
William Hootkins
Known for Acting · 113 credits
- Born
- 1948-07-05
- Died
- 2005-10-23
- Place of birth
- Dallas, Texas, USA
- Also known as
- Bill Hootkins · William Michael Hootkins
Biography
William Michael Hootkins was born on July 5, 1948, in Dallas, Texas. He moved to London, England in the early '70s and lived there up until 2002. Hootkins was an actor at Theatre Intime while attending Princeton University where he learned how to speak fluent Mandarin Chinese. He also trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, and attended St. Marks, where he was in the same theater group as Tommy Lee Jones. The imposingly bulky and heavyset Hootkins first began acting in films and TV shows alike in the mid '70s. His more noteworthy parts include the first of the Rebel fighter pilots to get killed while attacking the Death Star in "Star Wars", scientist Topol's bumbling oaf assistant in "Flash Gordon", Major Eaton, sent by the US government in "Raiders of the Lost Ark", one of Rod Steiger's demented sons in "American Gothic", a corrupt police lieutenant in "Batman", a disgusting sleazy voyeur in "Hardware", a coarse South African police chief in "Dust Devil", the mysterious and duplicitous Mr. X in "Hear My Song", a haughty corporate executive in "Death Machine", Santa Claus in "Like Father, Like Santa", and an opera-singing vampire in "The Breed". Moreover, Hootkins had small parts in two "Pink Panther" pictures: he's a taxi driver in both "The Trail of the Pink Panther" and "Curse of the Pink Panther".
Among the TV shows he did guest spots on are "Yanks Go Home", "Agony", "Play for Today", "Tales of the Unexpected", "The Life and Times of David Lloyd George", "Brett Maverick", "Cagney and Lacey", "Taxi", "Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense", "Poirot", "Chancer", "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles", "The Tomorrow People", "The West Wing", and "Absolute Power". Hootkins received many accolades for his outstanding performance as Sir Alfred Hitchcock in Terry Johnson's hit play "Hitchcock Blonde". In addition to his substantial film and TV credits, Hootkins was also a popular and prolific voice artist who recorded dozens of plays for BBC Radio Drama; he supplied the voices for such iconic individuals as Orson Welles, J. Edgar Hoover, and Winston Churchill. William Hootkins died of pancreatic cancer on October 23, 2005. IMDb Mini Biography
Known For
TV Shows (28)

Agatha Christie's Poirot
1989
as FBI Agent Burt

The West Wing
1999
as U.S. Translator

NOVA
1974
as Voice of Methuselah

Cagney & Lacey
1982

Taxi
1978
as Liquor Authority Agent

BBC Play of the Month
1965
as Little Bilham

Tales of the Unexpected
1979
as Peter Bligh / Harry Chester

Bergerac
1981
as Eugene Field / Karl Goldman

Remington Steele
1982
as Chester Harcourt

Playhouse
1974
as Mr. Bowles

Blackadder
1983
as Monk

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
1994
as Loch Ness Monster (voice)

Justice League
2001
as Commander (voice)

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
1992
as Diaghilev

Van der Valk
1972
as Frank Garvin

The New Statesman
1987
as Willoughby Guzzler

American Playhouse
1982
as Phil Cooper

Iron Man
1994
as Crimson Dynamo (voice)

Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense
1984
as Lou Delmart

Lytton's Diary
1985
as Sam Wexler

Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime
1983
as Hamilton Betts

Extreme Machines
1997
as Narrator

Laurence Olivier Presents
1976
as Postman

Philip Marlowe, Private Eye
1983
as Frank Dorr
Yanks Go Home
1976

The Lost Boys
1978
as Charles Frohman
Clouds of Glory
1978
as Reverend Dewey

American Gangster
2000
as Narrator
Movies (85)

Star Wars
1977
as Red Six (Porkins)

Raiders of the Lost Ark
1981
as Major Eaton

Batman
1989
as Eckhardt

A River Runs Through It
1992
as Murphy

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
1987
as Harry Howler

Flash Gordon
1980
as Munson

The NeverEnding Story III
1994
as Bark Troll / Falkor (voice)

Valentino
1977
as Fatty

White Nights
1985
as Chuck Malarek

The Island of Dr. Moreau
1996
as Kiril

Hardware
1990
as Lincoln Wineberg Jr.

The Cement Garden
1993
as Commander Hunt (voice)

Death Machine
1995
as John Carpenter

Town & Country
2001
as Barney

Hanover Street
1979
as Beef

Water
1985
as Ben

Dear Wendy
2005
as Marshall Walker

Trail of the Pink Panther
1982
as Taxi Driver

The Miracle Maker
2000
as Lucifer (voice)

Curse of the Pink Panther
1983
as Taxi Driver

American Gothic
1987
as Teddy

Sphinx
1981
as Don, Tour Guide

This World, Then the Fireworks
1997
as Jake Krutz

Twilight's Last Gleaming
1977
as Sgt. Fitzpatrick

Funny Bones
1995
as Al

Dust Devil
1992
as Capt. Cornelius Beyman

Bad Timing
1980
as Col. Taylor

The Princess and the Goblin
1991
as Curdie's Father (voice)

Zina
1985
as Walter Adams

The Tempest
1982
as Caliban

Hussy
1980
as 1st. Punter

The Magnificent Ambersons
2002
as Uncle George

Haunted Honeymoon
1986
as Reporter

Black Carrion
1984
as Lou Delmart

Biggles
1986
as Chuck

The Pope Must Die
1991
as Cardinal Verucci

Blessed
2004
as Detective Lauderdale

The Breed
2001
as Fusco

Hear My Song
1991
as Mr. X

The Omega Code
1999
as Sir Percival Lloyd

The Lady Vanishes
1979
as Party Guest

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Espionage Escapades
2000
as Sergei Diaghilev

Colour Me Kubrick
2005
as Frank Rich

Virgin Mary
1995
as judge Marulic

The Billion Dollar Bubble
1978
as Lloyd Edens

The Lost Boys
1978
as Charles Frohman

Dreamchild
1985
as 1st Radio Actor

Hamilton Mattress
2002
as Senor Balustrade (voice)

Something to Believe In
1998
as Car Dealer

U.S. Marshals: Waco & Rhinehart
1987
as August T. Mirch

A State of Emergency
1986
as Earl Linton

Age of Treason
1993
as Senator Garrus

Come Back, Little Sheba
1977
as Postman

The Life and Times of David Lloyd George
1981
as Winston Churchill

Rabbit Pie Day
1980
as Kolossov

The Return of Sherlock Holmes
1987
as Myron Spellman

The Paradise Run
1976
as Party Guest

Charlie Muffin
1979
as U.S. Embassy Photographer

Animated Epics: Moby Dick
2000
as Starbucks (voice)

The Milky Life
1993
as Julian Reilly

Like Father, Like Santa
1998
as Santa Claus

Rhinoceros Hunting in Budapest
1997
as The Man

Predators of the Wild: Cheetah and Leopard
1992
as Narrator

Big Zapper
1973
as Kono's Henchman

The Ambassadors
1977
as Little Bilham

Predators of the Wild: Snake
1993
as Narrator

Before Water Lilies
1981
as Mel

Monkeys
1989
as James Hoffman

Predators of the Wild: African Survival
1994
as Narrator

Predators of the Wild: Bats
1991
as Narrator

Survivor Science: The Dead Man Walking
1999
as Narrator (voice)
Mars: Pioneering the Planet
2003

Predators of the Wild: Shark
1992
as Narrator

Predators of the Wild: Hunters and Hunted
1992
as Narrator

Predators of the Wild: Grizzly Bear
1992
as Narrator

Predators of the Wild: Tiger
1993
as Narrator

Predators of the Wild: Killer Whale
1992
as Narrator

Time Life Animal Oddities: The Meanest Animal Alive
1995
as Narrator

Predators of the Wild: Wolf
1993
as Narrator

Predators of the Wild: Crocodiles and Alligators
1994
as Narrator

Predators of the Wild: Lion
1992
as Narrator

Predators of the Wild: Hawk
1993
as Narrator

Predators of the Wild: Polar Bear
1993
as Narrator

Predators of the Wild: Giant Tarantula
1993
as Narrator
Gummed Labels
1992
About William Hootkins
William Michael Hootkins was born on July 5, 1948, in Dallas, Texas. He moved to London, England in the early '70s and lived there up until 2002. Hootkins was an actor at Theatre Intime while attending Princeton University where he learned how to speak fluent Mandarin Chinese. He also trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, and attended St. Marks, where he was in the same theater group as Tommy Lee Jones. The imposingly bulky and heavyset Hootkins first began acting in films and TV shows alike in the mid '70s. His… With 113 credits spanning from 1965 to 2005, William Hootkins has appeared in 85 films and 28 TV shows.
Fans searching for William Hootkins movies, William Hootkins filmography, or the latest projects starring William Hootkins can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular William Hootkins Movies
- Star Wars (1977) — as Red Six (Porkins)
- Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) — as Major Eaton
- Batman (1989) — as Eckhardt
- A River Runs Through It (1992) — as Murphy
- Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) — as Harry Howler
Where to Watch William Hootkins Films
Most William Hootkins movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring William Hootkins, check our movies catalogue and browse page.