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That indelible voice…That face whose craggy features we could all trace the outlines of our own hopes and fears from…
Character actor extraordinaire Philip Baker Hall – the Thomas Mitchell and Ward Bond of our Time –passed away in Glendale, California this Sunday at the age of 90, according to our rarely called upon friends over at USA Today. Loved just as much in his private life as he was in his professional one, Hall exited stage left surrounded by his biggest admirers: A passel of beloved family and close friends.
For those not familiar with Hall and his rich canvas of characters that he brought to life over the decades, then you missed out on one of the very best acting talents of the 20th and 21st Centuries. In a variety of roles in both film and television, Hall brought a gruff authority and an innate decency to the characters he was tasked to bring to life. If you ever found yourself enjoying Hard Eight, Boogie Nights and Magnolia (all collaborations between Hall and director Paul Thomas Anderson), then some small thanks should be given to the Toledo, Ohio native who imbued complicated notes to the pages which Anderson wrote; this was his gift and this is his lasting legacy.
I first stumbled upon Hall back in 1988 when I caught him in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it film called Three O’Clock High. In the film, he played what in lesser hands could have been a forgettable part, that of a detective investigating a school break-in. I was fifteen then and all I knew was that if I were on the wrong side of the law, Philip Baker Hall’s Detective Mulvahill would be the last person I would want to cross. He was that effective in this quick turn, so much so that I never forgot him. As the years marched on, I was always happy to catch up with the actor in such productions as Seinfeld, The Talented Mister Ripley, Everwood, Say Anything, Ghostbusters II, The Insider, Enemy of the State, Argo and Zodiac. Hall was my through-line in my love of all things film and television and he never disappointed, not once.
When Hall left us, he did so in the company of his wife of almost forty years, Holly Wolfe Hall. He’d been in fine health until just recently she revealed in a statement released shortly after Hall’s death. And he had spent his final days in good spirits, ruminating on his rich and full life. And that voice, that unmistakable gravelly tenor that I’d trade a million and one Luciano Pavarotti’s for, was still in good stead even up until the end.
“His voice at the end was still just as powerful,” Wolfe Hall said.
We’ll never forget Philip Baker Hall, one of the rare good ones in the entertainment industry; rest easy, Good Sir.
