Philip Baker Hall was one of the greatest character actors in recent memory, and he has one of the most recognizable faces after appearing in countless movies and shows, but he passed away on June 12, 2022, at 90-years-old. The actor amazingly worked right up until his death, even though he didn’t necessarily need to, and fans of all ages will know him from drastically different projects.
Just as many young people will know him for starring in Modern Family as cinephiles will know him for his jaw-dropping performances in Hard Eight and The Insider. And while people may know him best for his role as the library detective, Bookman, in Seinfeld, the character parodies the very movie roles he usually plays. The actor commonly played stoic and unreadable characters, but ones that often had dry humor, and it’s a hole in Hollywood that won’t be filled any time soon.
Hard Eight (1996) - 7.3
Stream On Showtime
Hard Eight (also called Sydney overseas) is the only movie where Philip Baker Hall played the lead character, and, based on his performance, he should have gotten way more offers for lead roles following the film’s release. Hall plays Sydney, a retired hitman living in Atlantic City, who takes a young vagrant, John, under his wing and teachers him how to scam casinos. And while everything seems great for a while, Syndey’s past comes back to haunt him alongside John making some dumb decisions and getting involved with the wrong people.
The film is almost entirely character-driven and wholly overlooked, and Hall at least deserved an Academy Award nomination for the role. It’s also wunderkind Paul Thomas Anderson’s first film, making it one of the best ’90s directorial debuts, and it was the start of a great working relationship between Anderson and Hall.
The Rock (1996) - 7.4
Stream On TNT, TBS, & TruTV
Michael Bay makes movies full of characters in governmental roles, and in The Rock, Hall plays Chief Justice, the chief judge of the Supreme Court. While the film’s most exciting moments take place on Alcatraz and have loads of outrageous quotes, some of the lowkey best lines of dialogue come from Hall, and the humor mostly comes from the way they’re delivered.
Hall spitting out lines like “I gotta get up three times at night to take a piss” in his typical stoic manner makes the dialogue that much more hilarious. The movie is the John Mason show to the point where fans theorize that it’s a James Bond movie, but it’s the bit players like Hall that make the movie special.
50/50 (2011) - 7.6
Stream On Peacock
The 2011 comedy 50/50 is one of the most earnest and wholesome movies about cancer ever, as it perfectly depicts a 20-something, Adam, getting diagnosed with the disease while still managing to land every joke. Once again, even though it’s such a small role, Hall is the MVP of the movie, as he plays one of two cancer patients that Adam meets undergoing chemotherapy.
The cancer patient is unsurprisingly grumpy, but at the age of around 80, still always looks forward to his daily marijuana intake. But he isn’t just the comedic relief, as Hall’s character imparts so much wisdom, and the actor turns the small role into such a three-dimensional character.
Zodiac (2007) - 7.7
Stream On Hoopla
2007’s Zodiac is one of the most ambitious thrillers ever made, as it tells the true crime story of The Zodiac Killer, who was never caught. Hall plays Sharwood Morrill, who attempted to find similarities in typography in letters sent to The San Francisco Chronicle.
For somebody who had such a small part in the overarching real-life story, a lot of the 162-minute movie focuses on Merril, and that could be down to how commanding of the screen Hall is. Even though much of Hall’s mumbles in the film are speculation, audiences hang on to his every word. And it’s such a feat that one of the most memorable characters in an ambitious thriller movie is a quiet typography expert.
Argo (2012) - 7.7
Stream On Netflix
Best Picture winner Argo is a historical thriller that’s based on the true story of six U.S. diplomats being saved from a hostage situation in Iran in the late ’70s. And just like he did in The Rock, Hall plays another important official figure in the 2012 movie, C.I.A. director Stansfield Turner.
The role was so small that it was even uncredited, but even such a minor role left a lasting impression on audiences. Between the 1970s time period outfits and the political narrative of the film, few movies are better suited to the actor than Argo.
The Insider (1999) - 7.8
Rent On Vudu
Hall’s hang dog facial expression and deep voice lend themselves well to politicians, government figures, and other officials and authoritative figures. And as studios took advantage of that with films like Argo and The Rock, The Insider made the most use out of him, as Hall plays television news executive and producer Don Hewitt.
The movie itself is based on a real-life 60 Minutes segment in which Jeffrey Wigand blew the lid on the tobacco industry. And while it’s just a small part, Hall’s role is one of the most imperative. However, for as great as the actor is in the movie, it’s Al Pacino’s vehicle, and it’s easily one of Pacino’s best roles.
Boogie Nights (1997) - 7.9
Stream On HBO Max
If Michael Bay gave Hall some great lines for The Rock, longtime collaborator Paul Thomas Anderson gave the actor the best lines of his career. Following Hard Eight, the director and actor worked together on Boogie Nights, an ambitious decade-spanning movie about the porn industry.
The 1997 release is a dark comedy, and the humor is at its dryest when Hall is on screen as the adult movie producer Floyd Gondolli. Gondolli has the iconic line, “I don’t want to win an Oscar and I don’t want to re-invent the wheel. I like simple pleasures, like butter in my ass and lollipops in my mouth.” And that’s the most PG the actor’s dialogue gets.
Dogville (2003) - 8.0
Not Currently Available To Stream
Even outside of P.T. Anderson, Hall had worked with some of the most renowned and celebrated artistic directors working today, and one of those directors is the experimental Lars von Trier. In 2003, Trier released Dogville, which follows a woman fleeing the mob, but though the narrative is mysterious and compelling, the allure of it is the way it’s told. It is an avant-garde drama that’s more like a stage play than a movie.
Dogville is literally shot on a soundstage with little to no set design, and white markers on the floor represent walls between rooms. It is one of Paul Thomas Anderson’s favorite movies, which might not be coincidental considering one of his longtime collaborators is in the film.
Magnolia (1999) - 8.0
Stream On Kanopy & Paramount+
Magnolia is Anderson’s magnum opus, as it’s a three-hour-plus melodramatic epic based in and around the San Fernando Valley, and it follows many different characters all with their personal struggles. Hall has a major role in the film, as he plays a game show host, Jimmy Gator. And while that sounds like a fun character, Jimmy has a sordid past and it’s one of the darkest roles and by far the hardest to perform.
Magnolia marks the last collaboration between Anderson and Hall, and while they made three great movies together, it’s disappointing that they never worked together since. Anderson surely had amazing characters in mind for the actor in movies like The Master or Inherent Vice. But that could very well have been to do with Hall’s declining health, as, according to The New York Times, he died from ongoing issues with lung disease.
The Truman Show (1998) - 8.2
Philip Baker Hall has a tiny role in The Truman Show, but given how he is a part of so many classic movies, It lines up that the late, great actor plays a network executive who oversees the production of the titular reality show.
The movie is most notable for being the first to showcase Jim Carrey’s dramatic chops, and it’s one of the most unique-looking movies too. When it comes to every department, The Truman Show is operating at 11, whether it’s the set designs of Seahaven, the masterclass in storytelling, or the acting, and Hall was a small but notable part of that.
