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William Hopper
1915-1970
Updated 12/307/2007 with more episodes of Perry Mason available on DVD!
biography
Born William DeWolf Hopper Jr. in New York in January 1915, William Hopper's parents were famed stage actor DeWolf Hopper and actress-turned-gossip-columnist Hedda Hopper. Hopper's parents entered films at around the time of his birth, but as his father was nearly 60 years old at the time, his mother had more success on the silver screen. Following her divorce from DeWolf Hopper in 1922, Hedda Hopper acted in many films until the late 1930s, when her now infamous newspaper column took off. As her son matured into a handsome young man, Hedda Hopper pushed him to become an actor. After doing summer stock and appearing in a few Broadway plays, at the age of 20 William Hopper signed a contract with Paramount. At about this time his estranged father died, so Hopper initially used the stage name DeWolf Hopper Jr.
Handsome 1930s photo of William Hopper, taken around the time of his signing with Paramount
The young Hopper did not enjoy acting as his mother and father had, yet he stuck with the profession, moving to Warner Bros. in 1937. In the late 1930s, he briefly moved out of bit parts and had a couple of starring roles in such Warner Bros. second features as Over the Goal (1937; with June Travis) and Mystery House (1938; with Ann Sheridan). However, Hopper's lack of enthusiasm for the profession relegated him once again to bit parts soon after. He married actress Jane Gilbert in 1940, whom he met when each had a bit role in the Warner Bros. George Raft vehicle Invisible Stripes (1939). The couple welcomed a daughter two years after the nuptuals. During World War II, he entered the Coast Guard and upon his return in 1945, he threw in the towl and his acting career and became a car salesman, a profession he stuck with until the mid 1950s. In early 1954 director William Welman approached him for a role in the John Wayne adventure The High and the Mighty; this time Hopper was hooked and retooled his acting career.
the films of william hopper
Track of the Cat (1954)
As Arthur Bridges in the Warner Bros. adventure Track of the Cat
Conquest of Space (1955)
Window card from Paramount's science fiction release Conquest of Space
One Desire (1955)
Universal-International promotional photo from the Rock Hudson vehicle One Desire
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Original poster from the classic Warner Bros. teen angst drama Rebel Without a Cause. Hopper portrays the father of Natalie Wood
20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)
From Columbia's science fiction flick 20 Million Miles to Earth, which features special effects by Ray Harryhausen. LEFT: With Frank Puglia and Joan Taylor. CENTER: With Thomas Browne. RIGHT: Lobby card
The Deadly Mantis (1957)
From Universal-International's science fiction thriller The Deadly Mantis. LEFT and CENTER A: With Alix Talton. CENTER B and RIGHT: With Craig Stevens
Slim Carter (1957)
Lobby card from Universal-International's comedy Slim Carter
Perry Mason (1957-1966 CBS TV Series)
Late 1950s CBS promotional photo from Perry Mason. Pictured are William Talman, Ray Collins, Barbara Hale, Raymond Burr, and William Hopper
later years
In 1959, William Hopper was nominated for an Emmy in the category of Best Supporting Actor in a Dramatic Series for his work on Perry Mason. He stayed with the series for the entire ten-season run but acted in no films during this period. After the 1966 death of his mother and the cancellation of Perry Mason, Hopper settled into semi-retirement. In 1969 he took a role in the film version of Gore Vidal's Myra Breckinridge. However, three months before the film's release, Hopper suffered a stroke and died of pneumonia in March 1970 at the age of 55. He was survived by his second wife, a daughter, and a stepson.
Perry Mason: Season 1, Vol. 1 [DVD](1957) DVD
The first 19 episodes from the series's debut season--including "The Case of the Restless Redhead," "The Case of the Angry Mourner," "The Case of the Crimson Kiss," "The Case of the Fan Dancer's Horse," and "The Case of the Haunted Husband"--are featured in a five-disc set. 16 2/3 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Perry Mason: Season 1, Vol. 2 [DVD](1958) DVD
The remaining 20 episodes from the series's debut season--including "The Case of the Lonely Heiress," "The Case of the One-Eyed Witness," "The Case of the Daring Decoy," "The Case of the Lazy Lover," and "The Case of the Rolling Bones"--are featured in a five-disc set. 17 1/3 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Perry Mason: Season 1, Vols. 1 & 2 (1957) [DVD] DVD
All 39 episodes from the series's debut season--including "The Case of the Restless Redhead," "The Case of the Angry Mourner," "The Case of the Crimson Kiss," "The Case of the One-Eyed Witness," and "The Case of the Rolling Bones"--are featured in a 10-disc set. 33 1/3 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Perry Mason: Season 2, Vol. 1 [DVD](1958) DVD
The first 15 episodes from the series's second season--including "The Case of the Corresponding Corpse," "The Case of the Sardonic Sergeant," "The Case of the Married Moonlighter," "The Case of the Perjured Parrot," and "The Case of the Foot-Loose Doll"--are featured in a four-disc set. 12 3/4 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Perry Mason: Season 2, Vol. 2 [DVD](1959) DVD
The remaining 15 episodes from the series's second season--including "The Case of the Fraudulent Foto," "The Case of the Jaded Joker," "The Case of the Lost Last Act," "The Case of the Spanish Cross," and "The Case of the Lame Canary"--are featured in a four-disc set. 13 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
Hollywood Legends Of Horror Collection [DVD] DVD
"Doctor X" (1932) is an early shock classic with Lionel Atwill as a Long Island scientist suspected to be behind a series of gruesome slayings. Fay Wray co-stars. Humphrey Bogart's first--and last--horror role was in the in-name-only sequel "The Return of Doctor X" (1939), as a reporter tries to link a medical researcher to a succession of corpses that have been drained of blood. With Wayne Morris, Rosemary Lane. "The Mask of Fu Manchu" (1932) finds the infamous Asian mastermind (Boris Karloff) and his diabolical daughter (Myrna Loy) raiding the tomb of Genghis Khan. "Mad Love" (1935) stars Peter Lorre as a deranged surgeon obsessed with an actress in Paris' gory Grand Guignol theatre. Director Tod Browning's chiller "Mark of the Vampire" (1935) stars Lionel Barrymore as a vampire hunter who goes up against an undead family led by Bela Lugosi. And Browning's classic "The Devil Doll" (1936) stars Barrymore as a prison escapee who sends unique assassins after the men who wronged him...human beings shrunken to 12 inches high! With Maureen O'Sullivan. 7 hrs. total on three discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
Stagecoach [DVD](1939) DVD
John Ford's landmark Western tale, following the dramatic journey of a stagecoach and its drivers and passengers across the plains, features John Wayne in a star-making role as the outlaw Ringo Kid. The marvelous cast includes Claire Trevor, Andy Devine, John Carradine, George Bancroft and Best Supporting Actor Oscar-winner Thomas Mitchell. 96 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono: Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; biographies; theatrical trailers; scene access.
Nancy Drew, Reporter [DVD](1939) DVD
Bonita Granville returns as Carolyn Keene's teenager sleuth, and her winning of a journalism contest leads her down a trail of trouble as she tries to crack the case she's covering for the paper. Mystery and fun with John Litel, Joan Leslie. 65 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono; scene access. Plays All Regions.
James Cagney: The Signature Collection [DVD] DVD
Five-disc boxed set includes "The Fighting 69th," "Torrid Zone," "The Bride Came C.O.D.," "Captains of the Clouds," and "The West Point Story."
Lady Gangster [DVD](1942) DVD
Gritty crime drama starring Faye Emerson as a no-nonsense gun moll whose criminal ways are reformed with help from an understanding district attorney. With Julie Bishop, Frank Wilcox and, in one of his first films, Jackie Gleason. 62 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono. Plays All Regions.
Lady Gangster(1942) VHS
Gritty crime drama starring Faye Emerson as a no-nonsense gun moll whose criminal ways are reformed with help from an understanding district attorney. With Julie Bishop, Frank Wilcox and, in one of his first films, Jackie Gleason. 62 min.
Yankee Doodle Dandy [DVD](1942) DVD
James Cagney is a bundle of energy in his Oscar-winning portrayal of Broadway legend George M. Cohan, from his vaudeville days with his family to fame as the writer of "Over There," "Give My Regards to Broadway," and countless other classic songs. Rosemary DeCamp and Walter Huston co-star in one of Hollywood's liveliest and best-loved musicals. 126 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English; audio commentary; documentaries; outtakes; bonus Cagney short "You, John Jones" (1943); bonus 1942 radio broadcast; cartoons; more. Two-disc set.
Conquest Of Space [DVD](1954) DVD
George Pal produced this special effects-filled science-fiction epic about the first planned flight to Mars, and the captain who feels that the mission is blasphemous and attempts to stop it. With Walter Brooke, Eric Fleming, Mickey Shaughnessy, and Ross Martin. 80 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English.
The High And The Mighty (Special Collector's Edition) [DVD](1954) DVD
The Oscar-winning progenitor of the airborne disaster film genre features a memorable turn by John Wayne as a veteran airline pilot unable to overcome surviving a crash which killed his wife and child. Serving as co-pilot to brash rival Robert Stack on a Honolulu-San Francisco passenger flight that sustains a midair emergency, Wayne must try to safely land the damaged plane before the fuel runs out. Among the passengers, whose personal crises are shown in flashbacks, are unhappily married couple Laraine Day and John Howard, playboy David Brian, mail-order bride Jan Sterling, and world-weary Claire Trevor; William Wellman directs. 148 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital stereo Surround; Subtitl
Sitting Bull(1954) VHS
An exciting (and surprisingly pro-Indian) version of the events leading up to the Battle of Little Big Horn, with J. Carrol Naish as the proud, headstrong Sioux leader and Dale Robertson as a Cavalry major trying to make peace between the Indians and the government. Mary Murphy, Iron Eyes Cody, and Douglas Kennedy as Custer also star. 105 min.
Track Of The Cat [DVD](1954) DVD
Noted for its subdued color cinematography and psychological subtexts, director William Wellman's compelling frontier drama is set in a snowbound farmhouse in 1880s Northern California. As jealousies and rivalries tear at the family members trapped inside, a deadly panther waits out in the wilderness. Robert Mitchum, Tab Hunter, Teresa Wright, Diana Lynn, Beulah Bondi, and, as a 100-year-old Indian, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer star. 102 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital stereo Surround; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; featurettes; theatrical trailer; photo gallery.
Rebel Without A Cause [DVD](1955) DVD
James Dean became a national symbol for '50s teen angst with this powerful character study of an alienated young man who deals with rejection at school and inattentiveness from his parents by finding friendship with fellow outcasts Sal Mineo and Natalie Wood. With Jim Backus, Dennis Hopper; Nicholas Ray directs. 111 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish, French; audio commentary; theatrical trailer; documentaries; deleted scenes; screen tests; more. Two-disc set.
The Bad Seed [DVD](1956) DVD
Classic chiller about the terrorized mother of a seemingly sweet little girl with a perverse propensity for luring people to their deaths. All-time great shocker, based on a hit play, stars Nancy Kelly, Patty McCormack, Eileen Heckart. 129 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish, French; audio commentary by McCormack; "making of" documentary; theatrical trailer.
20 Million Miles To Earth (50th Anniversary Edition) (B&W/Color Versions) [DVD](1957) DVD
A spacecraft from the first Earth-Venus mission crashes off the Italian coast, and a canister containing a Venusian lifeform is recovered by a boy. The alien grows into a reptilian giant which eventually runs amok on the streets of Rome in this sci-fi tale with creature effects by Ray Harryhausen. William Hopper, Joan Taylor star. Includes both the original black-and-white and the newly colorized versions. 82 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, French; featurettes; audio commentary; interview; photo gallery; more. Two-disc set.
Myra Breckinridge [DVD](1970) DVD
Want to see Raquel Welch and Rex Reed as the female and male selves of an angry young transsexual? Want to see Mae West, in her first film in 27 years, as a sex-crazed talent agent? Want to see cameos by two unknowns named Tom Selleck and Farrah Fawcett? Then see this wild, racy satire, based on the outrageous best-seller by Gore Vidal. Co-stars John Huston, Roger C. Carmel, Jim Backus, John Carradine. 94 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital stereo, Dolby Digital mono, Spanish Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish; audio commentary by Welch; documentary; theatrical trailers; more.
william hopper VHS films available from amazon.com
(NOTE: The following titles are on VHS and are not available on DVD.)
filmography
Many of Hopper's early, uncredited performances are not listed here.
FILM
Myra Breckinridge (1970) with Mae West, John Huston, Raquel Welch, Rex Reed, Farrah Fawcett, Jim Backus, John Carradine, Andy Devine, and Grady Sutton
Slim Carter (1957) with Jock Mahoney, Julie Adams, Barbara Hale, Bill Williams, and Joanna Moore
20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) with Joan Taylor
The Deadly Mantis (1957) with Craig Stevens and Alix Talton
The Bad Seed (1956) with Nancy Kelly, Patty McCormack, Henry Jones, and Eileen Heckart
The First Texan (1956) with Joel McCrea, Felicia Farr, Jeff Morrow, Jody McCrea, and Chubby Johnson
Good-bye, My Lady (1956) with Walter Brennan, Brandon De Wilde, Phil Harris, Sidney Poitier, and Louise Beavers
Rebel Without a Cause (1955) with James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Jim Backus, Ann Doran, Rochelle Hudson, Dennis Hopper, and Edward Platt
One Desire (1955) with Anne Baxter, Rock Hudson, Julie Adams, Carl Benton Reid, and Natalie Wood
Robbers' Roost (1955) with George Montgomery, Richard Boone, Bruce Bennett, Peter Graves, and Warren Stevens
Conquest of Space (1955) with Walter Brooke, Eric Fleming, Mickey Shaughnessy, Benson Fong, and Ross Martin
Track of the Cat (1954) with Robert Mitchum, Teresa Wright, Diana Lynn, Tab Hunter, and Beulah Bondi
This Is My Love (1954) with Linda Darnell, Dan Duryea, Faith Domergue, and Jerry Mathers
Sitting Bull (1954) with Dale Robertson, J. Carrol Naish, John Litel, and Iron Eyes Cody
The High and the Mighty (1954) with John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Laraine Day, Robert Stack, Jan Sterling, Phil Harris, David Brian, John Howard, and William Campbell
Murder on the Waterfront (1943) with Warren Douglas
Larceny, Inc. (1942) with Edward G. Robinson, Jane Wyman, Broderick Crawford, Jack Carson, and Anthony Quinn
Lady Gangster (1942) with Faye Emerson and Frank Wilcox
The Body Disappears (1941) with Jeffrey Lynn, Jane Wyman, Edward Everett Horton, Craig Stevens, David Bruce, and Willie Best
Bullets for O'Hara (1941) with Joan Perry, Roger Pryor, Anthony Quinn, and Dick Purcell
The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941) with James Cagney, Bette Davis, Stuart Erwin, Eugene Pallette, and Jack Carson
Here Comes Happiness (1941)
Gambling On the High Seas (1940) with Wayne Morris, Jane Wyman, Gilbert Roland, and George Reeves
Flight from Destiny (1940) with Geraldine Fitzgerald and David Bruce
Ladies Must Live (1940) with Wayne Morris and George Reeves
Flight Angels (1940) with Virginia Bruce, Dennis Morgan, Wayne Morris, Ralph Bellamy, and Jane Wyman
Tear Gas Squad (1940) with Dennis Morgan, John Payne, and George Reeves
Castle on the Hudson (1940) with John Garfield, Ann Sheridan, Pat O'Brien, and Burgess Meredith
The Fighting 69th (1940) with James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, and George Brent
The Return of Doctor X (1939) with Wayne Morris, Humphrey Bogart, Dennis Morgan, and Huntz Hall
Pride of the Bluegrass (1939)
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939) with Bonita Granville
The Old Maid (1939) with Bette Davis, Miriam Hopkins, and George Brent
Cowboy Quarterback (1939) with Bert Wheeler, Marie Wilson, and William Demarest
Nancy Drew... Reporter (1939) with Bonita Granville
Mystery House (1938) with Dick Purcell, Ann Sheridan, and Anne Nagel
Daredevil Drivers (1938) with Dick Purcell
The Adventurous Blonde (1937) wiht Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, and Anne Nagel
The Footloose Heiress (1937) with Craig Reynolds, Ann Sheridan, and Anne Nagel
Over the Goal (1937) with June Travis, Herbert Rawlinson, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, and Hattie McDaniel
Love Is On the Air (1937) with Ronald Reagan, June Travis, and Dickie Jones
Join the Marines (1937) with Paul Kelly, June Travis, Reginald Denny, Ray 'Crash' Corrigan, Sterling Holloway, and Carleton Young
Public Wedding (1937) with Jane Wyman, Dick Purcell, Marie Wilson, and Veda Ann Borg
The Accusing Finger (1936) with Paul Kelly, Marsha Hunt, Kent Taylor, and Robert Cummings
The Big Broadcast of 1937 (1936) with Jack Benny, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Martha Raye, and Ray Milland
TELEVISION SERIES
The Restless Gun, 1957-1959 NBC (later ABC) TV series. Hopper portrayed Don Maler. Also starring in the series was John Payne
Perry Mason, 1957-1966 CBS TV series. Hopper portrayed Paul Drake. Also starring in the series were Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale
william hopper links
The Slightly Paul-Centric Perry Mason
Visit this site for a complete biography and rare photos of actor William Hopper.
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This page premiered December 5, 2003.
