Bo Hopkins, who starred in The Wild Bunch (1969), The Getaway (1972), American Graffiti (1973), The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing (1973), Posse (1975), and Midnight Express (1978), died at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys. He had a heart attack at the age of 80.
Bo Hopkins, an actor who appeared in films such as “American Graffiti” and “The Wild Bunch,” has died. He was 80 years old.
“With great sadness, we must inform you that Bo has died away. Bo liked hearing from his fans all around the world, and while he wasn’t able to respond to every email in recent years, he tried “according to a statement on the actor’s official website. “It meant a lot to him to hear from each and every one of you.”
Hopkins, who was born William Hopkins in Greenville, South Carolina in 1942, performed in over 100 films and television shows during the course of a career that spanned more than five decades.
He got the nickname “Bo” after playing a character with the same name in his first off-Broadway production, Bus Stop.
Hopkins’ acting career extended over six decades, according to his website, beginning with the Desilu Playhouse. According to IMDb, his initial credits were on shows including “The Phyllis Diller Show,” “Gunsmoke,” and “The Andy Griffith Show” in the late 1960s.
Hopkins played Joe Young, the head of The Pharaoh’s greaser gang, who peer pushed Richard Dreyfuss’ character, Curt, into mischief in the film “Graffiti.” The role gave him a bad boy character, but he was also regarded as a Western hero, earning him a star on the Western Walk of Stars in Santa Clarita, California, in 2017.
Hopkins appeared on The Phyllis Diller Show, The Virginian, Gunsmoke, The Wild Wild West, and The Andy Griffith Show, among other shows. In 1973, he made his first regular TV appearance in the medical drama Doc Elliott, which lasted one season.
He also starred in a number of made-for-television films during the mid-1970s, including Judgment: The Court-Martial of Lieutenant William Calley (1975), The Runaway Barge (1975), The Invasion of Johnson County (1976), Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway (1976), Woman on the Run (1977), Thaddeus Rose and Eddie (1978), Crisis in Sun Valley (1978), and The Busters (1978). (1978).
He also had a recurring part in The Rockford Files and starred in Aaron Spelling’s original Dynasty in its first season.
On Saturday, the actress paid tribute to her co-star on Instagram, posting a snapshot of the two together and calling Hopkins a “actor to his core.”
“It was a real honor to work with Bo in HILLBILLY ELEGY,” Close said. “Just heard that the beautiful Bo Hopkins died gently, early this morning, with his beloved wife, Sian, holding his hand. “He was a true performer who put his heart and soul into every take. He was a gentleman and a gentlemanly individual.”
“He may have been one of the bad boys in his early days, around the time of AMERICAN GRAFFITI, but I got to know and enjoy the company of a man with a sparkle in his eye and the heart of a knight,” she continued.
The TV miniseries Aspen and Beggarman Thief, as well as Charlie’s Angels, Fantasy Island, The A-Team, Hotel, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The Fall Guy, Matlock, and Murder, She Wrote, are all on his portfolio.
Sian, BH’s wife, told THR on Saturday that he died a few weeks ago at a hospital in Van Nuys, California, after having a heart attack.
Hopkins carved both a reputation as a supporting actor and a great on-screen villain/scoundrel over the course of his seven-decade career, particularly in ‘AG,’ when he played Joe, the head of the Pharaohs greaser gang at the center of the film.
In the direct-to-streaming theatrical Hillbilly Elegy in 2020, he played Papaw Vance opposite Glenn Close.
