I was saddened to hear that Bob Hoskins announced his retirement from acting earlier today. BBC reported on the news with his statement:
“He wishes to thank all the great and brilliant people he has worked with over the years, and all of his fans who have supported him during a wonderful career. Bob is now looking forward to his retirement with his family, and would greatly appreciate that his privacy be respected at this time.”
Saddened I am, but with the understanding that a dude has to do what a dude has to do. And Bob Hoskins was a dude. A legend. One of the greats – and not just for his most well-known role as Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (which is, I might add, a fucking stellar film that has definitely held up against the test of time).
But when I first went to college and discovered that my campus library had an insane amount of awesome British films on hand, I devoured Hoskins’s movies that I, as a child, had never known existed. Watching The Long Good Friday in my dorm room on a humid Florida night, I was absolutely stunned at the ending and sat in silence for a while trying to take it all in. The next night, I watched it again. From there, I was equally in awe of his performance in Mona Lisa. I took in The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, The Raggedy Rawney, A Prayer for the Dying, and The Big Freeze. Hell, I even have a soft spot for the abomination that is Super Mario Bros. because of Hoskins.
I was always waiting for a resurgence of Hoskins’s leading man career. He’s always worked steadily, but after watching all his starring roles throughout the 80s, I wondered why he was no longer a leading actor. 2005′s Mrs. Henderson Presents and 2007′s Ruby Blue (buy it here) showed that he could still be a leading man with a stellar performance, but unfortunately, few paid any attention. Still, his career has been nothing short of stellar.
So hey, let’s talk about Bob Hoskins and wish him well. Let’s talk about our favorite movies starring Bob Hoskins. Or rank your favorite performances. Or just talk about how cool Eddie Valiant was.
The three movies that always stick out for me when I think of Hoskins is Roger Rabbit, Hook, and Super Mario Bros (all three of which I believe were released within 5 years of each other)
The Long Good Friday is one of the best films ever, and his performance is one of the best ever. It’s perfection bundled into a few rolls of celluloid.
Agreed. That’s the film I will always remember him in.
Snow White & The Huntsman.
Embarrassing that this shrunken shrivel’d CGI version will be his final film…
Just think what Sean Connery must be feeling about The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Or, if you want to include animated, Sir Billi.
Sean Connery apparently turned down roles in the Matrix and Lord of the Rings, because he didn’t understand the movies. He felt he didn’t understand The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen but took it anyways, based on the fact that other movies he turned down were such successes. With LOEG being such a critical and commercial failure, it seemed to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
He didn’t understand them… but he was in Zardoz? OK Sean, OK.
I’m a bit curious to check out the Atom Egoyan film Felicia’s Journey. Apparently Hoskin’s performance is quite good in that film.
Indeed a fine thespian who will be missed in his retirement. Don’t forget his appearance as the duct work serviceman “Spoor” in Brazil.
What film is the above photo from?
This above photo is from The Long Good Friday. And yes, I love his role in Brazil!
The Long Good Friday – Just added to my Netflix Instant queue. Thanks!
Shane Meadows’ Twenty Four Seven is my favourite Hoskins performance. I hate to say it but I was very disappointed with Long Good Friday when I saw it for the first time recently, although Bob was great in it. I just found it quite dated. It was hyped up to hell before I watched it though.
You can’t beat Roger Rabbit on the other hand – a classic.
So sad to hear. The weird thing is just before I read this, I was watching Who Framed Roger Rabbit for probably the thousandth time then someone told me it’s ironic that I saw it because he retired shortly after. Weird.