The (usually overlooked, in my opinion) British actor Bob Hoskins has died of pneumonia, it seems.
I absolutely loved The Long Good Friday, mostly because of his performance. I shall pause a moment, pour a Bloody Mary and crack open the DVD this evening I think.
What a shame! He was great in everything I saw him in. I remember him most fondly from my childhood-favorite ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit?’.
Oh, I will miss him a lot. Oddly somewhat jealous of him, myself, in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. (Dabbling in watercolours, indeed!) (British spelling, in tribute)
Dang, he was probably the first serious actor I was aware of. Good-bye, Bob.
I shall punch a picture of a cartoon today in his memory.
Loved Roger Rabbit. 
Dammit! He was good and rock-solid in everything I’ve seen him play. How many actors have worked with both Christoper Lloyd and Jet Li?
And I shall fill out a 27B/6.
We just saw ROGER RABBIT on Sunday, hadn’t seen it in a lonnng time, and were amazed at how good he was. One of the first Brits to actually do a GOOD American accent.
Oh man!
His work in Roger Rabbit was one of the most amazing pieces of acting ever. He had to make us believe in a character who wouldn’t exist for months.
This strikes home because I spent 9 days in the hospital with pneumonia a few months ago, and if my brother hadn’t dragged me off to the hospital, I could well have died. It is insidious and you wind up thinking you are much less ill than you actually are.
My sympathies to his family and friends.
I first heard of him in the Long Good Friday, an outstanding example of British gangster films. He was in a bunch of films, some of them sub-par, but his performances were always good as far as I can recall. So long Bob, RIP.
My family watched Pennies From Heaven together when it ran on Masterpiece Theater. I was not paying attention to actors or acting then, but later when I saw him in other things I remembered that series fondly.
His performance in Roger Rabbit is great. There’s also a BBC production of Othello in which he plays Iago, and I love that performance as well.
The news of his passing is sad. Godspeed to him.
One where I remember his performance standing out is a movie called Shattered. The reason I remember it is that it’s a perfect example of an okay movie, that in different hands could have been great. If I recall correctly, the story/premise was intriguing but a lot of its potential was left unexplored.
I remember that movie. I think it was another movie dragged down by Tom Berenger. Indeed it could have been much better.
Damn shame. Such a talented actor.
I always loved Bob in Hook and Roger Rabbit. Even Super Mario Bros. was better just because he was in it.
R.I.P.
Yet another great actor has left us.
Most people probably forget (or never knew) that he was in - oh, shoot…there goes my MEMORY, again! - Brazil (?). I wouldn’t have remembered that if I hadn’t made note of it when I watched that movie again just a few years ago. As I recall he did a good job in that film but I remember him mostly from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. As someone else suggested, if I didn’t know he was Welsh I never would have guessed that he wasn’t from the U.S. based on his accent in that movie! R.I.P., Mr. Hoskins.
Great character actor who was equally compelling as a lead. I never saw him turn in a lazy or hammy performance even in his more low-rent jobs. RIP Mr. Hoskins.
I think I first saw him in The Cotton Club. His scenes with Fred Gwynne were my favorite parts of the movie. RIP Mr. Hoskins.
One of my all-time favorites is Passed Away. An excellent movie, made better by his presence. He will be missed.
Loved him in Roger Rabbit and Brazil - and I agree that he made even uninteresting movies better.
Don’t forget his full-frontal scene in Mrs. Henderson Presents. As if you *could *forget it, if you saw it.
“Why, Mr. Van Damm, you are Jewish!”
