Philip Baker Hall Movies and Career Information

Philip Baker Hall (born September 10, 1931) is an American actor. Hall was born in Toledo, Ohio and attended the University of Toledo. As a younger man, Hall served in the military, started a family and became a high school English teacher. In 1961, he decided to become an actor. He moved to New York, enjoying success in Off Broadway and Broadway productions. In 1975, Hall moved to Los Angeles to make a career in television. Since then, he has had over 200 guest roles on television shows. He starred in many films, including Robert Altman's Secret Honor in which he played the film's only role, Richard Nixon, but the film — though critically acclaimed — went largely unseen. It was not until Paul Thomas Anderson wrote a role in his film Hard Eight, specifically for Hall, that a cult following arose. (Anderson was a big fan of Hall's work, particularly Secret Honor. He has many times referred to him as his favorite actor and called him 'THE great American actor' on the Hard Eight DVD commentary.) Hall went on to have roles in Anderson's two subsequent films, Boogie Nights and Magnolia. He also had a minor role as Captain Diel in the Rush Hour trilogy (though his scenes were cut from