Philip Baker Hall, Magnolia Star, Dies at 90

By Patrick Cavanaugh

Prolific character actor Philip Baker Hall, star of films like Say Anything... and Magnolia, has died at age 90. Truly a defining performer of his generation, Hall starred in a number of well-known projects over the years, with his roles, no matter the amount of screen time, always leaving an impact on audiences. Hall's on-screen credits span decades, earning appearances in other notable projects like Secret Honor, Hard Eight, The Truman Show, Argo, and Zodiac. Los Angeles Times journalist Sam Farmer confirmed the news on Twitter, sharing a brief tribute to Hall, noting that the actor passed away peacefully. 

"My neighbor, friend, and one of the wisest, most talented and kindest people I've ever met, Philip Baker Hall, died peacefully last night," Farmer shared on Twitter. "He was surrounded by loved ones. The world has an empty space in it."

Despite his decades-spanning career, one of the most memorable of Hall's roles came in an episode of Seinfeld as Joe Bookman, who was tasked with collecting late fees on library books. Back in a 2012 interview with The AV Club, Hall reflected on the notoriety he earned from the episode.

"Every actor has to deal with this, but I've played so many roles both in theater and on film -- and when I say 'so many,' we're talking a few hundred -- but the one that's most often mentioned with my name is Bookman. And wherever I go, even if I go out of the country, Bookman is an identifiable character," Hall detailed. "I mean, it's shown all the time. The reruns are shown on TV at least a couple of days a week, sometimes hour after hour of Seinfeld, so they're out there. But the character... he's a fun character, and I guess kind of an unusual one for TV, but everybody knows Bookman, no doubt about it. I'm not putting it down, but I've done so much else. But Bookman is the one that everyone remembers. People will say forever, at the supermarket or wherever, it doesn't matter where, 'Oh, you're Bookman, right? I really loved that Bookman. Now, I know you've done a lot of other things, but I loved that Bookman character.' When they say, 'I know you've done a lot of other things,' it's like, 'You don't know the half of it!' But Bookman? Bookman hits a response button. And I'm not ungrateful for that."

Hall also had roles in TV series like M*A*S*H and Man from Atlantis and appeared in films like Midnight Run, Ghostbusters II, the Rush Hour trilogy, and Nothing in Common. Shortly after his Seinfeld appearance, Hall starred in the short film Cigarettes & Coffee from Paul Thomas Anderson, which would see that actor then starring in Anderson's Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, and Magnolia.

Our thoughts go out to Philip Baker Hall's family and friends at this difficult time.

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