William Hootkins
Born
July 5, 1948
Died
October 23, 2005 (57 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Dallas, Texas, USA
William Michael Hootkins was born on July 5, 1948, in Dallas, Texas. He moved to London, England in the early '70s and lived there up until 2002. Hootkins was an actor at Theatre Intime while attending Princeton University where he learned how to speak fluent Mandarin Chinese. He also trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, and attended St. Marks, where he was in the same theater group as Tommy Lee Jones. The imposingly bulky and heavyset Hootkins first began acting in films and TV shows alike in the mid '70s. His more noteworthy parts include the first of the Rebel fighter pilots to get killed while attacking the Death Star in "Star Wars", scientist Topol's bumbling oaf assistant in "Flash Gordon", Major Eaton, sent by the US government in "Raiders of the Lost Ark", one of Rod Steiger's demented sons in "American Gothic", a corrupt police lieutenant in "Batman", a disgusting sleazy voyeur in "Hardware", a coarse South African police chief in "Dust Devil", the mysterious and duplicitous Mr. X in "Hear My Song", a haughty corporate executive in "Death Machine", Santa Claus in "Like Father, Like Santa", and an opera-singing vampire in "The Breed". Moreover, Hootkins had small parts in two "Pink Panther" pictures: he's a taxi driver in both "The Trail of the Pink Panther" and "Curse of the Pink Panther".
Among the TV shows he did guest spots on are "Yanks Go Home", "Agony", "Play for Today", "Tales of the Unexpected", "The Life and Times of David Lloyd George", "Brett Maverick", "Cagney and Lacey", "Taxi", "Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense", "Poirot", "Chancer", "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles", "The Tomorrow People", "The West Wing", and "Absolute Power". Hootkins received many accolades for his outstanding performance as Sir Alfred Hitchcock in Terry Johnson's hit play "Hitchcock Blonde". In addition to his substantial film and TV credits, Hootkins was also a popular and prolific voice artist who recorded dozens of plays for BBC Radio Drama; he supplied the voices for such iconic individuals as Orson Welles, J. Edgar Hoover, and Winston Churchill. William Hootkins died of pancreatic cancer on October 23, 2005. IMDb Mini Biography
Known For
Colour Me Kubrick
Frank Rich
2005
Dear Wendy
Marshall Walker
2005
Blessed
Detective Lauderdale
2004
Mars: Pioneering the Planet
2003
The Magnificent Ambersons
Uncle George
2002
Hamilton Mattress
Senor Balustrade (voice)
2002
Justice League
Commander (voice) · (1 episode)
2001
The Breed
Fusco
2001
Town & Country
Barney
2001
American Gangster
Narrator · (3 episodes)
2000
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Espionage Escapades
Sergei Diaghilev
2000
Animated Epics: Moby Dick
Starbucks (voice)
2000
The Omega Code
Sir Percival Lloyd
1999
The West Wing
U.S. Translator · (1 episode)
1999
Survivor Science: The Dead Man Walking
Narrator (voice)
1999
Like Father, Like Santa
Santa Claus
1998
Something to Believe In
Car Dealer
1998
This World, Then the Fireworks
Jake Krutz
1997
Extreme Machines
Narrator · (60 episodes)
1997
Rhinoceros Hunting in Budapest
The Man
1997
The Island of Dr. Moreau
Kiril
1996
Virgin Mary
judge Marulic
1995
Funny Bones
Al
1995
Death Machine
John Carpenter
1995
Time Life Animal Oddities: The Meanest Animal Alive
Narrator
1995
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
Loch Ness Monster (voice) · (1 episode)
1994
The NeverEnding Story III
Bark Troll / Falkor (voice)
1994
Iron Man
Crimson Dynamo (voice) · (1 episode)
1994
Predators of the Wild: Crocodiles and Alligators
Narrator
1994
Predators of the Wild: African Survival
Narrator
1994
Age of Treason
Senator Garrus
1993
The Milky Life
Julian Reilly
1993
The Cement Garden
Commander Hunt (voice)
1993
Predators of the Wild: Giant Tarantula
Narrator
1993
Predators of the Wild: Polar Bear
Narrator
1993
Predators of the Wild: Wolf
Narrator
1993
Predators of the Wild: Tiger
Narrator
1993
Predators of the Wild: Snake
Narrator
1993
Predators of the Wild: Hawk
Narrator
1993
A River Runs Through It
Murphy
1992
Dust Devil
Capt. Cornelius Beyman
1992
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
Diaghilev · (1 episode)
1992
Predators of the Wild: Lion
Narrator
1992
Predators of the Wild: Shark
Narrator
1992
Predators of the Wild: Cheetah and Leopard
Narrator
1992
Predators of the Wild: Grizzly Bear
Narrator
1992
Predators of the Wild: Hunters and Hunted
Narrator
1992
Predators of the Wild: Killer Whale
Narrator
1992
Hear My Song
Mr. X
1991
The Pope Must Die
Cardinal Verucci
1991
Predators of the Wild: Bats
Narrator
1991
Hardware
Lincoln Wineberg Jr.
1990
Batman
Eckhardt
1989
Monkeys
James Hoffman
1989
Agatha Christie's Poirot
FBI Agent Burt · (1 episode)
1989
The New Statesman
Willoughby Guzzler · (1 episode)
1987
American Gothic
Teddy
1987
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Harry Howler
1987
U.S. Marshals: Waco & Rhinehart
August T. Mirch
1987
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Myron Spellman
1987
A State of Emergency
Earl Linton
1986
Haunted Honeymoon
Reporter
1986
Biggles
Chuck
1986
White Nights
Chuck Malarek
1985
Zina
Walter Adams
1985
Dreamchild
1st Radio Actor
1985
Water
Ben
1985
Black Carrion
Lou Delmart
1984
Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense
Lou Delmart · (1 episode)
1984
Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime
Hamilton Betts · (1 episode)
1983
Curse of the Pink Panther
Taxi Driver
1983
Blackadder
Monk · (1 episode)
1983
Philip Marlowe, Private Eye
Frank Dorr · (1 episode)
1983
Trail of the Pink Panther
Taxi Driver
1982
Remington Steele
Chester Harcourt · (1 episode)
1982
The Tempest
Caliban
1982
Cagney & Lacey
(1 episode)
1982
American Playhouse
Phil Cooper · (1 episode)
1982
Bergerac
Eugene Field · (1 episode)
1981
Bergerac
Karl Goldman · (1 episode)
1981
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Major Eaton
1981
Before Water Lilies
Mel
1981
The Life and Times of David Lloyd George
Winston Churchill
1981
Sphinx
Don, Tour Guide
1981
Rabbit Pie Day
Kolossov
1980
Flash Gordon
Munson
1980
Hussy
1st. Punter
1980
Bad Timing
Col. Taylor
1980
Charlie Muffin
U.S. Embassy Photographer
1979
Hanover Street
Beef
1979
The Lady Vanishes
Party Guest
1979
Tales of the Unexpected
Peter Bligh · (2 episodes)
1979
Tales of the Unexpected
Harry Chester · (1 episode)
1979
The Lost Boys
Charles Frohman
1978
The Lost Boys
Charles Frohman · (3 episodes)
1978
Lillie
(1 episode)
1978
Taxi
Liquor Authority Agent · (1 episode)
1978
Clouds of Glory
Reverend Dewey · (1 episode)
1978
The Billion Dollar Bubble
Lloyd Edens
1978
Come Back, Little Sheba
Postman
1977
Valentino
Fatty
1977
Star Wars
Red Six (Porkins)
1977
The Ambassadors
Little Bilham
1977
Twilight's Last Gleaming
Sgt. Fitzpatrick
1977
Laurence Olivier Presents
Postman · (1 episode)
1976
Yanks Go Home
(1 episode)
1976
The Paradise Run
Party Guest
1976
Playhouse
Mr. Bowles · (1 episode)
1974
NOVA
Voice of Methuselah · (1 episode)
1974
Big Zapper
Kono's Henchman
1973
Van der Valk
Frank Garvin · (1 episode)
1972
BBC Play of the Month
Little Bilham · (1 episode)
1965