Actors I Wish Were Still Around
I got an interesting range of comments on my listicle of actors I couldn’t bear to watch anymore. One person asked what actors do I like? I thought I would make it more interesting and note the actors I miss the most. The ones who really struck a nerve, a good nerve, but now are gone. Again, in no particular order, but I will start with my all-time favorite actor, Gene Hackman.
Hackman could make any character compelling even a surveillance expert, which he played in The Conversation. He had so many great roles but probably my favorite was that of Royal Tenenbaum. Wes Anderson wrote the character expressly for him, to which Gene said, don’t do that. I hate when directors write roles just for me. Hackman initially said no, but finally gave in and played Royal his way, not Wes’ way, telling the auteur to pull up his pants whenever he complained. The result was pure magic. Hackman dominated the movie. Who else could pull off a scene like this? Anjelica Huston was pretty good too.
It was one of the last films Hackman made before retiring in 2004. He had enough but what a legacy he left behind! I don’t think I could have sat through The Unforgiven if it wasn’t for Hackman’s brilliant performance as Sheriff Little Bill Daggett. The scene with him and Richard Harris as English Bob was pitch perfect, as only two great thespians could pull off. It won Gene a second Oscar to go along with his magnificent performance as “Popeye” Doyle in The French Connection.
No one lives forever, but it was really sad to hear how Gene and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, passed away. They deserved a more dignified ending.
River Phoenix grew up in my neck of the woods, Micanopy, Florida, a short drive south of Gainesville. His parents were hippies, giving their kids strange names. River fronted a band for awhile, called Aleka’s Attic, which included his younger sister Rain. Aleka was an imaginary poet, whose words he and his bandmates put to music.
He was a very sensitive kid. Not much younger than myself. I was in grad school at the time. He had already played a memorable character in Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me. He wasn’t sure which way he wanted to go — film or music. He showed an emotional range that could easily accomodate both.
Probably his best movie was My Own Private Idaho. He played a kid with narcolepsy trying to get by in Portland. It was an early Gus Van Sant movie, beautifully capturing that tumultuous era with Keanu Reeves as his soulmate. Here he is playing another campfire scene five years later. He was just as good in Dogfight, a lovely movie with Liv Taylor, who proved to be far more than he bargained for.
By all accounts, River was clean. No one saw him do any drugs, and then news broke that he OD’d on a “speedball” outside the Viper Room in LA, a club co-owned by Johnny Depp. Many claimed Johnny gave River the cocaine and heroin cocktail. There was no substantiation for the rumor but a lot of people still pore over the details, wondering if Johnny had a hand in River’s death. A tragic loss as he was only 23.
I first saw Philip in Boogie Nights. He was picking up small roles back then but made the most of them. You never forgot him. He stole every scene. I suppose that is why Paul Thomas Anderson used Hoffman over and over again before finally making him The Master. Indeed he was.
His big moment had come before in his Oscar-winning role as Capote. He truly captured all the nuances of the famous novelist, focusing largely on the process of writing In Cold Blood, which was Capote’s most difficult work. It was just one revelatory scene after another. I really did feel I was watching Capote himself.
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You figure an actor of this magnitude has his demons, finding a part of himself to put into each and every one of his roles. You never knew what Philip would do next, which made him all the more compelling. To die of an accidental drug overdose, sadly all too common, seemed grossly unfair as he struggled to overcome his addictions. You are truly missed, Philip.
Heath Ledger had just hit the big time with his role as the Joker in Batman. This was something no one expected and everyone sat in awe of his performance, including Christian Bale, who said it ruined his plans to make Batman a darker character. How could he compete with that?
Ledger was not new but had always played charming roles like William Thatcher in A Knight’s Tale. About the closest he came to a shifty character was Skip in Lords of Dogtown, a bit like Oliver Reed as Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist, as he took advantage of these young skateboard kids but otherwise a good guy.
He showed a broad range in his all too short filmography. Batman was one of the last films he made. Terry Gilliam spliced together The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus after Heath’s sudden death, which shocked everyone. There was so much more he had to offer. Yet again an accidental overdose.
Chadwick Boseman had made his mark in Black Panther and 21 Bridges and here he was nominated for an Oscar for his role as Levee in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, a film based on August Wilson’s Tony-award-winning play. Many thought he should have won that Oscar after his untimely death in 2020. He had kept his cancer diagnosis to himself so very few persons knew he had stage IV colon cancer. It was a devastating loss as he was an immensely talented actor with Anthony Hopkins paying him tribute.
It was the energy that Boseman brought to the screen that captivated viewers. He could make a superhero feel vulnerable without losing his strength. No easy task. I think his roles in Ma Rainey and Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods represented a turning away from Marvel movies. I well imagine he was thankful to be remembered for these performances as the cancer finally took him.
Anton Yelchin was another tragic loss, as he had yet to have a defining role. An extremely talented young actor who had been cast in a number of small roles. My favorite was this little movie, Porto, just before his untimely death. It showed the tremendous potential he had to finally move beyond his captivating teen years in Charlie Bartlett. He had a way of infusing his Russian soul into iconic characters like Chekhov in the 2009 reboot of Star Trek. He made the most of his role as Reese in Terminator: Salvation. It was with great sadness to see his life cut short in an automobile accident.
It was a devastating loss in 2014 when Robin Williams died by suicide. No one saw that coming. For years he had entertained everyone. One of the greatest comedians of all time and a fine actor who gave so many memorable performances, constantly gaining a new generation of fans. He never stopped making fun of himself, even when he finally won an Oscar for his role as Dr. Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting. He was standing next to Jack Nicholson, who had won his third Oscar for As Good As It Gets, and Jack said “Robbo, I’ve got one for every decade.” Robin responded, “Good for you.”
I think everyone thought Robin was indestructible. He was so giving of himself to the point you wondered what he had left in the tank. Every actor who worked with him praised Robin to no end. His young cast mates from Dead Poets Society praise him to this day. Ethan Hawke said that Williams went out of his way to elevate all their careers. Ethan also noted that he was aware Williams had a deeper psychological pain as he had witnessed it in his own family. “It was obvious to me that all that power and that charisma came at a certain cost.” This is why so many persons consider Williams the greatest teacher ever.
You don’t have to tell Koko that. Robin once remarked the only one more hairy than him was Koko. She also mourned the loss of her dear friend. Even now I find myself shedding a tear for this great man.
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That’s enough. These were all actors who impacted me in one way or another. Not just for their performances but their unique character and passion they gave to the arts. Robin Williams especially. I remember seeing him at Gator Growl all these years ago. A big pep rally the Gator football team has before the homecoming game at the University of Florida. He was so damn funny, telling us all about “Mr. Happy,” leaving the entire stadium in stitches, as he filled the jumbo screen with his enormous presence. But, it is the quieter ones that hurt too, like Phoenix. It’s a bittersweet experience revisiting their films.
