Product Code Database
William Mauldin " Bo" Hopkins (February 2, 1938 – May 28, 2022) was an American actor. He was known for playing supporting roles in several major studio films from 1969 to 1979, especially for his breakout role in the ensemble cast of George Lucas's American Graffiti. His credits span several films and TV appearances.
Billy led a troubled life as a youngster, with numerous instances of truancy, minor crimes, and a stay in a reform school. He dropped out of school just before his 17th birthday and joined the U.S. Army, where he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. He was based at Fort Jackson, Fort Gordon, and Fort Pope, before being shipped off to Korean War, where he served for nine months.
Explaining in a 2012 magazine interview how he got his first name "Bo," he said:
After Hopkins' first roles in major films in the early 1970s he appeared in White Lightning (1973). Hopkins played Roy Boone. Jerry Reed and Hopkins played brothers Joe Hawkins and Tom Hawkins in the 1985 film What Comes Around.
Hopkins starred or co-starred in many made-for-television movies of the mid-1970s, including Gondola (1973), Judgment: The Court Martial of Lieutenant William Calley (1975), The Runaway Barge (1975), The Kansas City Massacre (1975), The Invasion of Johnson County (1976), (1976), Woman on the Run (1977), Thaddeus Rose and Eddie (1978), Crisis in Sun Valley (1978), and The Busters (1978).
When Gretchen Corbett left the television series The Rockford Files in 1978, Hopkins replaced her character as Rockford's attorney John Cooper, ultimately appearing in three episodes. In 1981, Hopkins appeared in the first season of the prime time drama Dynasty as Matthew Blaisdel. His many other appearances on television included in miniseries Aspen (1977) and Beggarman, Thief (1979), and in episodes of Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Wild Wild West, The Virginian, Nichols, The Rat Patrol (replacing Justin Tarr as the jeep driver for three episodes), The Mod Squad, Hawaii Five-O, Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers, The Rookies, Charlie's Angels, Fantasy Island, The A-Team, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The Fall Guy, Crazy Like a Fox, Murder, She Wrote, and Doc Elliot. Hopkins portrayed a role in the video game Nuclear Strike. He plays Colonel LeMonde, a mercenary who steals a nuclear weapon. The "Strike" team tracks him through Southeast Asia.
Hopkins became interested in pursuing an acting career, but his wife disapproved of it and she soon left him, taking their daughter with her. After appearing in some area plays, he received a scholarship to study acting and stage production at the Pioneer Playhouse in Kentucky, where he soon moved. From Kentucky, he made his way to Manhattan to act in more stage plays. After that, he moved to Hollywood with his cousin's boyfriend, who wanted to be a stuntman. He earned a living parking cars while studying at the Actors Studio, where one of his classmates was Martin Landau.
Hopkins had a two-year relationship with Gondola co-star Sondra Locke. They presented themselves as a couple on the game show Tattletales despite her existing marriage. Their episode aired just days before she left for Arizona to start shooting The Outlaw Josey Wales.
Hopkins was married to Sian Eleanor Green from 1989 until his death; they had a son in 1995. After six years of professional inactivity, Hopkins returned to acting, reading scripts, and was writing his autobiography.
Bo Hopkins died after suffering a heart attack on May 28, 2022, at the age of 84.
Career
Hopkins appeared in more than 100 film and television roles in a career of more than 40 years, including the major studio films The Wild Bunch (1969), The Bridge at Remagen (1969), The Getaway (1972), American Graffiti (1973), The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing (1973), The Killer Elite (1975), Posse (1975), A Small Town in Texas (1976), Midnight Express (1978), and More American Graffiti (1979). His final film, Hillbilly Elegy, was directed by his long-time friend Ron Howard and released in 2020.
Personal life and death
After his military service, he began dating Norma Woodle, whom he married at age 21, and they had a daughter in July 1960.
Filmography
Film
1968 Dayton's Devils Taxi Driver 1969 The Thousand Plane Raid Captain Douglass The Wild Bunch Clarence "Crazy" Lee Stringfellow The Bridge at Remagen Corporal Grebs 1970 The Moonshine War Bud Blackwell Macho Callahan Yancy Monte Walsh "Jumpin" Joe Joslin 1972 The Culpepper Cattle Co. Dixie Brick The Only Way Home Orval The Getaway Frank Jackson 1973 The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing Billy Bowen American Graffiti "Little" Joe Young White Lightning Roy Boone 1974 The Nickel Ride Turner 1975 The Day of the Locust Earle Shoop Posse Wesley The Killer Elite Jerome Miller 1976 A Small Town in Texas Sheriff Duke 1977 Tentacles Will Gleason 1978 Midnight Express Tex The Fifth Floor Carl 1979 More American Graffiti "Little" Joe Young 1983 Sweet Sixteen Sheriff Dan Burke 1984 Mutant Sheriff Will Stewart 1988 Nightmare at Noon Reilly 1989 The Bounty Hunter Sheriff Bennett 1990 Big Bad John Lester 1992 Inside Monkey Zetterland Mike Zetterland 1993 The Ballad of Little Jo Frank Badger 1994 Radioland Murders Billy's Father 1996 Uncle Sam Sergeant Twining 1997 U Turn Ed Fever Lake Sheriff Harris Direct-to-video 1998 Phantoms FBI Agent Hawthorne The Newton Boys FBI Agent K.P. Aldrich 1999 Sheriff Otis Lawson Direct-to-video 2000 South of Heaven, West of Hell "Doc" Angus Fries 2001 A Crack in the Floor Sheriff Talmidge Cowboy Up Ray Drupp 2002 Don't Let Go The Boss City of Ghosts Teddy Uncredited 2003 The Road Home Coach Jimmy Stangel Shade Lieutenant Scarne 2020 Hillbilly Elegy Papaw Vance
Television
1966 The Phyllis Diller Show Chub 1 episode 1967 The Virginian Will 1 episode 1967 Gunsmoke Harper Haggen 1 episode 1967 The Wild Wild West Zack Garrison S3 E14 "The Night of the Iron Fist" 1967 The Andy Griffith Show George 1 episode 1968 Judd, for the Defense Ned Sims 1 episode 1968 The Rat Patrol Bo Randall 1 episode 1968 The Guns of Will Sonnett Wes Redford/Ben Merceen 2 episodes 1969 Bonanza Stretch Logan 1 episode 1969-1970 The Mod Squad Tom Styles/Arnie 2 episodes 1972 Ironside Gregg Hewitt 1 episode 1972 Nichols Kansas 1 episode 1973 Hawaii Five-O Jeb 1 episode 1973 Gondola Grady Television film 1973-1974 Doc Elliot Eldred McCoy Main role, 10 episodes 1974 Friends and Lovers Guest 1 episode 1974 The Manhunter Sonny Welch 1 episode 1974 The Rookies Wayne Shipley 1 episode 1975 The Kansas City Massacre Pretty Boy Floyd Television film 1975 Judgment: The Court Martial of Lieutenant William Calley Prosecuting Attorney Television film 1975 Barnaby Jones Ken Morley 1 episode 1976; 1979 Charlie's Angels Beau Creel/Wes Anderson 2 episodes 1976 Jigsaw John Jimmy Franks 1 episode 1976 The Invasion of Johnson County George Dunning Television film 1976 Swan Television film 1977 Aspen Budd Townsend 3 episodes 1978 Julie Farr, M.D. Hollis McAfee 1 episode 1978 Thaddeus Rose and Eddie Eddie TV movie 1978-1979 The Rockford Files John Cooper 3 episodes 1979 Supertrain O'Toole 1 episode 1979 The Last Ride of the Dalton Gang Billy Doolin Television film 1980 Casino Stoney Television film 1981-1987 Dynasty Matthew Blaisdel Main role, 18 episodes 1982 Fantasy Island Harry 1 episode 1983 Matt Houston Reverend Noah Sunday 1 episode 1984 The A-Team Charles Drew 1 episode 1984 Hotel Walter Solanski 1 episode 1984 Finder of Lost Loves William Davis/Drew Gilbert 1 episode 1985 The Hitchhiker Lew Bridgeman 1 episode 1985; 1992 Murder, She Wrote Lt. Ray Jenkins/Scott Larkin 2 episodes 1985 Scarecrow and Mrs. King Nick Cross 1 episode 1986 The Fall Guy Sheriff Phil Talbot 1 episode 1986 Crazy Like a Fox Lowell 1 episode 1986 Gone to Texas Sidney Sherman Television film 1986 A Smoky Mountain Christmas Sheriff John Jensen Television film 1987 Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Ted Sharpe 1 episode 1991 Matlock Sheriff 1 episode 1994 "Rattlesnake" Reynolds Television film 1994 Cheyenne Warrior Jack Andrews Television film 1995 Tom Clancy's Op Center Dan McCaskey Miniseries, 2 episodes 1999 Time Served Jimmy Television film 2000 The Angry Beavers Huttin Voice role, 1 episode
Video games
Colonel Beauford LeMonde
Further reading
External links
Categories: 1938 Births, 2022 Deaths, 20th-century American Male Actors, 21st-century American Male Actors, American Adoptees, American Male Film Actors, American Male Television Actors, American Male Voice Actors, Male Actors From Greenville, South Carolina, Military Personnel From South Carolina, United States Army Personnel Of The Korean War
|
|
