British actor Bob Hoskins, who played Eddie Valiant in the 1988, live-action/animated hybrid classic ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit,’ dies at the age of 71.
British actor Bob Hoskins, who played Eddie Valiant in the 1988, live-action/animated hybrid classic Who Framed Roger Rabbit, has died, according to a report by The Hollywood Reporter.
His death, at the age of 71, came two years after a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease forced him to retire from acting. He had a healthy career both before and after Roger Rabbit, finding steady work in a production every year from 1972 to 2012. Hoskins is survived by his wife and four children.
The star, who was born in Suffolk after his mother was evacuated from London during World War II, grew up in North London and left school at age 15 to work at a series of odd jobs -- including as a porter, lorry driver and window cleaner -- while dreaming of getting into acting.
Billed as a versatile character actor capable of menace, quiet poignancy and cockney charm, Hoskins' acting résumé also boasts appearances in a slew of acclaimed British films of the past few decades, including gangster classic The Long Good Friday, in which he starred opposite Helen Mirren.
Tough guys with soft centers were a Hoskins trademark, and his turn as George, the ex-con who chaperones Cathy Tyson's escort in the 1986 film Mona Lisa, garnered his one Oscar nomination.
His Hollywood breakthrough came when he played a detective investigating cartoon crime in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He also played the pirate Smee in Steven Spielberg's 1991 Peter Pan movie Hook.
In 2012, Hoskins announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and was retiring from acting after completing work in his last role as one of the seven dwarves in Snow White and the Huntsman.
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
