William Hopper

Intro

William Hopper is closely associated with private investigator Paul Drake in the original Perry Mason television series. The Television Academy places him alongside Raymond Burr’s attorney and Barbara Hale’s Della Street in the 1957–1966 cast. His film work stretches well beyond that familiar partnership. A career viewing route can connect early studio supporting roles, 1950s science fiction and family drama, and the continuing investigative work that made Drake a recognizable television presence.

Career snapshot

AFI’s filmography records a long series of alternate credits, including De Wolf Hopper, DeWolfe Hopper and Bill Hopper. Its early entries include Sunshine Dad in 1916 and Broadway to Hollywood in 1933. By the late 1930s and early 1940s he appears repeatedly in small parts such as reporters, officers and clerks. Those varied screen names matter when following his credits: the catalogue brings together work that can otherwise look like several different filmographies.

The entry point

Paul Drake supplies the investigative side of Perry Mason’s team. For a focused rewatch, trace how information reaches the lawyer and how a discovery outside court changes the case within it. Hopper’s continuing role can be followed across the original series rather than inferred from a single publicity image. The later television versions have different casting; the 1957–1966 production is the one represented here, and the dates help keep those versions distinct.

Screen identity and style

Rebel Without a Cause offers a strikingly different setting. TCM identifies Hopper as the father of Judy, played by Natalie Wood, in Nicholas Ray’s 1955 drama. James Dean’s Jim, Wood’s Judy and Sal Mineo’s Plato form the film’s central young trio. Hopper belongs to the adult world surrounding them. A useful comparison with Drake is to observe how the meaning of adult authority changes when the story’s emotional perspective belongs primarily to the younger characters.

Collaborations and patterns

TCM’s cast list also distinguishes William Hopper from Dennis Hopper, who plays Goon in the same film. That shared surname should not merge their performances. Jim Backus and Ann Doran play Jim’s parents, while Rochelle Hudson is Judy’s mother. Looking at these family groups separately helps clarify the supporting cast’s dramatic functions and gives a rewatch more structure than a list of famous names alone.

Era reflection

His 1950s credits range from Arthur Bridges in Track of the Cat to Colonel Kenneth Penmark in The Bad Seed. AFI also lists Dr. Nedrick Jackson in The Deadly Mantis and Colonel Bob Calder in 20 Million Miles to Earth, both released in 1957. The gallery’s Mantis image belongs to that film’s trailer. The 1963 Perry Mason photograph, by contrast, shows him with guest star Bette Davis; it documents television work rather than one of his science-fiction films.

Legacy and rediscovery

Hopper’s career is worth exploring in both directions from Paul Drake: backward through the many studio credits and sideways into the films made near the beginning of Perry Mason. The contrast between a recurring investigator and a brief family-drama role can be especially revealing. Carl Van Vechten’s 1934 portrait provides an earlier visual marker, while the production images show later screen contexts. Their original dates, photographers and archive rights records are retained below.

Selected screen roles

• Perry Mason: Paul Drake — 1957–1966
• Rebel Without a Cause: Judy’s father — 1955
• The Deadly Mantis: Dr. Nedrick Jackson — 1957

A career in pictures

An early studio portrait and two later production images, each identified by its own date and source. Select an image for a larger view.

Carl Van Vechten portrait (1934)

William Hopper

Library of Congress portrait dated October 18, 1934.

The Deadly Mantis (1957)

Alix Talton, William Hopper and Florenz Ames, from left

Trailer frame; Hopper is the central figure.

Perry Mason (1963)

Bette Davis as Constant Doyle and William Hopper as Paul Drake

CBS publicity for The Case of Constant Doyle.

Rewatch notes

• Hopper played Paul Drake in the original Perry Mason series.
• William Hopper plays Judy’s father in Rebel Without a Cause; Dennis Hopper has a different role.
• The Deadly Mantis and 20 Million Miles to Earth were both released in 1957.
• AFI groups several DeWolf and Bill Hopper credit variants under William Hopper.