Bob Hoskins, ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ actor, dead at 71

The Oscar-nominated actor died Tuesday in a hospital surrounded by family, his rep confirmed to the Daily News.

 

Bob Hoskins (left) and Jessica Rabbit (voiced by Kathleen Turner) from ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit.’

Bob Hoskins, a cheerfully earthy British character actor best known for his deadpan conversations with a sultry bunny in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” died Tuesday at a London hospital.
His agent told BBC News that Hoskins, 71, died of pneumonia. He had suffered for several years from Parkinson’s disease, which forced him to retire from acting in 2012.
He joked to the Guardian that his last few roles, including one in “Snow White and the Huntsman,” resulted from phone calls where producers told him, “We’ve got a cracking little swan song for you.”
Hoskins, who dropped out of school at 15 and had no formal acting training, had been working in TV and film for almost 20 years, often as a gangster or thug in British productions, when he landed the role of Detective Eddie Valiant in “Roger Rabbit.”