Daniel Boone’s name is most recognizable from the 1964 TV series starring Fess Parker. While the show died out in 1970, the legacy of the American pioneer and frontiersman lives on in a different way.
Namely through popular actor Dennis Hopper. Although Hopper passed away in 2010 right after his 74th birthday.
Relationship Between Dennis Hopper and Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was alive from 1974 to 1820. He has become known for his exploration of what is now known as Kentucky. He founded Boonesborough, which is one of the first English-speaking settlements residing west of the Appalachian Mountains.
Boone was a militia officer during the Revolutionary War. A part of his legacy is fighting against Native Americans to capture their own land.
Now, Boone is the symbol for what a “frontier hero” looks like in popular culture. While a part of this was through the show “Daniel Boone,” another part of his legacy lives on with Dennis Hopper, to who he is distantly related.
“My grandparents were from Kentucky—I’m related to Daniel Boone. He was my great-great-great uncle. Sarah Boone, his sister, was my great-great-great-grandmother. He only brought seven families into Kentucky, so he’s my great-great-great-uncle three times—and not because he was three times away, but because there are first cousins who married first cousins, and he tried to hit some bad ones in the head and, you know, get rid of them, but he missed my side of the family,” Dennis Hopper said in an interview with Interview Magazine.
While the relationship is distant, there are some similarities in influence.
Hopper Acting Career
Dennis Hopper got the opportunity to work with classic Hollywood filmmakers, such as Henry Hathaway and George Stevens. However, he also was right in time for the newer wave of filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola and David Lynch.
One of his most popular roles was alongside James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause” and “Giant.” He was often compared to actors like Dean as well as Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson.
In addition to acting, Dennis Hopper had also taken on directing. He directed “Easy Rider” and “The Last Movie.”
His films were known for their portrayals of the counterculture of the time. He was a symbol of individualism as well as macho bravado. As an actor, he often portrayed villains. He spent decades in the industry working on a wide range of different films until he passed away from prostate cancer in 2010. ‘
Hopper was also a photographer and a painter. He has gallery displays in the U.S. and other spots around the world. His collection of modern arts is one of the most extensive in the nation.
According to IMDb, he suffered from drug abuse during his life. At one point he staged a suicide attempt or daredevil act in a coffin. He used 17 sticks of dynamite during this supposed “art happening.” He then vanished into the desert and was later brought into a drug rehabilitation program.
He’s an important figure in the entertainment world and has some similar traits of individualism and strength like Daniel Boone.
