It is our sad duty to report that Hollywood has lost one of its best tough guys. Bob Hoskins, the man behind Eddie Valiant in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” and Smee in “Hook” and as the grizzled lead in “The Long Good Friday,” has passed away at the age of 71. Should we mention that he also played Mario Mario in the terribly awful “Super Mario Bros.” film? No, let’s forget about that one.
Hoskins retired from acting in 2012 after a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and a statement from the family said that he passed away in the hospital while suffering from pneumonia.
Hoskins had a gift as an actor to bring a grounded reality to the parts he played, which made him the perfect foil for the toons in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” He brought a gravitas to an otherwise absurd world. But when he was asked to provide the absurdity as he was in Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil” he brought it with a force of hilarity that no one else could have brought. Whether playing the jilted lover, as he did in “Hollywoodland,” or the crazy gangster, as he did in “Unleashed,” he added something to the roles he played that is hard to put your finger on.
For my part, Bob Hoskins is what made me want to be a filmmaker. Well, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” did. The first time I remember ever seeing any behind the scenes footage from a movie was watching Hoskins dance with the air in a fantastic pantomime performance with Roger Rabbit, with the Rabbit to be added later. I was doubly blown away by the difference in his accent between the documentaries and the film. He was the thing that made me realize that movies were made rather than born. As a testament to how much I loved the movie, it was my idea that just a couple of weeks ago, we do a panel dedicated to why “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” was one of the greatest noir films ever made. There would have been no reason for such a panel without the stunning work of Bob Hoskins. (You can listen to that whole panel here.)
His performance in that film was something I always defended ardently and I’m sad to see such an inspiration on my life path go.
If you’re curious, go watch any of the Hoskins movies I listed above. You’ll be pleased. His work will live on, though we may be poorer for his loss.