Dennis Hopper didn’t just play a counterculture rebel in the iconic 1960s flick Easy Rider—he lived a shockingly rough and risky life.
1. He Was An Enfant Terrible
Dennis Hopper skyrocketed to fame in the anything-goes era of free love, but he ended up taking the whole “no boundaries” thing way too far. With five failed marriages, raunchy, substance-fueled parties, and intense on-set showdowns, Hopper’s life was legendarily debauched...and all it came at a heartbreaking price.
2. He Was Bad To The Bone
As the son of a post office manager, Hopper may have had humble beginnings, but they weren’t angelic. He was born on May 17, 1936, in Dodge City, Kansas—a former Old West town once known for its bordellos, saloons, and gambling dens. These outlaw vibes might have seeped into the young Hopper’s consciousness, because his troubles started at a disturbingly early age.
3. He Had Alarming Early Urges
Ah, the raging hormones of puberty can send anyone’s head spinning. That said, some reflections are best left in the therapist’s office. As an adult, Hopper once admitted a disgusting secret. On the record, he said that as he entered puberty, he started to notice his mother Marjorie’s “incredible body”. He went on to say that he developed a carnal “fascination for her”.
Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of Hopper’s insatiable desires.
4. He Was Arrogant
By his late teens, Hopper knew that he wanted to be an actor—and he had the guts to go for it. In fact, his fearlessness and ingenuity helped him stand out from the crowd at an audition for a TV show called Medic. As soon as he set foot in the casting director’s office, he made an unforgettable move.
Warner Bros. Studio, Wikimedia Commons
5. He Sealed His Fate
Right in the middle of chatting with the casting director, a shocking event happened. Hopper suddenly collapsed to the floor as if he was having a seizure...only, he wasn't. Hopper’s terrifying performance was so convincing that just as the casting director was reaching for the phone to get help, Hopper bounced to his feet, grinning.
The casting director put his head out the door and told the crowd of hopefuls that they could all go home. Hopper got the role, impressed TV audiences, and quickly moved on to much bigger things.
6. He Lucked Out
Hopper's next acting job was a small role in the legendary James Dean movie Rebel Without a Cause. One problem—the female lead hadn’t been cast yet, and director Nicholas Ray, who was unorthodox on many levels, didn’t want to bother Dean.
Enter the libido-driven Hopper, who got to screen test with some of Hollywood’s hottest young starlets. One actress in particular sent sparks flying.
Warner Bros., Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
7. He Got An Indecent Proposal
In the 1950s, a woman didn’t usually make the first move—unless her name was Natalie Wood. The day after the pair screen tested, the 16-year-old Wood gave Hopper a call. She got right to the point and told him that she thought he was good-looking and would like to sleep with him. She then added, “I don’t do anything, I just lay there”.
Hopper decided to see where things would go. Safe to say, no one could have predicted exactly where that was.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
8. His Mind Was Blown
Natalie Wood and Hopper ended up meeting for their date. Since Hopper had a roommate, Wood suggested they drive to a Lover’s Lane. But when Hopper made a move on Wood, she stopped him. Her next words stunned him. When he asked why, the teen told him she’d just been with Rebel's 43-year-old director Nicholas Ray.
Hopper was entering a dark world, and there was no going back.
9. He Got Close With His Co-Stars
Soon, Hopper and his Rebel co-stars Natalie Wood and Nick Adams became good friends. The three of them would drive around Hollywood in Wood's pink T-Bird, putting their hands in the prints outside of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and hanging out at diners. Only, not everything was so family friendly.
Allan Warren, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
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10. He Partied Hard
One fine day, Hopper claims that he, Wood, and Adams decided invite a bunch of people over for some "intimate" activities. In particular, Wood wanted to have a champagne bath. Hopper and Adams sprinted to the store, loaded up on bubbly, and filled the tub.
In what could only be a moment of sweet anticipation, Wood sat down in the tub—and screamed.
NBC Television, Wikimedia Commons
11. He Took The Party Too Far
Suddenly, the fantasy turned into a real-life horror show. The water seriously scalded Wood in all her soft spots, and Hopper rushed her to the emergency room. Hopper later said, “It was a very expensive burn".
Although this raunchy group endeavor may not have turned out as planned, that didn’t stop Hopper from trying to perfect the art of debauchery throughout his life—over and over again.
12. His Heart Wanted What It Wanted
In the mid-1950s, Hopper was lucky enough to star in Giant, another James Dean movie, but seemed bent on ruining his good fortune. Around this time, he fell for up-and-coming actress Joanne Woodward and, defiant to the core, took her to the Giant premiere despite the studio’s wish for him to take someone more famous.
That evening, when Hopper took Woodward home and insisted on coming in for a nightcap, things got tense.
13. He Was Put In His Place
In a dangerous turn of events, Hopper wouldn’t accept Woodward’s refusal to invite him inside. It got so bad that she ended up pushing him down a flight of stairs. Later, Hopper discovered the reason behind her abrupt behavior: Paul Newman, Woodward’s future husband, was waiting for her in her apartment.
Yet this incident was just an appetizer for what came next.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
14. He Did NOT Know His Place
Hopper’s promising career started to unravel just as it was getting off the ground. Following his work with James Dean, Hopper starred in the film From Hell to Texas, where he clashed fiercely with director Henry Hathaway. At one point, Hopper insisted on reshooting a scene more than 80 times before he actually just did it the way the director wanted.
By the end of filming, Hopper had also tried to leave the film three times. Unfortunately, he was also causing big trouble behind the scenes.
Twentieth Century, From Hell to Texas (1958)
15. He Had Dangerous Liaisons
On the set of From Hell to Texas, Hopper’s devil-may-care attitude (to put it mildly) led him into treacherous territory. He started an affair with Diane Varsi, his married costar, which was dangerous ground enough. Then, subtlety not being Hopper’s strong point, he took little pains to hide the tryst. It ended in disaster.
Twentieth Century, From Hell to Texas (1958)
16. He Was Caught Red-Handed
One day while Hopper was canoodling with Varsi, the worst thing possible happened. Varsi’s husband stormed in on them, erupted in a fury, and attacked Hopper with a chair. Hopper, possibly undressed, tried to defend himself with his feet but ended up covered in bruises.
At the tail-end of this troubled time on set, Hopper's director unsurprisingly walked over to him and said, “Kid, there's one thing I can promise you: you’ll never work in this town again”. But Hopper had other ideas.
17. He Found Love
Hopper was always full of surprises, and his next move was no exception. Although "settling down" seemed to not be in his vocabulary, all that went out the window when he met actress Brooke Hayward while the pair were working on Broadway.
She was a classy former debutante who was also childhood friends with Jane Fonda. He was a bad boy from Kansas, but the unlikely pair shared a bohemian, artsy outlook. After only a few months, they decided to make it official...and then the other shoe dropped.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
18. He Had A Bad Rep
Hopper’s horrible reputation preceded him, and Brooke's father Leland, a showbiz bigwig, was apoplectic at their pending nuptials. He called her up in a rage, seething, “There’s no reason to go through with this!” It didn't work, and the lovebirds hastily wed without even a planned reception. Other unplanned things occurred...
19. He Couldn't Settle Down
Dennis Hopper seemed like the last person who should marry, especially at the dawn of the swingin’ 60s. Well, he probably was the last person who should marry. Even after having a child with Hayward, daughter Marin, and helping raise her other two children, his bad boy behavior couldn't be tamed.
Case in point: One night, after Hayward tucked in the kids, she settled into bed with a book. But then Hopper appeared at their door with a scandalous suggestion.
20. His Wife Turned Him Down
When Hopper showed up, he wasn't alone; he had Jane Fonda and her husband Roger Vadim in tow—and he wanted them all to take part in some "group" activity. The reply wasn't what he expected. Although Brooke Hayward was no prude, this evidently wasn't her cup of tea.
"I was furious," she later recalled, and she screamed at them all to get out. But the couple could never escape chaos for long.
Associated Press, Wikimedia Commons
21. He Was On A Path To Destruction
Hopper's Hollywood Hills home with Hayward was seen by many as the substance-fueled, “beating heart of Los Angeles’ counterculture scene”. The swingin' 60s literally unfolded in their living room, with gatherings of bikers, Black Panthers, artists, rock stars, and writers happening on the regular.
This artistic upheaval and social chaos became the perfect breeding ground for what would be Hopper’s career-defining project, but it came with grave dangers.
22. He Created A House Of Horrors
The mornings-after of Hopper's raucous parties were a sight to behold...and they were often beheld by children. At one point, Hopper's five-year-old daughter Marin woke up to a group of rough-and-tumble men scattered across 20 sleeping bags in the living room.
When she asked about it, her mother casually explained, “Oh, those are the Hells Angels”. It all began to take a toll.
23. He Was The Host With The Most Problems
When it comes to substances, saying, “Hey, it was 60s” can only go so far. And by his family’s accounts, Hopper was saying yes to everything. Not only was he doing mind-bending substances, but he was also drinking so much that his stepson said he reeked of booze "morning and night”.
That’s when Hopper kicked things up a notch—or 10.
24. He Was Unhinged And Unpredictable
Aren’t hippies supposed to embody peace and love? Well, not in Hopper’s case. Under this way of life, he grew monstrous. He began hitting his wife and took to carrying a revolver around at all hours. Indeed, by now he had developed an interest in heavy artillery that bordered on obsession, and his stepson admitted he spent a lot of his childhood "hiding in closets".
This was only the beginning.
25. He Needed An Intervention
Life at the Hopper household was becoming untenable. Hopper’s stepson recounted another time when Hopper, who must have clearly been going through a psychotic episode, chased the family with his revolver, intent on harming them.
Panic-stricken, they ran from house to house, all while Hayward tried to soothe them by saying it was a "great adventure".
26. He Had A Vision
While all this was going on, Hopper was working on what would become his magnum opus, the counter-cultural film Easy Rider. Pushed out of Hollywood for his intractable behavior, Hopper had begun to work with actor Peter Fonda and writer Terry Southern to develop the film independent of the rigid studio system.
It would eventually pay off tenfold, but its production was horrendous.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
27. He Was A Bad Boss
Before filming on Easy Rider even started, Hopper was already causing trouble. Initially, Rip Torn had been cast in the movie as George Hanson, but after an incensed Hopper reportedly pulled a blade on him in a pre-production meeting, Torn stalked off project.
To be fair, this ended up working out for Hopper, as a then-unknown Jack Nicholson took over the role. Though that hardly calmed things down once the film got rolling.
photo by Alan Light, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
28. He Went Too Method
When it came to embracing the film’s counterculture spirit, Hopper and his co-stars Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson went all in during filming. Many of the substance scenes were 100% authentic, with the actors really living their rebellious actions on screen. This often led wild fights on set, particularly between Fonda and Hopper.
Still, this too worked out, and the film became a massive success upon its release, turning Hopper into the OG Indie darling.Too bad just as Hopper’s career was about to peak, his domestic life hit its nadir.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Wikimedia Commons
29. He Crossed A Line
As the turbulent 60s came to a close, so did Hopper's marriage to Hayward—and the final straw was brutal. Hopper came home one evening and, in front of the children, threatened to end Hayward’s life if she didn’t feed him. At the end of her rope, Hayward scooped up her kids, fled the house, and immediately got a restraining order and filed for divorce.
Hopper's rebound was like nothing his friends had ever seen.
30. He Took The Plunge Again
Clearly, there was seldom a dull moment in Hopper’s life—and there was seldom a single moment either. It was only a matter of months after his divorce that he remarried, this time to Michelle Phillips of the folk-rock group The Mamas and the Papas.
Oh, and if you’re thinking this rash act was the result of infatuation and free-flowing love hormones, you’re mostly wrong.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
31. He Had A Quickie
Something was free-flowing during Hopper and Phillips’ Halloween night nuptials, but it wasn’t natural oxytocin. In fact, Hopper had indulged in so many mind-altering substances on his wedding night that the next morning, he didn’t even recognize his new wife. Their union was over in just eight days.
The spiral continued.
Bobby Roberts Enterprises, Wikimedia Commons
32. He Was Red-Hot
Thanks to Easy Rider’s success, Hopper got to direct The Last Movie, a $1-million passion project that almost lived up to its name due to its disastrous production. Filmed in Peru, where there were plenty of substances to go around, the shoot quickly went off the rails (pun intended).
At a press conference when asked about his partying, Hopper even said, “Why should I stop...just because I’m in Peru?” He would eventually get his answer, but far too late.
Universal, The Last Movie (1971)
33. He Was More Creepy Than Creative
In an ill-advised attempt to capitalize on this cinematic new wave, documentary filmmakers captured Hopper’s substance-fueled creative process during The Last Movie. Titled The American Dreamer, the doc highlighted his continuing unhealthy obsession with weaponry and showed him frolicking in the buff.
But Hopper's life was now more than just pleasure-seeking. He also apparently had a death wish.
Universal, The Last Movie (1971)
34. He Was A Deranged Daredevil
Dennis Hopper’s real life was 1000% more unhinged than on screen. In 1983, he proved it with the “Russian Dynamite Death Chair” stunt. Passed down from drifters to old stuntmen and finally to Hopper, the idea is exactly what it sounds like: Blow up dynamite while sitting on something.
Hopper wanted to do it, and he knew just the moment to show it off.
Road Movies, The American Friend (1977)
35. He Forced People To Watch
Of course, it would have been a challenge to attract an audience to a potentially lethal event, so Hopper publicized it as a movie screening and then loaded the crowd onto school buses and took them to a racetrack. Amazingly, Hopper survived, and someone even captured the stunt on film. The footage is as jaw-dropping as you’d expect.
Wouldn't you know it? It was going to be a bad year for Dennis Hopper.
36. He Got A Little Too Into Character
In 1983, the same year as his little dynamite "trick," Hopper was supposed to act in The Jungle Warriors, but the studio fired him for a bizarre reason. Early in the shoot, Hopper was found wandering in a Mexican village near the filming location while wearing absolutely nothing.
Hopper later admitted he was so far gone at the time, he didn’t remember being detained by officers or fired from the film. It was clearly a cry for help...but on his voyage home, the cry turned into a scream.
Seattle Public Library, Wikimedia Commons
37. He Earned The Nickname “Dennis The Menace”
After Hopper’s firing, the Jungle Warrior producers put him on a plane headed for home, and then probably let out a massive sigh of relief. The sentiment was premature. During the flight, Hopper tried to climb out onto the wing of the plane. Finally, though, this ended up being a wake-up call.
Road Movies, The American Friend (1977)
38. He Tried To Fix Himself
At the end of this latest saga, Hopper claimed that it was actually the substances people gave him to come down that ended up causing his erratic behavior on the plane, specifically insisting the medicine gave him temporary Parkinson's disease. Nonetheless, it was a rock bottom, and he gave up drinking in 1983.
But there were other habits in his life he couldn't quite drop.
Jorge Cubells Biela, Shutterstock
39. He Was A Marrying Man
Hopper may have loved love, but he wasn’t very good at it. After marrying Brooke Hayward and then Michelle Phillips, he had two more short-lived marriages with actresses Daria Halpin and Katherine LaNasa, having one child with them each. Then in 1996 when he married Victoria Duffy, it only looked like it would last forever.
40. He Faced His Most Grueling Battle
For over a decade, Hopper and Duffy lived their version of domestic bliss, having a daughter, Galen, together in 2003. Then the fairy tale came to an vicious end. In 2009, Hopper faced a grim diagnosis: He had prostate cancer, and it quickly spread to his bones. It all devolved quickly from there.
Road Movies, The American Friend (1977)
41. He Deteriorated In The Blink Of An Eye
By the next year, Hopper weighed a mere 100 pounds, speech was a struggle, and chemotherapy was out of the question because he was too far gone. Seems like this would be a good time for the rabble-rouser to settle down and make amends, right? Heck no.
42. He Was Brutal Till The End
By 2010, Hopper was pretty sure he had weeks to live. One of his last actions was utterly disturbing. In a shocking move, Hopper fought to cap his wife’s inheritance, ban her from contesting the will, and even tried to kick her out of their beach house.
Victoria Duffy had now been his wife of 14 years—ouch. And as for Hopper's reasons?
43. He Had One Last Divorce
Hopper’s body may have been failing, but his spirit was ready to air all his dirty laundry. According to the ailing actor, his wife had exhibited “outrageous conduct”. He also called her "insane," "inhuman," and "volatile". Eventually, their relationship became so explosive that Hopper filed a restraining order against her, not to mention filed for divorce.
Don’t worry, it gets worse.
Road Movies, The American Friend (1977)
44. His Send-Off Was A Tear-Jerker
In a poignant ceremony just months before the end, Hopper's wild career and larger-than-life persona were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Seeing the frail actor surrounded by friends, family, and fans would have been heart-rending, especially so close to the theater where he once frolicked with Natalie Wood all those years ago.
Everett Collection, Shutterstock
45. He Made Movie History
As unhinged as he was, Hopper still has an impressive oeuvre of more than 100 films.
One of his most beloved roles is from True Romance. In a scene where his character is interrogated by Christopher Walken playing an underworld boss, Hopper helped improvise one of the film’s funniest lines, where he calls Sicilians "part eggplant" and Walken calls him a "cantaloupe" in return.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
46. He Was An Enigma
Although Hopper left this earth in May 2010, his complex legacy still lingered behind. In particular, Hopper never reconciled with his friend Peter Fonda after Easy Rider. The two had clashed constantly on the set, and after its release Hopper even tried to siphon away Fonda's residual profits from the film.
And that’s where another example of Hopper’s extreme vengeance comes in…
47. He Didn’t Let Bygones Be Bygones
It sounds too dramatic to be true, but in his final days, Hopper went so far as to make sure that Peter Fonda wouldn't even attend his funeral. Loyal to the end, a determined if estranged Fonda went anyway. He got a heartbreaking response. Hopper's family only turned him away.
If that doesn’t sound like a scene out of a soap opera, just wait.
Everett Collection, Shutterstock
48. He Was A Magnet For Mess
It really was mind-boggling how Hopper could still stir up trouble, even from beyond the grave. Amid his bitter divorce, he also banned his wife Victoria from his funeral. Nonetheless, he wanted their daughter Galen there. Well, trading blow for blows, Victoria allegedly kept Galen from going anyway, using her as a "pawn" in the posthumous battle.
Everett Collection, Shutterstock
49. He Had "Unnatural Desires"
In the end, Hopper's second, short marriage to Michelle Phillips may still have been his most dramatic. See, it was Phillips who ran away from Hopper after their eight-day marriage, and her reason was bone-chilling. She claims she had to break it off because of Hopper's "unnatural" demands in the bedroom.
Yet his most infamous moment didn't happen in the bedroom, but in a boardroom.
Lanyap, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
50. He Crossed From Hedonism Into Horror
At the height of his dysfunction directly after Easy Rider, Hopper was reportedly at an executive meeting when he happened to see a bunch of powder in a gold dish. Being who he was, Hopper wasted no time sniffing the stuff up...only to learn the hideous truth.
A horrified employee revealed that Hopper had just snorted the ashes of an executive's late wife, leaving everyone in suddenly sober shock.
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