Bo Hopkins dead at 80: American Graffiti and Wild Bunch actor passes away
HOLLYWOOD actor Bo Hopkins, best known for his roles in films like American Graffiti and Wild Bunch, has died at the age of 80.
Hopkins’ death at a California hospital on Saturday came several weeks after the actor suffered a heart attack.
Hopkins’ was confirmed by his wife Sian Hopkins, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The two were married for 33 years.
The outlet reported that Hopkins died in Van Nuys, California at Valley Presbyterian Hospital.
One of the actor’s earliest film roles was playing Clarence “Crazy” Lee in the 1969 Sam Peckinpah film The Wild Bunch.
A few years later in 1973, he appeared in George Lucas’ breakout film American Graffiti.
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In that film he played the supporting character role of Joe “Little Joe” Young, a gang leader.
“Graffiti got people out draggin’ and going up, and down streets cruisin’,” the actor said of the classic car film, speaking to Shock Cinema magazine.
“It got people into cars doing that kind of stuff again.”
Decades later the actor was still appearing at classic car shows as a result of his role in American Graffiti, and the film’s popularity among car lovers.
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“If I told you how many times people have come up to…me at these shows and told us that we’ve changed their lives, you wouldn’t believe it,” he said in the Shock Cinema interview.
During the course of his career, Hopkins played both heroes and villains.
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