Hey, hey, it's Dennis Hopper's 67th birthday. He was born May 17, 1936. Happy birthday to yer bad self, Mr. Hopper.

He's done so much good work. I'd definitely take the low-fi immediacy of Easy Rider over the much overhyped Blue Velvet.

I'd also recommend Flashback, an underappreciated minor gem co-starring Kiefer Sutherland. Which reminds me to recommend Hopper's contribution to the first season of 24 as the uber-villain Victor Drazen. Some mocked his accent. Screw 'em. Hopper was outstanding in his role.

The cheesy commercial Speed vehicle worked out to be surprisingly good, partly from his presence.

Damn, but he goes back long enough to have been in Rebel Without a Cause and The Sons of Katie Elder.

Then there was his defining crazy role in Apocalypse Now. What a freak.