Rutger Hauer, the legendary Dutch actor, has died in his Netherlands home at the age of 75. According to his agent, Steve Kenis, Hauer passed on July 19, and the funeral was held today, July 24. Hauer practically defined the cyberpunk genre with his iconic performance as Roy Batty in 1982's seminal Blade Runner. Though a box office disappointment upon its initial release, the film's appeal only grew over time, and it is now seen as one of the greatest science fiction films ever made.
Through his haunting performance as Roy Batty, Hauer expressed the humanity inherent in sentient beings, regardless of whether they were flesh-and-blood human beings or synthetic replicants. The interplay between the emotionally charged Batty and Harrison Ford's striking turn as the cold and distant Deckard forms the backbone of Blade Runner, which is loosely based on the short story by Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
In addition to his role in Blade Runner, Hauer is probably best known for playing the title character in the 1986 horror classic, The Hitcher. As John Ryder, a psychotic hitchhiker who terrorizes a young couple played by C. Thomas Howell and Jennifer Jason Leigh, Hauer instantly became one of the most terrifying horror villains of the decade. While the film, like Blade Runner, initially failed at the box office, it has only grown in popularity, and is now considered to be one of the most treasured horror films of the 1980s.
During his early career in the late 1960s and 1970s, Hauer was a favorite of Dutch film director Paul Verhoeven, who would eventually find massive success with big budget Hollywood hits like Total Recall and Robocop. The legend goes that Hauer was Verhoeven's original choice for the lead in Robocop before the role ultimately went to Peter Weller. Hauer made his Hollywood debut in 1981's Nighthawks, in which he played a sadistic terrorist who goes toe-to-toe with a pair of cops played by Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams.
In his later years, Hauer continued to work on many films, earning acclaim for his supporting roles in films like Batman Begins and Sin City, and the TV series True Blood. Other notable projects from the beloved actor include The Legend of the Holy Drinker Blind Fury, Hobo with a Shotgun, and the original film version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The 2017 video game Observer paid tribute to its cyberpunk roots in a major way, casting Hauer as the voice and likeness of the lead character. In 2019, Hauer appeared in Kingdom Hearts III, playing Master Xehanort, a role originated by Leonard Nimoy in previous titles. Sadly, Nimoy had died before he could record his lines for the long-in-development Disney/Square Enix crossover, so Hauer was hired to portray the "Seeker of Darkness" in the anime-inspired RPG.
Hauer leaves behind a massive legacy, both in the form of his impressive body of work, and through his daughter, Ayesha Hauer. His final projects include the upcoming Russian/Chinese co-production, Viy 2: Journey to China, and the FX holiday miniseries, A Christmas Carol, starring Tom Hardy as Scrooge.
Source: Variety