Dennis Hopper

The Wild Ride of a Hollywood Rebel

By: Peter L. Winkler

Narrated by: Greg Itzin

Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's Summary

One of America's most intriguing show-business luminaries and true rebels, Dennis Hopper's amazing life was a roller-coaster series of triumphs and failures. Always intent on proving his genius and leaving a legacy, the Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated Hopper acted in more than 115 movies and four TV series, directed seven films, and passionately pursued an artist's life as a photographer and creator and collector of modern art, embracing the work of artists like Warhol and Lichtenstein before the label "pop art" was even coined. Dennis Hopper: The Wild Ride of a Hollywood Rebel explores Hopper's life from his lonely childhood in Kansas, where he became determined to win the affection of others by becoming a great artist, to his often drug-fueled days and nights in Hollywood and his spiritual home in Taos, New Mexico.

Dennis Hopper: The Wild Ride of a Hollywood Rebel unsparingly documents Hopper's journey from a self-destructive bad boy to a reformed member of the Hollywood establishment and iconic survivor of the counterculture, providing a revealing look at his early days in Hollywood, when he had an affair with 16-year-old Natalie Wood and took acting lessons from James Dean; the making of Easy Rider, the crushing failure of The Last Movie; and Hopper's lost years in Taos and his recovery and political right turn in the late 1980s.

The book also delves into Hopper's tumultuous personal life, including his dramatic attempt to divorce his wife while he battled terminal cancer. This is the first book to cover the entire life and career of the man who hung out with James Dean, Elvis Presley, and Jack Nicholson, costarred in and directed Easy Rider, and came back big in Blue Velvet, overcoming years of alcoholism and drug addiction. Dennis Hopper: The Wild Ride of a Hollywood Rebel is a must-listen for Hopper's fans, film buffs, and listeners hooked on celebrity scandals.

©2011 Peter L. Winkler (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Sex, Drugs, & Hollywood Money

I thought I knew Dennis Hopper, but the first chapter of this book left my jaw open— What an incredible childhood! He was lucky to live through it.

Hopper was “discovered” in Hollywood by falling off a log— it was so easy for him. He would just show up and get attention the minute he walked through the door.

Winkler spares no private details. “Names are named,” he promises, and they are. You’ll learn every gruesome deal in movie industry, plus the requisite 60s-level sex and drugs. And the art. Of course, the art.

Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know

Like Lord Byron, Dennis Hopper lived his life with no moral boundaries. This may be shocking to some listeners, but somehow I think Hopper would be pleased that he is at last considered worthy of a biography. I have not read this book, and, after listening to the wonderful narration, I don't think I want to. The narration keeps the book entertaining because the narrator adapts all forms of accents (Australian, British, etc.) and gives a close interpretation of Hopper's voice, even Hopper's weird laugh. Hopper's life included so many others: Peter Fonda, James Dean, Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, etc. From Hopper's beginning in Kansas to his death in 2010, the author gives a revealing and honest look at Dennis Hopper's life, art, and philosophy.

Informative and thorough!

Would you consider the audio edition of Dennis Hopper to be better than the print version?

I liked this narrative... the author used tonal variances to detail different speakers... Was enjoyable.

worth it if you have a coupon

im glad i made it all the way through. dennis was a , sniveling overrated wienie. I did appreciate the rivers edge and easy rider. I do believe he ripped off others in easy rider. i would love to see the "last movie" as half the book is dedicated to this movie you cant find anywhere.