Born October 26, 1942 in Suffolk, England, Bob Hoskins is an actor known for playing gangster roles in movies and a string of family films such as Hook. He is the son of a nursery school teacher and a lorry driver.
Hoskins’ entertainment career began on the London stage in the late 1960s. He then appeared in the BBC series Dennis Potter’s Pennies from Heaven and On the Move in 1978. He later played as Iago in the BBC production of Othello. In the 1980s, his performances in British films earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best actor and even a Cannes Award. He showed his comedic abilities via Super Mario Bros. It was said that Hoskins wasn’t initially aware that Super Mario was a video game until his son showed him the video game on the Nintendo video game console. In a 2007 interview, he revealed that filming it was “the worst thing” he ever did.
Hoskins made the transition to American film via Who Framed Roger Rabbit. His other screen credits include Mermades, opposite Cher in 1990, Hook, and Unleashed with Jet Li. He also starred as Nikita Krushchev in Enemy at the Gates in 2001, then Mrs Henderson Presents, where he earned Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor.
Hoskins also made a cameo appearance in The Wall. His only dialogue is a two-word expletive. He was a back-up to Robert De Niro for the title role in The Untouchables. When De Niro eventually took on the part, director mailed him a checkque for $200,000 and a thank you note. His other television credits include Pennies from Heaven, Flickers, David Copperfield, and Wind in the Willows. He was also part of several advertising campaigns, most notable of which was the 1990s commercials for British Gas and British Telecom.
