Robert William Hoskins, Jr. (26 October 1942 — 29 April 2014) was an English actor known for playing Cockneys and gangsters. He appeared in films such as The Long Good Friday (1980), Mona Lisa (1986), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Mermaids (1990), Hook (1991), Super Mario Bros. (1993), Nixon (1995), Maid in Manhattan (2002), A Christmas Carol (2009), and (in his final role) Snow White & the Huntsman (2012).
Hoskins was the recipient of the prestigious Prix d'interprétation masculine as well as winning the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his role in Mona Lisa (and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor) and an International Emmy Award for best actor for his appearance on BBC One drama The Street in 2009. And he was Chris Claremont's choice to play Wolverine.
He was highly regarded by colleagues, critics and audiences alike. Colleagues such as Helen Mirren knew him as a down-to-Earth professional actor, while critics and audiences recognized his appearances in any production as a bright spot. He retired from acting in 2012 due to the onset of Parkinson's disease and died in 2014 from pneumonia.
Roles:
- Up the Front (1972) - Recruiting Sergeant
- Pennies from Heaven (1978) - Arthur Parker
- The Long Good Friday (1980) - Harold Shand
- Othello (1981) - Iago
- Pink Floyd — The Wall (1982) - Band Manager
- The Cotton Club (1984) - Owney Madden
- Brazil (1985) - Spoor
- Sweet Liberty (1986) - Stanley Gould
- Mona Lisa (1986) - George
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) - Eddie Valiant
- Heart Condition (1990) - Det. Jack Moony
- Mermaids (1990) - Lou Landsky
- The Inner Circle (1991) - Lavrenti Beria
- Shattered (1991) - Gus Klein
- Hook (1991) - Smee
- Super Mario Bros. (1993) - the eponymous Mario Mario
- Nixon (1995) - J. Edgar Hoover
- Balto (1995) - Boris the Goose
- The Forgotten Toys (1995) - Teddy
- Rainbow (1996) - Frank (also directed)
- Michael (1996) - Vartan Malt
- Spice World (1997) - Himself
- Parting Shots (1998) - Gerd Layton
- David Copperfield (1999) - Wilkins Micawber
- Don Quixote (2000) - Sancho Panza
- Enemy at the Gates (2001) - Nikita Khrushchev
- Last Orders (2001) - Ray Johnson
- The Lost World (2001) - Professor Challenger
- Maid in Manhattan (2002) - Lionel Bloch
- Vanity Fair (2004) - Sir Pitt Crawley
- Beyond the Sea (2004) - Charlie Maffia
- Danny the Dog aka Unleashed (2005) - Bart
- Son of the Mask (2005) - Odin
- Stay (2005) - Leon
- Mrs Henderson Presents (2005) - Vivian Van Damm
- Doomsday (2008) - Bill Nelson
- A Christmas Carol (2009) - Fezziwig and Old Joe
- Neverland (2011) - Smee
- Snow White & the Huntsman (2012) - Muir
Bob Hoskins' work provides examples of:
- Acrofatic: A former acrobat, Hoskins was noted for doing many of his own stunts.
- Fake American: Many of his most famous roles are as Americans, but he was a full-blooded Cockney.
- Method Acting: Got so into imagining his costars in Who Framed Roger Rabbit that he hallucinated cartoon rabbits and weasels in his daily life for months afterwards.
