Bob Hoskins

Robert William Hoskins (26 October 1942 – 29 April 2014) was an English actor and film director. Known for his intense but sensitive portrayals of "tough guy" characters, he began his career on stage before making his screen breakthrough playing Arthur Parker in the 1978 BBC Television serial Pennies from Heaven. He subsequently played acclaimed lead roles in the films The Long Good Friday, Mona Lisa (1986), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Mermaids (1990), TwentyFourSeven (1997), Felicia's Journey (1999), Noriega: God's Favorite (2000), Last Orders (2001), The Good Pope: Pope John XXIII (2003), and Ruby Blue (2008).

Hoskins had supporting roles in Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982), The Honorary Consul (1983), The Cotton Club (1984), Brazil (1985), Hook (1991), Nixon (1995), Enemy at the Gates (2001), Maid in Manhattan (2002), Mrs Henderson Presents (2005), A Christmas Carol (2009), Made in Dagenham (2010), and Snow White and the Huntsman (2012). He portrayed Mario in the 1993 film Super Mario Bros., based on the video game of the same name, and voiced Boris Goosinov in the animated film Balto (1995). Hoskins also directed two feature films: The Raggedy Rawney (1988) and Rainbow (1996).

Hoskins received the BAFTA, Golden Globe and Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Mona Lisa. He won a Canadian Genie Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Felicia's Journey. In 2009, he won an International Emmy Award for Best Actor for his appearance on the BBC One drama The Street. Hoskins retired from acting in 2012 owing to Parkinson's disease after being diagnosed the previous year. He died in April 2014 from pneumonia.

Early life Robert William Hoskins was born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England, on 26 October 1942, the son of Elsie , a cook and nursery school teacher, and Robert Hoskins, a bookkeeper and lorry driver. One of his grandmothers was Romani. From two weeks old, he was brought up in the Finsbury Park area of London. He attended Stroud Green Secondary School, where he was written off as "stupid" on account of his dyslexia. He left school at 15 with a single O-Level and worked as a porter, lorry driver, plumber, and window cleaner. He started but did not complete a three-year accountancy course. He spent six months on a kibbutz in Israel and two years tending to the camels of a Bedouin tribe in Syria. A year later, while waiting in the bar at London's Unity Theatre for his friend, the actor Roger Frost, Hoskins found himself being auditioned for a play after being handed a script and told, "You're next." His audition was successful and Frost became his understudy. Frost considered Hoskins "a natural", recalling that "he just got up on stage and was brilliant".

In late 1969, he was part of Bolton's Octagon Theatre outreach troupe, which became the Ken Campbell Roadshow. Hoskins's London theatre career included portraying a "vigorous" Alfred Doolittle in a West End production of Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion opposite Diana Rigg at the Albery Theatre in 1974, and in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh at the Aldwych Theatre in 1976 as Rocky the bartender, opposite Patrick Stewart. In 1981, he starred with Helen Mirren in The Duchess of Malfi at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester and the London Roundhouse.

In 1974, Hoskins co-starred with John Thaw in the sitcom Thick as Thieves for London Weekend Television. He also appeared in On the Move (1975–1976), a BBC educational drama series directed by Barbara Derkow aimed at tackling adult illiteracy. He portrayed the character Alf Hunt, a removal man who had problems reading and writing. According to producer George Auckland, up to 17 million people watched the series. His breakthrough in television came later in the original BBC version of Dennis Potter's six-part drama Pennies from Heaven (1978), in which he portrayed adulterous sheet music salesman Arthur Parker. He later played Iago (opposite Anthony Hopkins) in Jonathan Miller's BBC Television Shakespeare production of Othello (1981). In 1983, Hoskins voiced an advert for Weetabix and, during the late 1980s and early 1990s, he appeared in advertising for British Gas and British Telecom (now BT Group). His other television work included Flickers (1980), portraying Wilkins Micawber in David Copperfield (1999), and Badger in The Wind in the Willows (2006).

British films such as The Long Good Friday (1980) and Mona Lisa (1986) won him the wider approval of critics, the latter film winning him a Cannes Award, Best Actor Golden Globe, BAFTA Award, and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Hoskins's other film parts included Spoor in Terry Gilliam's Brazil (1985), Smee in Hook (1991) and in Neverland (2011), starring opposite Cher in Mermaids (1990), portraying Nikita Khrushchev as a political commissar in Enemy at the Gates (2001), and playing Uncle Bart, the violent psychopathic "owner" of Jet Li in Unleashed (2005, aka Danny the Dog). He had a small role as the protagonist's rock and roll manager in The Wall (1982) and, in 1997, had a cameo as Ginger Spice's disguise in the Spice Girls' film, Spice World. He directed two films that he also starred in: The Raggedy Rawney (1988) and Rainbow (1996), and produced Mrs Henderson Presents alongside Norma Heyman, for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.

A high point in Hoskins's career was portraying the Los Angeles private investigator Edward "Eddie" Valiant in the live-action/animated family blockbuster Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). Hoskins was not the first choice for the role – several leading American actors including Eddie Murphy were considered. Film critics, among them Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, agreed that Hoskins was perfect for it. As his character interacts and makes physical contact with animated characters in the film, Hoskins was required to take mime training courses in preparation. He experienced hallucinations for months after production on the film had ended. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and won a British Evening Standard Award for his performance.

Hoskins's portrayal of Valiant was one of several roles where he used an American accent; he was described by Trey Barrineau of USA Today as having "a knack for playing Americans better than most American actors could". Others included Rocky the bartender in the play The Iceman Cometh (1976), gangster Owney Madden in Francis Coppola's The Cotton Club (1984), Gus Klein in Wolfgang Petersen's Shattered (1991), Mario in Super Mario Bros. (1993), J. Edgar Hoover in Oliver Stone's Nixon (1995), and Eddie Mannix in Hollywoodland (2006). He was among the actors considered to play Robert De Niro's role of Al Capone in The Untouchables (1987).

In a 1988 interview with the NPR radio show Fresh Air Terry Gross, when asked about many of his roles being underworld types, Hoskins said, "I think if you've got a face like mine you don't usually wind up with the parts that Errol Flynn played, you know?" Hoskins told The Guardian in 2007 that he regretted starring as Mario in Super Mario Bros., saying that he was extremely unhappy with the film, greatly angered by his experiences making it, and referring to it as the "worst thing I ever did". Hoskins was injured several times on set, spent most of the time with co-star John Leguizamo getting drunk to escape boredom, and was not aware that the film was based on a video game until he was informed later by his son.

In 2007, Hoskins appeared in the music video for Jamie T's single "Sheila". In 2009, he returned to television for Jimmy McGovern's drama series The Street, playing a publican who opposes a local gangster. For this role, he received his only Emmy: Best Actor at the 2010 International Emmys. The 2011 film In Search of La Che features a character "Wermit," whose every line of dialogue is a quote from Hoskins.

Personal life With his first wife Jane Livesey, Hoskins had two children: Alex (b. 1968) and Sarah (b. 1972). With his second wife, Linda Banwell, he had two more children: Rosa (b. ) and Jack (b. ). Hoskins divided his time between the Hampstead area of London and Chiddingly, East Sussex.

Later in life, Hoskins gave up drinking alcohol. He said that his wife persuaded him to go sober.

When asked in an interview which living person he most despised, Hoskins named Tony Blair and said, "He's done even more damage than Thatcher." He hated Blair to the point that he decided in 2010, for the first time in his life, not to vote for Labour, by then led by Gordon Brown.

Hoskins often made light of his similarities with film actor Danny DeVito, who he joked would play him in a film about his life. On 29 April 2014, he died of pneumonia at a London hospital, aged 71. He was survived by his wife Linda and his four children.

Among the actors who paid tribute at Hoskins's funeral were Stephen Fry, Samuel L. Jackson, and Helen Mirren. He is buried in Highgate Cemetery in London.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1972 Up the Front Recruiting sergeant 1973 The National Health Foster 1975 Royal Flash Police Constable 1975 Inserts Big Mac 1979 Zulu Dawn CSM Williams 1980 The Long Good Friday Harold Shand 1982 Pink Floyd – The Wall Band manager 1983 The Honorary Consul Colonel Perez 1984 Lassiter Inspector John Becker 1984 The Cotton Club Owney Madden 1985 The Woman Who Married Clark Gable George 1985 The Dunera Boys Morrie Mendellsohn 1985 Brazil Spoor 1986 Sweet Liberty Stanley Gould 1986 Mona Lisa George 1987 A Prayer for the Dying Father Michael Da Costa 1987 The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne James Madden 1988 Who Framed Roger Rabbit Eddie Valiant 1988 The Raggedy Rawney Darky Also director 1990 Heart Condition Jack Moony 1990 Mermaids Lou Landsky 1991 The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish Louis Aubinard 1991 Shattered Gus Klein 1991 Hook Smee 1991 The Inner Circle Lavrentiy Beria 1992 Passed Away Johnny Scanlan 1992 Blue Ice Sam Garcia 1993 Super Mario Bros. Mario Mario 1993 The Big Freeze Sidney 1995 Nixon J. Edgar Hoover 1995 Balto Boris Goosinoff Voice 1996 Rainbow Frank Bailey Also director 1996 The Secret Agent Verloc 1996 Michael Vartan Malt 1997 Twenty Four Seven Alan Darcy 1997 Spice World Himself as Ginger Spice's disguise Cameo 1998 Cousin Bette Cesar Crevel 1999 Parting Shots Gerd Layton 1999 Captain Jack Jack Armistead 1999 Felicia's Journey Hilditch 1999 A Room for Romeo Brass Steven Laws 1999 The White River Kid Brother Edgar 2000 American Virgin Joey 2001 Enemy at the Gates Nikita Khrushchev 2001 Last Orders Ray "Raysie" Johnson 2002 Where Eskimos Live Sharkey 2002 Maid in Manhattan Lionel Bloch 2003 The Sleeping Dictionary Henry 2003 Den of Lions Darius Paskevic 2004 Vanity Fair Sir Pitt Crawley 2004 Beyond the Sea Charlie Maffia 2005 Unleashed Bart 2005 Son of the Mask Odin 2005 Mrs Henderson Presents Vivian Van Damm 2005 Stay Dr. Leon Patterson 2006 Paris, je t'aime Bob Leander Segment: "Pigalle" 2006 Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties Winston Voice 2006 Hollywoodland Eddie Mannix 2007 Sparkle Vince 2007 Outlaw Walter Lewis 2007 Ruby Blue Jack 2007 Go Go Tales The Baron 2008 Doomsday Bill Nelson 2009 A Christmas Carol Mr. Fezziwig / Old Joe Motion capture; voice 2010 Made in Dagenham Albert 2011 Will Davey 2012 Outside Bet Percy "Smudge" Smith 2012 Snow White and the Huntsman Muir Final film role

Television Year Title Role Notes 1972 The Main Chance Workman Episode: "Acting for Self" 1972 Villains Charles Grindley 3 episodes 1972 Kate Heavy Episode: "A Nice Rest" 1972–1974 Play for Today Various 3 episodes 1973 Omnibus Grimaldi Episode: "It Must Be Something In the Water" 1973 Crown Court Freddie Dean Serial: "Crime in Prison" 1973 New Scotland Yard Eddie Wharton Episode: "Weight of Evidence" 1973 Sir Yellow Episode: "I Tag Along With Thee" 1973 Softly, Softly: Task Force Parker Episode: "Signed Off" 1974 Shoulder to Shoulder Jack Dunn Episode: "Outrage" 1974 Thick as Thieves Dobbs 8 episodes 1975–1976 On the Move Alf 1975 Thriller Sammy Draper Episode: "Kill Two Birds"/"Cry Terror" 1976 The Crezz Detective Sergeant Marble Episode: "A Flash of Inspiration" 1977 Van der Valk Johnny Palmer Episode: "Dead on Arrival" 1977 Rock Follies of '77 Johnny Britten Episode: "The Real Life" 1978 Pennies from Heaven Arthur Parker Miniseries 1979 Of Mycenae and Men Mr. Taramasalatopoulos Television short 1980 Flickers Arnie Cole Miniseries 1981 BBC Television Shakespeare Iago Episode: Othello 1983 The Beggar's Opera Beggar Television film - BBC 1985 Mussolini and I Benito Mussolini Miniseries 1985 The Dunera Boys Morrie Mendellsohn 2 episodes 1993 Performance De Flores Episode: The Changeling 1994 World War II: When Lions Roared Winston Churchill 2 episodes 1995–1999 The Forgotten Toys Teddy Voice26 episodes 1996 Tales from the Crypt Redmond Episode: "Fatal Caper"Also director 1998 Saturday Night Live Himself/Sam Kidd Episode: "Greg Kinnear/All Saints" 1999 David Copperfield Wilkins Micawber Miniseries 2000 Noriega: God's Favorite Manuel Noriega Television film 2000 Don Quixote Sancho Panza Television film - TNT 2001 The Lost World Professor George Challenger Television film 2003 Frasier Coach Fuller Episode: "Trophy Girlfriend" 2003 The Good Pope: Pope John XXIII Angelo Roncalli/Pope John XXIII Television film 2006 The Wind in the Willows Badger Television film 2008 The Englishman's Boy Damon Ira Chance 2 episodes 2008 Pinocchio Geppetto 2 episodes 2008 The Last Word Monologues Unnamed hitman Episode: "A Bit of Private Business" 2009 The Street Paddy Gargan 2 episodes 2011 Neverland Smee 2 episodes

Awards and nominations