Philip Baker Hall

2022 - 6 - 13

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The New York Times"

Philip Baker Hall, Character Actor in Roles of Authority, Dies at 90 (The New York Times)

He appeared in “Secret Honor,” “Boogie Nights,” “Seinfeld” and dozens of other movies and television shows.

In his final film, “The Last Word” (2017), he was the ex-husband of a retired executive (Shirley MacLaine) determined to control her own obituary. He had learned the character types that summoned the best of his gifts — “highly stressed older men,” he said in the Washington Post interview, “who are at the limit of their tolerance for suffering and stress and pain.” In 1973, Mr. Hall married Dianne Lewis. They divorced in 1976, and he married Holly Wolfle in 1981. Even “ Secret Honor,” the one-man Nixon film, began as a stage script, first performed at the Provincetown Playhouse in Manhattan. In “Boogie Nights” (1997), he played a budget-conscious porn-theater magnate. Mr. Hall had small roles in international touring productions with the American Repertory Company, a cultural exchange program. And he was the star of “ Hard Eight” (1996), as a preternaturally calm retired professional gambler who is sincerely trying to help an aimless younger man. It sometimes seemed that Mr. Hall had appeared on every series of his day. The raspy voice, the resigned posture, the world-weary eyes with heavy bags and the thatch of hair that gradually turned white magnified a gravitas that made Mr. Hall’s characters believable, even when audiences knew better. It was, in fact, “one of the last roles I ever auditioned for, simply because so many doors opened up” afterward. In a career of more than 80 films and 200 television appearances, he was often cast as men accustomed to being listened to — doctors, lawyers, generals, detectives, cabinet members, priests and way too many judges. “You never get to walk around.”

Prolific character actor Philip Baker Hall dies at 90 (NPR)

Hall's many roles included parts in Midnight Run, Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and he was known for one of the most powerfully funny guest ...

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Philip Baker Hall obituary (The Guardian)

Actor who brought gravitas, daftness and darkness to character roles after being 'discovered' in his 60s.

In the schlocky melodrama Die, Mommie, Die! (2003), he played the husband of a murderous diva (Charles Busch in drag) and got his laughs by playing the part without so much as a knowing wink to the audience. Hall himself had a bird in hand in Duck (2005), savouring his leading role as a widower who travels everywhere with his feathered friend. When he met agents, they “would study the résumé, and they would agree that it was a real résumé … But movies are a different world … until I had film, I was kind of a non-person in Los Angeles.” He subsequently found himself in the unlikely position of being “discovered” by Anderson, who was working as a volunteer on a TV drama in which Hall was appearing. (“You have to be a policeman,” he said of the teaching profession. The family relied on relatives and welfare for years until Hall’s father found a job at a car factory.

Seinfeld actor Philip Baker Hall has died aged 90 (RTE.ie)

US sitcom Seinfeld has paid tribute to "the great" Philip Baker Hall, following his death aged 90.

Hollywood star Mark Ruffalo, who starred alongside him in Zodiac, tweeted: "RIP Philip Baker Hall. One of the greats. It was an honour working with you in Zodiac. Kindness, generosity, humility, and great talent". His talent will be cherished.— Seinfeld (@SeinfeldTV) pic.twitter.com/1x5mLyvro3 June 14, 2022 The great Philip Baker Hall will forever be remembered by Seinfeld fans as the hard-nosed library detective, Mr. Bookman. Hall had a long and impressive career as one of Hollywood's top character actors. "The great Philip Baker Hall will forever be remembered by Seinfeld fans as the hard-nosed library detective, Mr Bookman," the show’s official account tweeted. "Hall had a long and impressive career as one of Hollywood’s top character actors.

Tributes pour in as Hollywood actor Philip Baker Hall dies (Q102)

The Seinfield star died on Sunday in California at the age of 90, according to his family. Hall's widow Holly Wolfle Hall has said the actor died surrounded ...

Hollywood star Mark Ruffalo tweeted: "RIP Philip Baker Hall. One of the greats. It was an honor working with you in Zodiac. Kindness, generosity, humility, and great talent." His talent will be cherished.— Seinfeld (@SeinfeldTV) pic.twitter.com/1x5mLyvro3 June 14, 2022

Philip Baker Hall: Seinfeld pays tribute to 'great' actor following his ... (Sunday World)

US sitcom Seinfeld has paid tribute to “the great” Philip Baker Hall, following his death aged 90.

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Actor Philip Baker Hall, known for Seinfeld and Magnolia, dies aged ... (thejournal.ie)

Hall enjoyed a prolific career which spanned over 40 years in both film and theatre, and included starring in director Paul Thomas Anderson's first movies. He ...

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