Bob Hoskins, an actor renowned for his unique blend of British tradition and American instinct, was born on October 26, 1942, in Bury St Edmund's, Suffolk, where his mother had taken refuge following the heavy bombings of World War II. His parents, Elsie Lillian Hopkins, a nursery school teacher and cook, and Robert William Hoskins Sr., a lorry driver and bookkeeper, instilled in him a passion for language and literature.
Despite receiving limited education, Hoskins left school at 15, but his former English teacher's influence remained strong. He became a regular theatre-goer, dreaming of starring onstage, but before he could pursue this goal, he had to work odd jobs to make ends meet.
Hoskins' acting career began by accident, when he accompanied a friend to watch auditions and was mistakenly given a script, leading to his first role. He acquired an agent and went on to achieve stage success, followed by television appearances in series such as Villains and Thick as Thieves.
In the mid-1970s, Hoskins started his film career, standing out in roles alongside Richard Dreyfuss in Inserts and Richard Lester's Royal Flash. His breakthrough came in 1978 with Dennis Potter's mini TV series Pennies from Heaven, playing the doomed salesman Arthur Parker.
This success led to a string of high-profile films, including The Long Good Friday, The Cotton Club, Mona Lisa, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Mermaids, Hook, Nixon, Felicia's Journey, and Enemy at the Gates. Hoskins balanced his work between Hollywood blockbusters and independent films, often leaning towards the latter.
He also directed, wrote, and starred in several projects, including The Raggedy Rawney, Rainbow, and contributing to HBO's Tales from the Crypt and Tube Tales. Hoskins suffered from Parkinson's disease in his later years and died of pneumonia at the age of 71 in a London hospital.
