Philip Baker Hall was born in Toledo, Ohio, to Berdene McDonald and William Alexander Hall, a factory worker originally from Montgomery, Alabama. He didn't embark on an acting career until the age of 30. His portrayal of Richard Nixon in Robert Altman's one-man show film Secret Honor, released in 1984, introduced him to film enthusiasts.
Later, he gained cult fame with his outstanding performance as Sydney, a seasoned gambler, in Paul Thomas Anderson's debut feature, Hard Eight, which premiered in 1996. However, it was his remarkable role as Jimmy Gator, the renowned quiz show host, in Anderson's critically acclaimed film Magnolia, released in 1999, that truly captured the attention of the broader film audience. His work in these smaller, yet highly acclaimed, films paved the way for his casting in numerous blockbuster hits during the 1990s and 2000s, including The Sum of All Fears, released in 2002, and Dogville, directed by Lars von Trier and released in 2003.
