.

Achievements, Awards, Books

Two months before he passed, he received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame along with his friends Jack Nicholson and Viggo Mortensen.

Dennis Lee was awarded the BSFC Award for Best Supporting Actor for Blue Velvet (1986). Likewise, he won the Kinema Junpo Award for Best Foreign Language Film for Easy Rider (1969).

Similarly, Dennis Hopper won MTV Movie Award for Best Villain for Speed (1994). Moreover, he won the Feature Film Award for Best Antagonist Actor for The Blackout (1997).

In 2011, art book publisher Taschen published his photography works by the title ‘Dennis Hopper: Photographs 1961–1967’.

How much is the net worth of Dennis Hopper?

This actor’s net worth is around $40 million.  He is one of the Richest Movie Actors who was born in KS. He also has a position on the list of Most popular Movie Actors.

Dennis Lee Hopper: Height, Weight

Dennis Hopper had auburn hair and green eyes. His height was 5 feet 9 inches and has a decent weight.

Social Media

Dennis Hopper had over 124 k followers on Facebook, 2.3k on Twitter, and 59.6k posts on Instagram.

Also, read Daniel Henney, Guillermo del Toro, Kathleen Turner, and David Duchovny.

Dennis Hopper's Birthday Dates