May 30, 2010 [LINK / comment]

R.I.P. Dennis Hopper

On Saturday yet another big-name entertainer passed away: Dennis Hopper, who fell victim to prostate cancer at the age of 74. He gained fame from the controversial 1969 movie Easy Rider, which (ironically) I just saw for the first time a couple months ago. Prior to that, he was known primarily for his roles in western movies, but afterwards, he became one of the leading counterculture figures in Hollywood. (His own personal lifestyle was indeed rather unorthodox.) Most notable was his portrayal of the deranged officer in Apocalypse Now (1979). Perhaps least notable was his role as the villain in the 1995 flop Waterworld. Stylistically, he was known for his gruff appearance and rural midwestern twange. (He was born in Kansas.) He also played a character in the first season of the FOX-TV show 24. See CNN.com and imdb.com.

More recently, Hopper parlayed his image of ultra-cool baby-boomer in doing TV ads for Ammeriprise Financial. As The Onion pointed out in 2007, Hopper's background was not exactly suited for building security and investor confidence. Maybe that could help explain the Wall Street crash in September 2008. smile