Bob Hoskins facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bob Hoskins
Hoskins in May 2006
Born	Robert William Hoskins (1942-10-26)26 October 1942 Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
Died	29 April 2014(2014-04-29) (aged 71) London, England
Burial place	Highgate Cemetery, London
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1968–2012
Spouse(s)	Jane Livesey ​ ​ (m. 1967; div. 1978)​ Linda Banwell ​ (m. 1982)​
Children	4

Robert William Hoskins (born 26 October 1942 – died 29 April 2014) was a famous English actor. He was known for playing many different characters in films and TV shows. Some of his most famous roles were in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), where he played a detective, and as Mario in Super Mario Bros. (1993). He also played Smee in Hook (1991).

Bob Hoskins won several important awards for his acting. These included the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival and a Golden Globe Award. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the film Mona Lisa. In 2012, he stopped acting because he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He passed away in 2014 at the age of 71.

Early Life and First Jobs

Robert William Hoskins was born in Bury St Edmunds, England, on 26 October 1942. His mother, Elsie, was a cook and teacher. His father, Robert, worked as a bookkeeper and lorry driver. Bob grew up in the Finsbury Park area of London.

He went to Stroud Green Secondary School. Teachers sometimes thought he was "stupid" because he had dyslexia, which makes reading and writing harder. He left school at 15 with one exam pass. Before becoming an actor, he worked many different jobs. He was a porter, a lorry driver, a plumber, and a window cleaner. He even spent time living on a farm in Israel and with a tribe in Syria.

Acting Career Highlights

Hoskins filming Ruby Blue in 2006

Bob Hoskins started acting in 1968 at a theatre in Stoke-on-Trent. A year later, he got a role by accident! He was waiting for a friend at a theatre when someone handed him a script and told him he was next to audition. He got the part, and his friend became his understudy. His friend said Bob was a "natural" actor.

His first big TV role was in On the Move (1975–1976). This was an educational show to help adults learn to read and write. He played Alf Hunt, a removal man who struggled with reading. Later, he became very well known for his role in the BBC drama Pennies from Heaven (1978).

Bob Hoskins gained a lot of praise for his roles in British films. These included The Long Good Friday (1980) and Mona Lisa (1986). For Mona Lisa, he won several awards, including the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for this role.

He played many memorable characters in Hollywood films too. He was Smee in Hook (1991), a loyal friend to Captain Hook. He also appeared in Mermaids (1990) with the singer Cher. In Enemy at the Gates (2001), he played Nikita Khrushchev, a famous Russian leader. He also had a small part in the Spice Girls movie, Spice World (1997).

Hoskins and Freddie Francis on location in Montreal for Rainbow in 1994

One of his most famous roles was as detective Eddie Valiant in the hit movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). In this film, he acted alongside cartoon characters. To prepare, he took mime lessons so he could pretend to interact with characters that weren't really there. Critics loved his performance. He was even nominated for a Golden Globe Award for it.

Bob Hoskins was known for being able to play American characters very well. He played gangster Owney Madden in The Cotton Club (1984) and J. Edgar Hoover in Nixon (1995).

He also directed two films where he acted: The Raggedy Rawney (1988) and Rainbow (1996).

In 1993, he played Mario in the movie Super Mario Bros.. He later said he was not happy with this film. He even got injured several times while making it. He didn't even know it was based on a video game until his son told him!

In 2009, he won an International Emmy Award for Best Actor for his role in the TV show The Street. On 8 August 2012, Bob Hoskins announced he was retiring from acting. This was because he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2011.

Personal Life

Bob Hoskins often joked about looking similar to the actor Danny DeVito. He would say that Danny DeVito would play him if there was ever a movie about his life.

Bob had two children, Alex and Sarah, with his first wife, Jane Livesey. With his second wife, Linda Banwell, he had two more children, Rosa and Jack. He lived in Hampstead, London, and also in Chiddingly, East Sussex.

Illness and Death

The grave of Bob Hoskins, Highgate Cemetery

Bob Hoskins was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2011. This led him to retire from acting in August 2012.

He passed away from pneumonia in a London hospital on 29 April 2014, at the age of 71. He was survived by his wife Linda and his four children.

Many famous actors, like Stephen Fry, Samuel L. Jackson, and Helen Mirren, paid tribute to him at his funeral. Helen Mirren said that "London will miss one of her best and most loving sons." Bob Hoskins is buried in Highgate Cemetery in London.

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Bob Hoskins para niños