We all know Dennis Hopper's lengthy credentials. Ever since he was a mere 19-year-old contract player for Warner Bros. in the mid 50's, playing opposite his good friend and acting coach James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause and Giant, he has made his bones both behind and in front of the camera. From directing the ground-breaking and psychadelic Easy Rider in '69 to scoring an Oscar nomination for Hoosiers in the 80s, it's no question this maverick Southern transplant had placed himself firmly in the throws of Hollywood royalty by the time he died last week at the age of 74.
But in the midst of all his recent accomplishments, it's hard to remember the time in Mr. Hopper's life where he was an outcast of the system. After a near decade stint on the bench with the Hollywood B-crowd, earned almost exclusively through an unflinching temptation toward drink and an outlaw reputation that would make Johnny Cash seem like your average schoolmarm, he slowly returned to the screen in the mid 80s, taking whatever parts came to him.
This, of course, brings us to his most explosive performance and the one that makes me damn proud to label myself a Dennis Hopper fan.
"I AM THE LORD OF THE HARVEST"
And he always will be.
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