The stress of the danger turned it permanently white.īrother-in-law of actress Margaret Lindsay. Prior to being a Navy frogman doing underwater demolition in the Pacific during WW II his hair was dark blonde. Resumed acting in 1954, eventually finding his niche as investigator Paul Drake, right hand man to Raymond Burr's 'Perry Mason', the role for which he is chiefly remembered. After being demobbed, worked for nine years as a car salesman. Hopper, from his father’s second marriage in the 1880s. He was the only child of actor, singer, comedian, and theatrical producer DeWolf Hopper and his fifth wife, actress Hedda Hopper (born Elda Furry). Stressful wartime military service in the Navy led to a drinking problem. William DeWolf Hopper Jr., was born January 26, 1915, in New York City. Career faltered due to his lack of ambition and ambiguity towards the acting profession in general, and he returned again to bit parts. Subsequently received leads at Warner Brothers in second features. He was signed as a small-part contract player at Paramount, 1935-37. Pushed into acting by his mother, Hopper began in summer stock and on the New York stage. Had a continuously difficult relationship with his famous mother, Hedda. He was survived by his second wife Jeanette Ward and daughter Joan from his first marriage.William Hopper died only 4 years after the death of his mother, Hedda Hopper. He died of pneumonia after experiencing a stroke in 1970 he was 55.
William Hopper retired from acting after Perry Mason ended its run-though he had a small unbilled part as a judge in Myra Breckinridge (1970).
William hopper tv#
He appeared earlier in Conquest of Space (1955), co-starring two other future TV stars: Eric Fleming ( Rawhide) and Ross Martin ( The Wild Wild West).ħ. Hopper's other notable pre- Perry Mason film roles were in The Bad Seed (1956) as little Rhoda's father and in the science fiction movies The Deadly Mantis and 20 Million Miles to Earth (both 1957). Burr starred as a psychopath who held Wood's character captive in A Cry in the Night (1956).Ħ. Hopper played Natalie Wood's father in Rebel Without a Cause (1955). William Hopper and Raymond Burr each acted in films opposite Natalie Wood prior to Perry Mason. He was in six Errol Flynn films: Virginia City, They Died With Their Boots On, Dive Bomber, Footsteps in the Dark, Desperate Journey, and Gentleman Jim.ĥ. His appearances consisted of bit parts, though often in A-pictures with stars like John Garfield, James Cagney, and Edward G. William Hopper acted in over 100 films prior to joining the Navy during World War II. One day he woke up to the fact that he was an actor, got himself a part with Bill Wellman in The High and the Mighty-and asked Wellman not to tell anybody who his mother was."Ĥ. Calder wields an M9 Bazooka in 20 Million Miles. So Bill went to work selling automobiles for "Madman" Muntz. William Hopper uses the following weapons in the following films: William Hopper (1915-1970). Hell would have frozen over before I'd have asked anyone for help for a member of my family. On his return-with a medal for valor which I've never seen-not one soul in the motion picture industry offered him a job. In her 1962 book The Whole Truth and Nothing But, Hedda Hopper wrote about her son: "When he went off to war, he'd already attained stature as an actor. For William's film roles in the 1930s and 1940s, he was listed as DeWolf Hopper-if he got a credit at all.ģ. His father became a theatre producer and his mother became a famous Hollywood gossip columnist. was born in 1915 to actors DeWolf and Hedda Hopper.
William hopper series#
He was nominated for an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series in 1959.Ģ. The part went to Raymond Burr, of course, and Hopper was cast as private investigator Paul Drake. William Hopper auditioned for the TV series Perry Mason-for the role of Perry! You can view his screen test opposite Ray Collins as Lieutenant Tragg on YouTube.
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