British Actor Bob Hoskins Dies at 71 Following Bout of Pneumonia
Image by Getty Images
British actor Bob Hoskins, whose roles ranged from London gangsters to FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover and who starred opposite a cast of cartoon characters in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, has died after a bout of pneumonia, his publicist said on Wednesday.
He was 71.
A statement issued on behalf of his wife Linda and his children said: “We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Bob. Bob died peacefully at hospital last night surrounded by family, following a bout of pneumonia.”
Hoskins announced his retirement from acting in 2012, saying at the time that he was suffering from Parkinson’s disease, an incurable muscular disorder.
In the early 1960s, Hoskins, raised as an atheist, hitchhiked across Europe and ended up working on a kibbutz in Israel.
In the 1970s, he returned to Britain and started his career on television shows such as “Thick as Thieves” and “Rock Follies of ‘77”. Moving into big film roles, his turn as a mobster in 1980s “The Long Good Friday” shot him to stardom and defined his tough guy persona.
He was nominated for a best actor Oscar in 1987 for “Mona Lisa”, in which he starred opposite Sir Michael Caine and Robbie Coltrane, and won a Golden Globe award.
The Suffolk-born actor became a staple face in the British film industry, often playing Cockney-speaking characters in both comedy and drama genres with his trademark gravelly voice.
His big Hollywood break came in 1988 when he played Eddie Valiant in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” a role for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. He then went on to play roles in 1990’s “Mermaids” and 1991’s “Hook.” He portrayed Hoover in the 1995 movie “Nixon”.
In his later years he took on parts in smaller films, including a role in “Made in Dagenham” about women seeking equal pay with male workers at a car plant near London.
He also played the voice of the character Winston in the 2006 film “Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties”.
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Dive In
-
Fast Forward Nike apologizes for marathon ad using the Holocaust phrase ‘Never Again’
-
Fast Forward Ohio Applebee’s defaced with antisemitic graffiti reading ‘Jews work here’
-
Fast Forward J.B. Pritzker accuses Trump of ‘disparaging the very foundation of Judaism’
-
Fast Forward Trump on Iran: ‘If we don’t make a deal, I’ll be leading the pack’ into war
Most Popular
- 1
Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
- 2
Fast Forward The invitation said, ‘No Jews.’ The response from campus officials, at least, was real.
- 3
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
- 4
Fast Forward Columbia staff receive texts asking if they’re Jewish, as government hunts antisemitic harassment on campus
In Case You Missed It
-
News These are the most influential Jews in Trump’s first 100 days
-
Fast Forward Nike apologizes for marathon ad using the Holocaust phrase ‘Never Again’
-
Opinion I wrote the book on Hitler’s first 100 days. Here’s how Trump’s compare
-
Fast Forward Ohio Applebee’s defaced with antisemitic graffiti reading ‘Jews work here’
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.