William Michael "Hoot" Hootkins (July 5, 1948 October 23, 2005) was
an American character actor and voice actor, best known for supporting
roles in Hollywood blockbusters such as Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost
Ark, and Batman.Hootkins was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended St.
Mark's School of Texas from grade 1 through 12. At age 15, Hootkins
found himself caught up in the FBI's investigation into the
assassination of President John F. Kennedy when he was interviewed
about Ruth Paine, his Russian teacher. Marina Oswald, the Russian wife
of the assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, and their children had been living
with Paine in Dallas. In school he also developed his taste for
theatre, joining the same drama group as Tommy Lee Jones, who was a
year ahead of him in high school. Hootkins would later say that, since
Jones was better-looking and got all the best parts, "I supported from
then on in."Hootkins attended Princeton University, studying
astrophysics before transferring to oriental studies, where he became
fluent in Mandarin Chinese. This stood him in good stead when he
played the part of an interpreter in an episode of The West Wing
titled "Impact Winter". He was a mainstay of the Theatre Intime,
making a particular impact with his performance in Orson Welles' Moby
DickRehearsed. On the recommendation of his friend John Lithgow, he
moved to London in the early 1970s and trained as an actor at the
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He made his home in
London until 2002, when he moved to Los Angeles.
an American character actor and voice actor, best known for supporting
roles in Hollywood blockbusters such as Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost
Ark, and Batman.Hootkins was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended St.
Mark's School of Texas from grade 1 through 12. At age 15, Hootkins
found himself caught up in the FBI's investigation into the
assassination of President John F. Kennedy when he was interviewed
about Ruth Paine, his Russian teacher. Marina Oswald, the Russian wife
of the assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, and their children had been living
with Paine in Dallas. In school he also developed his taste for
theatre, joining the same drama group as Tommy Lee Jones, who was a
year ahead of him in high school. Hootkins would later say that, since
Jones was better-looking and got all the best parts, "I supported from
then on in."Hootkins attended Princeton University, studying
astrophysics before transferring to oriental studies, where he became
fluent in Mandarin Chinese. This stood him in good stead when he
played the part of an interpreter in an episode of The West Wing
titled "Impact Winter". He was a mainstay of the Theatre Intime,
making a particular impact with his performance in Orson Welles' Moby
DickRehearsed. On the recommendation of his friend John Lithgow, he
moved to London in the early 1970s and trained as an actor at the
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He made his home in
London until 2002, when he moved to Los Angeles.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.
Related Post
