Bo Hopkins from 'The Wild Bunch' has passed away

What began in 1966 with the series 'The Pruitts of Southampton,' culminated in 2020 with 'Hillbilly Elegy.' American actor Bo Hopkins had a long list of legendary productions on his resume.

54 years of a successful career and 131 credits as a film and television actor will be the legacy that Bo Hopkins leaves the world, after passing away at the age of 84.

Hollywood Reporter says that the actor died after he had been admitted to a hospital in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, last May 9, due to a heart attack.

In his last moments, Hopkins was in the company of his wife Sian and their two children, Matthew and Jane.

Bo Hopkins was a pioneer who moved freely between film, theater, and television since he started his career in the mid-1960s.

Bo Hopkins alternated between multi-million dollar productions and projects that had near-non-existent budgets. This tactic allowed him to take on legendary roles.

In fact, this breadth of range served to change the perception that Hollywood had of him. He was no longer the eternal bad guy or exacerbated character.

His physique and face were perfect for all kinds of characters and, for a long time, he had no problem bringing dozens of them to life. However, gradually, Bo Hopkins appeared to transition to 'friendlier' roles.

Born in South Carolina, back in 1938, Bo Hopkins was a troubled young man who enlisted in the army as an alternative to the reformatory. He had had some problems with the law, Hollywood Reporter recalls.

After returning from the army, he became interested in acting and took his first steps in the theater. In 1966, he began to make a name for himself on television.

'The Andy Griffith Show', 'Wild Wild West', and 'The Virginian' were some of his outstanding early appearances.

However, his great opportunity came through his stage acting. Fellow actor William Holden saw Hopkins's work and introduced him to the famous director Sam Peckinpah.

In 1969, Sam Peckinpah directed him as 'Crazy Lee' in the cult film 'The Wild Bunch.' Furthermore, the director and actor would work together in 'The Getaway' (1972) and 'The Killer Elite' (1975).

In the 70s he would also have roles in mythical films such as 'White Lightning' (1973), 'American Graffiti' (1973), 'Posse' (1975), and 'Midnight Express' (1978).

Starting in the 1980s, Bo Hopkins continued with Westerns but also took up any other genre that came his way. Here you see him signing autographs with a young Ron Howard.

'U Turn' (1997), 'The Newton Boys' (1998), and 'Phantoms' (1999) are some of his outstanding films in the last stage of the 20th century.

Interestingly, in his last film, 'Hillbilly Elegy' (2020), Bo Hopkins met Ron Howard, with whom he already coincided in 'American Graffiti'. At that time, Howard was working as an actor though, and not the acclaimed director that he is now.