Philip Baker Hall was a prolific character actor whose many movies and TV shows included “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia,” “Seinfeld,” and “Modern Family.”
- Died: June 12, 2022 (Who else died on June 12?)
- Details of death: Died of emphysema at the age of 90.
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Acting career
After serving in the U.S. Army as a translator in Germany, Hall began his acting career with small roles in movies and guest roles on TV shows including “Emergency!,” “Good Times,” and “M*A*S*H.” His career took off in the 1980s as he starred in “Secret Honor” as well as landing supporting roles in “Nothing in Common,” “Midnight Run,” “Say Anything…,” “Ghostbusters II,” and other films. Hall starred in “Hard Eight,” the directorial debut of Paul Thomas Anderson, and he went on to have notable roles in other films by the director, including “Boogie Nights,” playing theater magnate Floyd Gondolli, and “Magnolia,” playing children’s show host Jimmy Gator. On TV, he had recurring roles on “Family Ties” and “Falcon Crest” in addition to dozens of other roles over the course of almost 50 years. Hall played library cop Lt. Bookman on two episodes of “Seinfeld” and Dunphy family neighbor Walt Kleezak on “Modern Family.” His many other TV appearances included “Miami Vice,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “The West Wing,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and a voice role on “BoJack Horseman.” Hall’s later movie appearances included “Rush Hour” and its two sequels, “Bruce Almighty,” and “Argo.”
Hall on his iconic “Seinfeld” role
“[E]verybody knows Bookman, no doubt about it. I’m not putting it down, but I’ve done so much else. But Bookman is the one that everyone remembers. People will say forever, at the supermarket or wherever, it doesn’t matter where, ‘Oh, you’re Bookman, right? I really loved that Bookman. Now, I know you’ve done a lot of other things, but I loved that Bookman character.’ When they say, ‘I know you’ve done a lot of other things,’ it’s like, ‘You don’t know the half of it!’ [Laughs.]” —from a 2012 interview for the A.V. Club
Tributes to Philip Baker Hall
Full obituary: The Hollywood Reporter
