“Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” was one of the iconic films of my childhood. It was one of those unexpected movies for me, one that I found myself laughing quite a bit at. While the Disney and other animation references flew fast and furious, the thing that stood out to me even more was the performance of Bob Hoskins. Mr. Hoskins played the straight man, detective Eddie Valiant quite convincingly, yet it took an amazing level of genius to play it so straight with a bunch of ‘toons. Eddie Valiant was quite the Disney (Yes, I know the movie was made under the Touchstone label) anti-hero: Alcoholic, womanizing, and gruff… Yet, when one learned the painful backstory – a ‘toon killed his brother – one began to sympathize and cheer for him to get justice for Roger and the other Toontown citizens! As I grew older and began to appreciate the film making process even more, I grew to appreciate the talent and physical humor it took to play such a character. The following scene still brings the biggest smile to my face as an adult:

Bob Hoskins passed away on April 29th at the age of 71. Along with the role of Eddie Valiant, Hoskins will be remembered for his roles in Hook, Mermaids, Mona Lisa, and many other films. Today we celebrate all of his great performances and say thank you to an outstanding actor. Rest in peace, Mr. Hoskins. And thank you. You will be missed.