Out Takes

Dennis Hopper is one of the legendary movie stars, directors - and survivors - of Hollywood. In 1956, Hopper met and befriended a young Elvis Presley. Virtually blacklisted by Hollywood after 'refusing to take direction', Hopper went to New York, to study at Lee Strasberg's Method acting academy with Marlon Brando and a young woman called Marilyn Monroe. In the 1960s, Hopper resumed his Hollywood career and made movies with the legends like Paul Newman 'Cool Hand Luke' and John Wayne 'True Grit' But his life was about to change irrevocably. He teamed up with Peter Fonda to direct and co-star in 'Easy Rider', an independent film that shook up Hollywood with its improvisational methods, rock-music soundtrack and anti-Establishment attitude. Another cast member was Jack Nicholson, and the film made him a star. Parts for Hopper in celebrated films like 'The American Friend' and 'Apocalypse Now' followed, and in 1986, Hopper's portrait of the abusive, alkyl-nitrite-huffing Frank Booth in 'Blue Velvet' became the benchmark of scary psychotics, as was his role in the international hit 'Speed' in 1994.
Whether performing with the 'Gorillaz', appearing in the TV series '24' or (inevitably) as the crazed referee in the Nike ads, Hopper continues to defy the doubters. Really his unrivalled modern art collection has attracted international publicity and will be exhibited at the Hermitage in St Petersburg later this year.