Dennis Hopper, the Oscar-winning acting legend and quirky artist, died Saturday in suburban Los Angeles after a battle with prostate cancer. Hopper's acting oeuvre was long and varied, full of offbeat and interesting roles, from highs like Apocalypse Now, Rebel Without a Cause, and Hoosiers to critical lows like The Last Movie and An American Carol, in which he flaunted his later-life Republicanism. Hopper's ever-changing politics, eccentric roles, and artistic leanings made him an outlier in Hollywood; as a painter, sculptor, and photographer, he showed his art all over the world. His breakout came with Oscar-nominated Easy Rider, the low-budget motorcycle flick that he wrote, directed, and edited, and that perfectly captured the 1969 zeitgeist. But arguably his most memorable role was playing Frank Booth, the addict and sadist in David Lynch's 1986 film Blue Velvet. Hopper's Booth is today considered one of cinema's most memorable villains. The actor died at the age of 74.
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