We were sad to hear of today’s passing of Dennis Hopper.  Dennis and Streetplay crossed paths in 1999 during the filming of Knockaround Guys, which featured a scene where he and John Malkovich played handball (see our coverage of behind-the-scenes action).  Here’s the film trailer:

This wasn’t Hopper’s crowning cinematic achievement (they waited until 2002 to even release the picture), but we still have fond memories of seeing him chasing a little blue ball around the court.

Perhaps more memorable in Hopper’s connection to sport was his popular series of Nike advertisements playing the paranoid, unhinged character Stanley.  Here’s a memorable ad, a 1995 Super Bowl commercial:

Also not to be forgotten is Hopper’s portrayal of the down-and-out “Shooter” in the film Hoosiers.  Here’s a scene featuring a temporarily rehabilitated Shooter:

Rest in peace.

Really looking forward to the premiere of the documentary “New York Street Games” on Thursday, May 20.  The clip is a straight run of great interviews and fantastic archival footage.

Check it out

• Homepage – www.newyorkstreetgames.com/home.html

• Trailer – www.newyorkstreetgames.com/trailer.html

Also, don’t miss this feature in this weekend’s USA Weekend highlighting the film, describing rules for the essential games, and citing Streetplay.com “more more information.”