Britain says "Happy Birthday" to an old actor called Bob Hoskins

Robert William 'Bob' Hoskins, is 69 years old today.







Things you possibly didn't know about Bob, that he :

* born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, where his mother was a cook and nursery-school teacher and father book keeper, lorry driver and communist who brought him up as an atheist.

* in the 1960's his acting career started in London when, was sitting in a pub enjoying a beer, someone came up to him and told him to go upstairs to audition for a play, which he did and landed the role.

* had his first major tv role was in 'On the Move' in 1978, and then 'Pennies from Heaven' as sheet music salesman :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_PBpM4nnyM
and later, Iago in Jonathan Miller's tv production of Shakespeare's 'Othello'.

* starred in British film, 'The Long Good Friday' in 1980 :
At the start of the film with Helen Mirren as his girlfriend :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7zRGmSHL9U

At the end of the film with Pierce Brosnan as an IRA gunman taking him to his death and a Galaxy of emotion runs across his face :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9SG-zYvPjk


* in 1986 starred in 'Mona Lisa' and won a Cannes Award, Best Actor Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8CAdm_1gZA&feature=related

* delivered comic turns in Terry Gilliam's 'Brazil' in 1985 and 'Super Mario Bros' in 1993 and later referred to it as "worst thing I ever did".

* was on hold to play Al Capone in 'The Untouchables' if Robert De Niro had not decided to play the part and received a cheque for £20,000 and 'Thank you' note from director Brian De Palma, which prompted him ask "if there were any more movies he didn't want him to be in ?"

* made his first appearance to mainstream American audiences in 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit ?' for which he received a second Golden Globe nomination
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06aW97HEaWA

and played opposite Cher in 'Mermaids in 1990 and as boatswain Smee in 'Hook' in 1991and on tv Mr Micawber in 'David Copperfield' in 1999 :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz1tneAepU8















and Nikita Khrushchev in the film 'Enemy at the Gates' in 2001 :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH4Y2d-SyzM

* made a return to British tv in Jimmy McGovern's 2009 drama serial 'The Street', where he played a publican who stands up to a local gangster.