Dennis Hopper's Woes

[Sonic Youth]

A frail Dennis Hopper gets Hollywood star
By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer
Friday, March 26, 2010
LOS ANGELES, (AP) --

A bandaged and frail Dennis Hopper was surrounded by friends, family and colleagues Friday as he was honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

The 73-year-old actor and filmmaker, who is battling prostate cancer, appeared gaunt and was helped to the stage by a friend. Hopper explained that bandages on his right arm and eye were the result of a fall Thursday outside his home.

The two-time Oscar nominee, who has appeared in more than 100 films, said he came to Hollywood from his native Kansas at 18, "so that was my college."

"Everything I've learned, I've learned from Hollywood," he said. "This has been my home and my schooling."

As Hopper was speaking, a Hollywood tour bus passed slowly by the sidewalk ceremony and the tour guide said over the loudspeaker, "We love you Dennis."

Jack Nicholson, Viggo Mortensen, David Lynch and Dwight Yoakam were among the luminaries on hand to honor their friend and colleague. Nicholson wore a shirt decorated with images from "Easy Rider," the classic 1969 road film Hopper wrote, directed and starred in, alongside Peter Fonda.

Mortensen, who kissed Hopper on the cheek before approaching the microphone, called his friend of 20 years "a complete and fertile artist" who has been "a constant source of ideas, inspiration and humor for his friends and colleagues."

Another longtime friend, producer Mark Canton, said Hopper is "the coolest guy on the planet," which elicited a broad smile from the ailing star.

"He is a force of nature," Canton said. "He is a world-class original, a legend in his own right, whose impact on the arts and people that he loves so dearly is second to none."

As Hopper's star in front of the historic Egyptian Theatre was unveiled, the actor's 7-year-old daughter, Galen, threw her arms around her father's neck.

Hundreds of camera-toting spectators lined Hollywood Boulevard for the 30-minute ceremony.

Hopper and his wife, Victoria, have been locked in a contentious feud since he filed to end the couple's nearly 14-year marriage in January. Earlier this week, Hopper's attorney said the actor is terminally ill and too weak to be questioned by his wife's attorneys in a deposition.

Doctors approved his appearance at Friday's ceremony because the event was a positive experience.

[Big Magilla]

The latest from Page Six:

The wife of cancer-stricken Dennis Hopper has been stepping out with Boston-based Democratic strategist James Boyce, Page Six has learned.

Hopper, who is undergoing chemotherapy for advanced prostate cancer, yesterday obtained a restraining order against wife Victoria Duffy, whom his son accused of making the "Easy Rider" star's life "a living hell."

But sources said that Victoria, 42 -- 31 years younger than Hopper -- has been making visits to the East Coast, where she's been catching up with Boyce, a Huffington Post blogger, a CNN talking head and the founder of liberal Web firm NewsLadder.

In an affidavit filed in LA Superior Court yesterday, Hopper states he was "in utter distress" in late December when Victoria took their daughter, Galen, from school and flew to Boston, where he couldn't find her for six days. "This malevolent act . . . has caused me to miss what may very well be my last Christmas with my daughter," Hopper said in his filing.

E-mails obtained by Page Six appear to show that Duffy and Boyce have worked together on Democratic causes and attended President Obama's inauguration together last year on tickets that had been reserved for Hopper, who was too ill to travel.

In an e-mail to the office of Rep. Jane Harmon on Jan. 19, 2009, Duffy wrote: "I would like to authorize James Boyce to pick them [the tickets] up on our behalf."

Boyce told us yesterday: "I am personally offended and deeply outraged by your assertion . . . There is absolutely no truth to your false allegations."

Hopper's son, Henry Hopper, 19, said yesterday, in a deposition, "Victoria has made my father's life a living hell over at least the last six months," and claimed Hopper has shrunk to 120 pounds.

Duffy was ordered to stay at least 10 feet away from Hopper and banned from entering his home on the Venice, Calif., compound where she lives in a guesthouse. Her lawyers didn't get back to us.

[Big Magilla]

LOS ANGELES – Dennis Hopper's wife states in a court declaration that she believes the actor is divorcing her because of his declining health and influence from others.

Victoria Hopper wrote that her husband's medical and mental state have become unpredictable as he battles prostate cancer, according to the documents filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The 42-year-old is seeking full custody of the couple's 6-year-old daughter. She is also asking a judge to allow Dennis Hopper supervised visits with his daughter for up to an hour per day, depending on his health. Her filing seeks strict guidelines, including a requirement that Hopper remove all guns from the family's house and refrain from smoking medicinal marijuana before the visits.

"I do not believe that petitioner is capable of taking care of himself or his legal and financial affairs," Victoria Hopper's declaration said. "Therefore, I do not believe Petitioner is capable of making sound decisions in the best interests of our daughter."

Hopper's manager, Sam Maydew, did not return repeated calls and e-mails seeking comment on Monday and Tuesday.

Many of the filing's details were first reported by the Web site The Daily Beast.

In her filing, Victoria Hopper claims her husband told her that he didn't want to end the marriage, but he filed for divorce on Jan. 14 because "other people are insisting that he take care of them upon his death."

The "Easy Rider" star is asking for joint custody of their daughter and that he make spousal support payments. Both have cited irreconcilable differences for the breakup.

He was first diagnosed with prostate cancer a decade ago, but it returned late last year. He started chemotherapy treatments earlier this month, the filing stated.

Victoria Hopper is asking a judge to protect her and her daughter's stake in a $1 million life insurance policy and a college fund. She claims the divorce is a means to cut her out of Hopper's estate and wants a judge to nullify the couple's prenuptial agreement.

According to Victoria Hopper's filing, Dennis Hopper amended his estate plan in October in violation of the prenup agreement.

She is also asking a judge to grant her access to certain portions of the compound where the couple and Hopper's two adult children live.

[Johnny Guitar]

He made The Last Movie, which is one of the greatest films ever made IMO, and worth mentioning because no one ever does ... sad to hear.

[Big Magilla]

The latest. It doesn't sound good.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Bedridden Hollywood actor Dennis Hopper said on Monday he was seeking a divorce from his fifth wife while fighting what his publicist called "a valiant battle" against prostate cancer.

"They've been having trouble and he wants peace and quiet," spokesman Alex Hitz told Reuters.

The unusual filing was made last Thursday. Hopper, 73, and Victoria Duffy have a 6-year-old daughter.

Hitz said Hopper was "fully conscious" after being placed on a new round of chemotherapy drugs.

In a statement, Hopper was quoted as saying: "I wish Victoria the best, but only want to spend these difficult days surrounded by my children and close friends."

Duffy is still at Hopper's house in the coastal suburb of Venice as living arrangements are worked out, Hitz said. The divorce filing would not affect what Duffy gets from Hopper's estate as that was laid out in a pre-nuptial agreement, he added.

Hopper, perhaps best known for directing and starring in the 1969 cult classic "Easy Rider," was diagnosed with cancer last September.

In a wildly varied career spanning more than 50 years, Hopper appeared alongside his mentor, James Dean, in "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Giant," and played maniacs in such films as "Apocalypse Now," "Blue Velvet" and "Speed."

He received two Oscar nominations, for writing "Easy Rider" (with co-star Peter Fonda and Terry Southern), and for a rare heartwarming turn as an alcoholic high-school basketball coach in the 1986 drama "Hoosiers."

His domestic life has never been dull. One of his marriages included an eight-day union with Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and Papas in 1970. Phillips later told Vanity Fair that she was subjected to "excruciating" treatment. Hopper also broke the nose of his first wife, Brooke Hayward, after a drug binge.

[OscarGuy]

I'm not so sure he would. The way this article reads, it sounds like it may be fairly far progressed, which isn't a good thing at all.

[Big Magilla]

Terrible, terrible disease. Six years ago my 54 year-old brother went through all the treatments but died of it anyway. Since then, however, I've had several friends and another brother earlier this year, age 47, who were successfully treated with no signs of the disease remaining. Let's hope he falls in the latter category.

[Sonic Youth]

Manager: Dennis Hopper has prostate cancer, forced to cancel all travel for treatment

By SANDY COHEN , Associated Press

Last update: October 30, 2009 - 6:52 AM

LOS ANGELES - Dennis Hopper has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and is canceling all travel plans to focus on treatment, his manager said Thursday.

The 73-year-old actor and artist is being treated through a "special program" at the University of Southern California, said Sam Maydew.

Asked about Hopper's prognosis, Maydew said, "We're hoping for the best." He would not elaborate on the actor's condition.

Hopper was forced to cancel his appearance at an exhibition of his artwork and photography at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne. Called "Dennis Hopper and the New Hollywood," the show celebrates "the work and life of an extraordinary filmmaker, artist and key figure in the evolution of Americas cultural scene from the 1950s to today."

Hopper was hospitalized in New York earlier this month and treated for dehydration.

The "Easy Rider" star recently finished shooting the second season of "Crash," a TV version of the Oscar-winning 2004 film. He plays maniacal music producer Ben Cendars on the series, which airs on the Starz network. Hopper also has several film projects in the works.



Edited By Sonic Youth on 1256928318