William Hootkins
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1948-07-05
Day of Death
2005-10-23 (57 years old)
Place of Birth
Dallas, Texas, USA
William Hootkins
Biography
William Michael Hootkins was born on July 5, 1948, in Dallas, Texas. He moved to London, England in the early '70s and lived there up until 2002. Hootkins was an actor at Theatre Intime while attending Princeton University where he learned how to speak fluent Mandarin Chinese. He also trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, and attended St. Marks, where he was in the same theater group as Tommy Lee Jones. The imposingly bulky and heavyset Hootkins first began acting in films and TV shows alike in the mid '70s. His more noteworthy parts include the first of the Rebel fighter pilots to get killed while attacking the Death Star in "Star Wars", scientist Topol's bumbling oaf assistant in "Flash Gordon", Major Eaton, sent by the US government in "Raiders of the Lost Ark", one of Rod Steiger's demented sons in "American Gothic", a corrupt police lieutenant in "Batman", a disgusting sleazy voyeur in "Hardware", a coarse South African police chief in "Dust Devil", the mysterious and duplicitous Mr. X in "Hear My Song", a haughty corporate executive in "Death Machine", Santa Claus in "Like Father, Like Santa", and an opera-singing vampire in "The Breed". Moreover, Hootkins had small parts in two "Pink Panther" pictures: he's a taxi driver in both "The Trail of the Pink Panther" and "Curse of the Pink Panther".
Among the TV shows he did guest spots on are "Yanks Go Home", "Agony", "Play for Today", "Tales of the Unexpected", "The Life and Times of David Lloyd George", "Brett Maverick", "Cagney and Lacey", "Taxi", "Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense", "Poirot", "Chancer", "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles", "The Tomorrow People", "The West Wing", and "Absolute Power". Hootkins received many accolades for his outstanding performance as Sir Alfred Hitchcock in Terry Johnson's hit play "Hitchcock Blonde". In addition to his substantial film and TV credits, Hootkins was also a popular and prolific voice artist who recorded dozens of plays for BBC Radio Drama; he supplied the voices for such iconic individuals as Orson Welles, J. Edgar Hoover, and Winston Churchill. William Hootkins died of pancreatic cancer on October 23, 2005. IMDb Mini Biography
Known For
Acting
(2005)
Colour Me Kubrick
as Frank Rich
(2005)
Dear Wendy
as Marshall Walker
(2004)
Blessed
as Detective Lauderdale
(2003)
(2002)
The Magnificent Ambersons
as Uncle George
(2002)
Hamilton Mattress
as Senor Balustrade (voice)
(2001)
Town & Country
as Barney
(2001)
The Breed
as Fusco
(2000)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Espionage Escapades
as Sergei Diaghilev
(2000)
Animated Epics: Moby Dick
as Starbucks (voice)
(1999)
The Omega Code
as Sir Percival Lloyd
(1999)
Survivor Science: The Dead Man Walking
as Narrator (voice)
(1998)
Like Father, Like Santa
as Santa Claus
(1998)
Something to Believe In
as Car Dealer
(1997)
This World, Then the Fireworks
as Jake Krutz
(1997)
Rhinoceros Hunting in Budapest
as The Man
(1996)
The Island of Dr. Moreau
as Kiril
(1995)
Death Machine
as John Carpenter
(1995)
Funny Bones
as Al
(1995)
Virgin Mary
as judge Marulic
(1995)
(1994)
The NeverEnding Story III
as Bark Troll / Falkor (voice)
(1994)
(1994)
Predators of the Wild: African Survival
as Narrator
(1993)
The Cement Garden
as Commander Hunt (voice)
(1993)
Age of Treason
as Senator Garrus
(1993)
The Milky Life
as Julian Reilly
(1993)
Predators of the Wild: Giant Tarantula
as Narrator
(1993)
Predators of the Wild: Wolf
as Narrator
(1993)
Predators of the Wild: Hawk
as Narrator
(1993)
Predators of the Wild: Polar Bear
as Narrator
(1993)
Predators of the Wild: Snake
as Narrator
(1993)
Predators of the Wild: Tiger
as Narrator
(1992)
A River Runs Through It
as Murphy
(1992)
Dust Devil
as Capt. Cornelius Beyman
(1992)
Predators of the Wild: Cheetah and Leopard
as Narrator
(1992)
Predators of the Wild: Grizzly Bear
as Narrator
(1992)
Predators of the Wild: Lion
as Narrator
(1992)
Predators of the Wild: Shark
as Narrator
(1992)
Predators of the Wild: Killer Whale
as Narrator
(1992)
Predators of the Wild: Hunters and Hunted
as Narrator
(1991)
The Pope Must Die
as Cardinal Verucci
(1991)
Hear My Song
as Mr. X
(1991)
Predators of the Wild: Bats
as Narrator
(1990)
Hardware
as Lincoln Wineberg Jr.
(1989)
Batman
as Eckhardt
(1989)
Monkeys
as James Hoffman
(1987)
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
as Harry Howler
(1987)
American Gothic
as Teddy
(1987)
U.S. Marshals: Waco & Rhinehart
as August T. Mirch
(1987)
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
as Myron Spellman
(1986)
Haunted Honeymoon
as Reporter
(1986)
Biggles
as Chuck
(1986)
A State of Emergency
as Earl Linton
(1985)
White Nights
as Chuck Malarek
(1985)
Water
as Ben
(1985)
Dreamchild
as 1st Radio Actor
(1985)
Zina
as Walter Adams
(1984)
Black Carrion
as Lou Delmart
(1983)
Curse of the Pink Panther
as Taxi Driver
(1982)
Trail of the Pink Panther
as Taxi Driver
(1982)
The Tempest
as Caliban
(1981)
Raiders of the Lost Ark
as Major Eaton
(1981)
Sphinx
as Don, Tour Guide
(1981)
The Life and Times of David Lloyd George
as Winston Churchill
(1981)
Before Water Lilies
as Mel
(1980)
Flash Gordon
as Munson
(1980)
Bad Timing
as Col. Taylor
(1980)
Hussy
as 1st. Punter
(1980)
Rabbit Pie Day
as Kolossov
(1979)
The Lady Vanishes
as Party Guest
(1979)
Hanover Street
as Beef
(1979)
Charlie Muffin
as U.S. Embassy Photographer
(1978)
The Billion Dollar Bubble
as Lloyd Edens
(1978)
The Lost Boys
as Charles Frohman
(1977)
Star Wars
as Red Six (Porkins)
(1977)
Valentino
as Fatty
(1977)
Twilight's Last Gleaming
as Sgt. Fitzpatrick
(1977)
Come Back, Little Sheba
as Postman
(1977)
The Ambassadors
as Little Bilham
(1976)
The Paradise Run
as Party Guest
(1973)
Big Zapper
as Kono's Henchman