In Memory of Actor William Hopper (From TV's 1st 'Perry Mason'): 5 Decades After His Tragic Death

Photo byClassic TV Preservation Society

On the original Perry Mason TV legal series (CBS, 1957-1966), actor William Hopper portrayed Raymond Burr's loyal private detective Paul Drake. On and off screen, Hopper smoked incessently. Four years after the Mason series ended, the actor, son of famed Hollywood gossip columinist Hedda Hopper and DeWolf Hopper Sr., suffered a stroke on Valentine's Day 1970. Three weeks later, on March 6, Willam Hopper died of pneumonia. He was only 55 years old. This is his story.

A Closer Look

William Hopper was encouraged by his mother to pursue a career in acting, which he commenced in summer stock and the New York theatre.

From 1935 to 1937, Hopper was signed as a small-part contract player at Paramount Studios. He latter landed leading roles in B-pictures for Warner Brothers Studios.

Hopper's impressive list of feature films include several with Humphrey Bogart: Invisible Stripes and The Return of Doctor X (both in 1939), Brother Orchid and Virginia City (both in 1940), The Maltese Falcon (1941), All Through the Night and Across the Pacific (both in 1942), and Action in the North Atlantic (1943).

In 1954, Hopper appeared in Track of the Cat, starring Robert Mitchum and Teresa Wright.

However, Hopper had mixed feelings about his profession, and his career suffered because of it. He would leave acting, and then return to the craft, if once again, in smaller roles.

Military Challenges and More

Prior to his World War II dangerous position as a Navy frogman performing underwater demolition in the Pacific, William Hopper's hair was dark blonde. But as a result of the extreme anxiety on the job, his locks turned it white. Adding insult to injury, Hopper's also struggled from issues with alcohol.

After that, Hopper worked for nearly a decade as a car salesman.

Then in 1954, he auditioned to star as as Perry Mason in the TV series of the same name. He failed to win the lead, and was instead cast in what became his signature role: Detective Paul Drake.

Throughout his life and career, Hopper an on-going turmultous association with his notorious mother who, as fate would have it, died a mere four years before he did.

At the time, Hopper was the second Perry Mason star to die in what was then the last two years. Actor William Talman, who played the ill‐tempered district attorney, Hamilton Burger (who always lost his case to Raymond Burr's Mason), died in August of 1968 from lung cancer.