Bob Hoskins is retiring from acting due to Parkinson’s disease, his agent announced on Wednesday.
The well-regarded British actor, 69, who excelled in both gangster films and comedies, was diagnosed last fall.
His agent issued the following statement:
"He wishes to thank all the great and brilliant people he has worked with over the years, and all of his fans who have supported him during a wonderful career.
"Bob is now looking forward to his retirement with his family, and would greatly appreciate that his privacy be respected at this time."
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Hoskins became an actor by accident, as he told the Guardian in 2007. Living in London in the 1960s, he accompanied a friend to an audition, only to have the casting director call him on stage. He got the lead in the play.
That launched a career that would last more than 40 years and saw Hoskins nominated for two Golden Globes, one for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” and another for “Mona Lisa.” He won Best Actor for the latter, in which he played an ex-convict who drives around a high-class prostitute.
A native of Suffolk, Hoskins also played Smee in “Hook” and “Finding Neverland,” appeared opposite Robert DeNiro in Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil” and across Cher in “Mermaids.”
His final performance was in this summer’s “Snow White & The Huntsman,” where he played one of the dwarves alongside other British tough guys like Ray Winstone and Ian McShane.
He said his greatest regret was acting in the Super Mario Bros. movie, but at this point, who will remember that one?