Westerns were a frequent feature of the career of Dennis Hopper as befits his birthplace. In 1958, Henry Hathaway cast Don Murray, Chill Wills, Diane Varsi, and Hopper in From Hell to Texas. It was an unhappy experience for all of them, as Dennis was so distraught over the death of Dean that he was uncooperative on set. As a result, he was put on a blacklist and he moved to New York to study at the famous acting school run by Lee Strasberg.

By 1965, Hollywood had forgiven the conduct of Dennis Hopper, and Henry Hathaway directed him once again in another western. The Sons of Katie Elder starred John Wayne and Dean Martin. In complete contrast, Dennis directed Easy Rider, and co-wrote the screenplay with Peter Fonda and Terry Southern. Peter Fonda was Captain America and Jack Nicholson made a welcome appearance.

After the impact of Easy Rider, Dennis Hopper could command starring roles and more opportunities to direct. He directed The Last Movie, a drama starring himself, Stella Garcia, and Julie Adams. Mad Dog Morgan was another western, directed by Philippe Mora and starring Jack Thompson and David Gulpilil. Another cultural landmark followed with the release of Apocalypse Now; directed by Francis Ford Coppola, it starred Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, and Marlon Brando. Dennis played the photojournalist caught up in the chaos of the Vietnam war.

Throughout the 80s and beyond, Dennis Hopper has been much in demand. He worked with Francis Ford Coppola again in Rumblefish, starring Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, and Diane Lane. Blue Velvet probably gave Hopper his most menacing role. The disturbing drama was directed by David Lynch and starred Dennis alongside Isabella Rossellini and Kyle MacLachlan. Speed, starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, gave Hopper a role as a psychotic villain, which he is able to perform very well. Jan de Bont directed the action. He played another bad boy in the George Romero zombie film of Land of the Dead, also starring Simon Baker and John Leguizamo.

Dennis made a return to television when he appeared in five episodes of 24, starring Kiefer Sutherland. Dennis Hopper has also been courted by the music industry. He contributed a spoken word track on an album by the animated band Gorillaz, led by Damon Albarn. He also appeared in the promotional video for the Gnarls Barkley hit, Crazy.

Movies have not been the only means of expression for Dennis Hopper. He is also respected as a photographer and painter. He was able to continue his movie career despite his long addiction to drugs and alcohol, which he finally beat in 1983. Dennis is currently married to his fifth wife and he has three children. His former marriage to singer and actress Michelle Phillips lasted just a few days. Two of his other previous wives are the actresses Daria Halprin and Katherine La Nasa.

YUDDY