Veteran 'Seinfeld' and 'Boogie Nights' actor Philip Baker Hall passes away at age 90
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Philip Baker Hall, who played many different roles in movies and TV shows like Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Seinfeld, and Modern Family, passed away peacefully on Monday night. He was 90 years old.
In a statement to the Associated Press, his wife Holly Wolfle Hall confirmed the news. She said that he had been healthy up until relatively recently and that he spent his last days with a positive attitude while he reflected on his life and the lessons he had learned.
"His voice was still just as powerful at the end," she said.
Philip Baker Hall, a veteran actor, died at the age of 90. Credit: Getty.
Hall had an impressive career of over six decades, holding roles in some of the most beloved movies and television of the modern era.
His most memorable turns in film include playing the IRS Boss in 'Say Anything', Sydney in 'Hard Eight', Floyd Gondolli in 'Boogie Nights', Jimmy Gator in 'Magnolia', Jack Baylor in 'Bruce Almighty', Sherwood Morrill in 'Zodiac' and a CIA director in 'Argo'.
Hall, a storied character actor, began his career on stage in New York before moving to Hollywood in the 1970s, with small roles in Coma and on TV shows such as M*A*S*H and Good Times.
"When I first came out here, I was totally naive. I didn't know where to start," Hall said in a past interview with the Washington Post. "Television really had no meaning for me. We never had a television. I didn't see myself doing a movie. Ever. It didn't seem possible or likely."
Hall's guest spot as the library cop was so memorable that he did it again in the series finale of Seinfeld. Credit: Columbia Pictures Television.
When Paul Thomas Anderson was working as a production assistant on a PBS movie, the two of them became friends. Then, Anderson cast him in Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, and Magnolia, which led to Hall getting even more work in the decades that followed.
Many people recognised Hall from one of the most powerfully funny guest appearances on Seinfeld. In the 22nd episode of the sitcom that aired in 1991, Hall played the role of Lieutenant Joe Bookman, the library investigator who goes after Jerry Seinfeld for a copy of "Tropic of Cancer" that had been overdue for years.
"Well, I got a flash for ya, Joy-boy: Party time is over," Hall said to Seinfeld, as if he were a hardboiled noir detective.
Hall made his comeback for the final episode of 'Seinfeld', as well as for an episode of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' written by Larry David, who once remarked that no other actor has ever made him laugh as much as Hall.
Holly Wolfle Hall, the actor's wife of nearly 40 years, said he died Sunday in Glendale, California. Credit: Getty.
According to a report published in 2017 by The Washington Post, Hall was dependent on an oxygen tank due to his emphysema and had been suffering from the condition for some time before his untimely death.
From 1973 until 1976, Hall was married to Dianne Lewis, with whom he had two children. In 1981, he married Holly Wolfle, with whom he has two daughters named Adella and Anna.
Hall is survived by his wife, his brother, four daughters and four grandchildren.
Fans of 'Seinfeld' will always remember Hall for the role he played on the show as one of the most well-liked recurring cast members ever seen on the show.
Take a look at the video below to see him in one of his most impressive acting performances:
Credit: TheSeinfeldScenes.
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