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British Actor Bob Hoskins Dies At 71

Actor Bob Hoskins died Tuesday at age 71.
Joel Ryan
/
AP
Actor Bob Hoskins died Tuesday at age 71.

Bob Hoskins, the British actor who starred in memorable films such as The Long Good Friday, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Mona Lisa and The Cotton Club, has died. He was 71.

The Guardian cited his agent as saying Hoskins died Tuesday from pneumonia. He had retired from films in 2012, a year after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Here's more from The Guardian:

"One of Britain's best-loved actors, [Hoskins] was known for his gruff bonhomie, and career that spanned more than 30 years. He first found fame on the small screen in Dennis Potter's Pennies from Heaven, and then in cinemas as a London gangster-turned-businessman in The Long Good Friday (1980)."

The Associated Press called Hoskins a "versatile character actor capable of menace, poignancy and Cockney charm."

Hoskins was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the 1986 crime-drama Mona Lisa, about an ex-convict's friendship with a high-class prostitute.

A statement from his family said his wife and children were "devastated by the loss of our beloved Bob."

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Krishnadev Calamur is NPR's deputy Washington editor. In this role, he helps oversee planning of the Washington desk's news coverage. He also edits NPR's Supreme Court coverage. Previously, Calamur was an editor and staff writer at The Atlantic. This is his second stint at NPR, having previously worked on NPR's website from 2008-15. Calamur received an M.A. in journalism from the University of Missouri.