He left us at the age of 90. Philip Baker Hall, a key figure in television, had distinguished himself in various supporting roles in the cinema over the past six decades. Especially under the thumb of the awesome Paul Thomas Anderson (The Master, There will be blood).
“Our beloved Philip died at his home in Glendale, California surrounded by his loving family” his family announced in a statement shortly after the death of the actor.
Philip Baker Hall was born in Ohio in 1931. A mediocre student, he decided to leave school to enlist in the army before finally being caught up in his love of theater and enrolling in the Los Angeles Theater. Interested in politics, he wrote a one-man show titled Secret Honor on US President Richard Nixon. A creation which earned him the spotting of the great director Robert Altman who, enthusiastic about the performance, decided to adapt it to the cinema in 1984. During the decade he made an appearance alongside Robert De Niro in MidnightRun then in Ghostbusters 2.
But it was in 1991 that his career took the biggest turn with his participation in season 3 of the cult sitcom Seinfeld in the episode The Library in which he embodies the lieutenant Joe Bookman. A remarkable performance that will earn him become a popular star. To the point of making his return in the final episode of the series in 1998. Several years later, the actor had entrusted the impact of this character on his career. “It’s been over 20 years since we shot this episode, and I still can’t go out in public for very long before someone says ‘God, it’s Bookman!’” he confided to the magazine RollingStone.
During the 1990s he became one of the favorite actors of the director of Paul Thomas Anderson, which will remain as his main feat on the big screen. First in the short film Cigarettes and Coffee, then in Hard Eight where he plays the main role and again in Boogie Nights and Magnolia. Recently he appeared in three episodes of Modern Family.