Rutger Hauer, Of ‘Blade Runner’ And So Much More, Dead At 75
Rutger Hauer, one of those one-of-a-kind actors who was always worth watching, no matter what he was starring in, has died. Hauer, perhaps most famous for his work as Roy Batty inBlade Runner, died on July 19 after a short illness. His funeral was held today. Hauer most recently appeared in the underseen 2018 WesternThe Sisters Brothers.Varietyis reporting that Rutger Hauer has died. The Dutch actor’s long, eclectic career began in the 1960s when he joined an experimental theatre troupe. In 1969,RoboCopdirector Paul Verhoeven cast him in the Dutch TV seriesFloris. Hauer made his American acting debut in 1981 as the villain in the gritty Sylvester Stallone crime dramaNighthawks. But it was incredible performance as replicant Roy Batty in Ridley Scott’s 1982Blade Runnerthat helped launch him to wider fame. Scott cast Hauer without ever having met him, based solely on the actor’s work with Verhoven. The famous “tears in the rain” monologue Batty delivers while dying at the end of the film was co-written by Hauer – the line “All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain” was specifically added by Hauer.
Hauer’s other notable work in the ’80s includes the fantasy filmLadyhawke(1985), and the cult classic horror road filmThe Hitcher(1986). Hauer was also set to reunite with Verhoven to star inRoboCop, but lost the part to Peter Weller. Hauer continued to work steadily, often appearing in less-than-great films, but almost always turning in a memorable, scene-stealing performance.
In the early 2000s, the actor began to experience something of a mainstream resurgence. In 2002, he appeared in George Clooney’sConfessions of a Dangerous Mindas a weary assassin. In 2005, he played a villainous clergyman inSin City. That same year, he had a supporting role inBatman Begins. In 2011, Hauer got to play a lead role for a change in theGrindhouse-inspiredHobo With a Shotgun(he played the hobo, obviously).
“Good guy or bad guy, hero or anti hero; doesn’t matter to me, what role I play, only the character have something magical,” Hauer once said, and it’s hard to argue with him on that.
