Bob Hoskins

Trivia

• According to Barry Letts in Beginning the End: Making 'The Time Warrior' (2007) (V), Hoskins was his first choice for the role of Irongron in "Doctor Who: The Time Warrior: Part 1 (#11.1)" (1973). Hoskins was not available to take the part but recommended David Daker, who was cast instead.
• In his earlier years before acting he wound up looking after camels in Syria and later packing fruit on a kibbutz in Israel, among many other odd jobs.
• Replaced Danny DeVito as "Mario" in Super Mario Bros. (1993).
• Was considered for the role of "Senator Ralph Owen Brewster" in The Aviator (2004) before Alan Alda.
• Spent several seasons with the Royal National Theatre and the Old Vic Theatre in London, where his credits included everything from a range of Shakespeare to Chechov to Shaw.
• Is probably best known to American audiences for his role as down and out detective "Eddie Valiant" in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).
• He was awarded the 1982 Critics' Circle Theatre Awards (Drama Theatre Award) for Best Actor of 1981 for his performance in Guys and Dolls and True West.
• His mother was German Romani (Gypsy) and his film The Raggedy Rawney (1988) was based on stories his gypsy grandmother used to tell him.
• Describes himself as "Five-foot-six and cubic".
• He adopted an American Accent for the role of "Eddie Valiant" on Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).

Quotes

• "I think Neil is a magician. And I believe in magic."
• "Coppola couldn't piss in a pot."
• "De Niro has only shown me kindness. He's a real friend. He's helped me shop for my wife's and my kid's Christmas presents. He's invited me round to meet his granny and he's come to my house for a pot-luck diner. That really knocked my wife out. I think she was finally impressed with me."
• "The worst thing I ever did? Super Mario Brothers. It was a f**kin' nightmare. The whole experience was a nightmare. It had a husband-and-wife team directing, whose arrogance had been mistaken for talent. After so many weeks their own agent told them to get off the set! F**kin' nightmare. F**kin' idiots."
• "You reach a point where the cameo is the governor. You go in there for a couple of weeks, you're paid a lot of money, everybody treats you like the crown jewels, you're in and out, and if the film's a load of shit, nobody blames you, y'knowwhadimean. It's wonderful."
• "You don't end up with a face like this if you're hard, do ya? This comes from having too much mouth and nothing to back it up with. The nose has been broken so many times."
• "I've watched films and even forgotten I'm in them."
• "My own mum wouldn't call me pretty."
• "When you get to my age, what you want is the cameo. You get paid a lot of money. You fly in for a couple of weeks. Everybody treats you like the crown jewels. It's all great and if the film turns out to be a load of shit, nobody blames you."
• "Most dictators were short, fat, middle-aged and hairless. Besides Danny DeVito, there's only me to play them".