With his tall, striking features, piercing blue eyes, and ability to play both heroes and villains, Dutch actor Rutger Hauer made an intense impression on cinema for five decades. Though he was the son of two actors, his own acting in Dutch and Italian cinema in the early '70s was punctuated by stints as a merchant seaman in the Dutch Navy. The call to acting seemed to be stronger than the call to the sea, and he finally broke out to American audiences opposite Sylvester Stallone in the action thriller Nighthawks.
Hauer was a staple of genre films throughout the '80s and '90s, with valiant performances as a cursed knight in Ladyhawke and an outlaw swordsman in Flesh and Blood. But it was his role as Roy Batty in Ridley Scott's science-fiction masterpiece Blade Runner that he may be most remembered for. As a replicant whose simple wish to exist leads to a violent confrontation with futuristic lawman Harrison Ford, he was a synthetic human that ironically revealed the search for humanity in all of us. Here are Rutger Hauer's most memorable film roles, and unlike Roy Batty's memories, they won't be lost like tears in the rain.
TURKISH DELIGHT (1973)
In the role that first got a young Rutger Hauer noticed by international audiences, he starred as Eric, a sculptor of sensual art pieces in Turkish Delight. He traverses Amsterdam taking lovers, using them as inspiration for his artwork, and then tossing them callously aside. The film was nominated for best foreign film for its complex thematic elements and strong performances.
As Eric, Hauer gave a nuanced performance, both as a charming Lothario, and as a broken man, whose need to bed as many women as possible in an attempt to numb the pain of his first dysfunctional relationship. The only woman he ever loved ignited his passion for art with her love, and transformed its purpose with her sudden death, leaving him to work through his pain the only way he can.
NIGHTHAWKS (1981)
Nighthawks did for Rutger Hauer's career what Die Hard did for Alan Rickman's; playing an international terrorist in their first American film catapulted their careers (though Nighthawks came first). As Die Hard saw Alan Rickman's Hanz Gruber play an intricate cat-and-mouse game with Bruce Willis's John McClane, Nighthawks featured the taut exchange between Rutger Hauer's Wulgar and Sylvester Stallone's Deke DaSilva.
The Big Apple becomes their grim battleground as the two steel-jawed men mount an increasingly dangerous opposition to one another. Though Rutger plays a typical Eurotrash villain, his real-life hatred for Stallone (caused by unsafe working conditions the Italian Stallion approved of) is palpable, giving every scene they're in an authentic sense of malice.'
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (1992)
While the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer film wasn't nearly as successful as the hit television series it inspired, it did give us a chance to see Rutger Hauer chew the scenery as Lothos, an ancient vampire that has come to Sunnydale to drain the blood of its population. The charming Kristy Swanson goes toe to toe with him as Buffy Summers, the teenager chosen to fight vampires under the tutelage of Donald Sutherland's Merrick.
As Lothos, Hauer delivers a nuanced performance even as he is over the top with his theatricality and camp. He is at his best when he's giving his audience a dramatic cape toss and a toothy smile. He isn't just out for blood because he's thirsty - after centuries on Earth he's bored, restless, and misses the urgency of being mortal.
HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN (2011)
In case anyone was wondering if Rutger Hauer had aged gracefully, get a load of Hobo with a Shotgun, the frenzied dark action comedy that reminded viewers how he lights up the screen. In a so-bad-it's-good film like this, it can only be elevated by characters like Hauer's hobo, a world weary transient that just wants to make a new life in a new city.
Except the city he chooses is run by a crimelord known only as "The Drake" and his malevolent sons, keeping the cops crooked and the top tier of citizens in control of all the resources. The hobo decides to mount a bloody assault on the injustice, and in the great tradition of the grindhouse movies of the '70s and '80s and Hauer's own lead-filled action flicks, it is truly a sight to behold.
BLIND FURY (1989)
Though there has been a large quantity of movies about former Vietnam veterans kicking ass and taking names, there's never been one like the character Rutger Hauer plays in Blind Fury. He stars as Nick Parker, left for dead in a village and trained in Zatoichi martial arts by the villagers. Nick is fast as a snake, strong as a bull, and...blind as a bat.
When Nick's old war buddy is kidnapped and his wife killed by gangsters, it's up to the warrior monk to travel to Reno, NV and get revenge. The film is part action, part comedy, allowing Hauer to stretch his skills in both. It's nice to see him let loose, launching himself into the sightless jokes with all the subtlety of a throwing star (he pets an alligator and says "good doggie").
THE HITCHER (1986)
Hailed as one of the most stylish and gripping contributions to the horror pantheon, The Hitcher showcased how much a great performance can carry a stereotypical genre film. It features all the usual tropes; a teenager traveling cross country in a Cadillac, a nubile diner waitress, and a mysterious hitchhiker with a sinister history that threatens to derail their bucolic journey.
As John Ryder, Hauer became as iconic a horror villain as Freddy Krueger or Pinhead, a tall stranger in a weathered black trench-coat, a devilish glint in his blue eyes and homicidal mania on his mind. When Jim Halsey tries to kick Ryder out of his car, he must deal with the consequences as Ryder continues to dog his every step.
FLESH AND BLOOD (1985)
Reuniting Rutger Hauer with the director of his first international hit Turkish Delight (1973), Hauer appears in Paul Verhoeven's epic Flesh and Blood set in 16th century Italy. Hauer plays Martin, a mercenary for hire who pledges his sword to a failed coup by the duplicitous Arnolfini. When Martin decides to rob his former employer, he raises an army for himself by stealing a religious artifact and wielding it as a powerful talisman.
As extra collateral, he steals Arnolfini's daughter-in-law Agnes (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who is his prisoner as he participates in weeks of looting, plundering, and merrymaking. Hauer imbues his sellsword with all the charm and charisma we imagine of a young Ser Jorah on Game of Thrones.
ESCAPE FROM SOBIBOR (1987)
Featuring an impressive cast of character actors and an intriguing premise for a thriller, Escape from Sobibor features Rutger Hauer at his moody and intense best with a character that blends his ability to play heroic and devious. Hauer plays Alexander Pechersky, a member of a resistant movement within the infamous Sobibor concentration camp during the apex of WWII.
Hauer leads his group to devise a means to escape the facility, but in the process realizes it must not be just his band of rebels that achieve freedom; all 600 prisoners must taste liberty. Hauer received a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his role in this powerful film based on true events.
LADYHAWKE (1984)
As Captain Navarre, Rutger Hauer has never been at his most dashing. He is the cursed knight that must enlist the help of a young thief (Matthew Broderick) Phillipe Gaston to help him overthrow the Bishop of Aquila that prevents him from seeing his lady love (Michelle Pfeiffer). The nature of his curse (and the bishop's jealousy) allows them to only meet at twilight.
A classic piece of '80s fantasy in the vein of Willow and The Labyrinth, Ladyhawke is a gothic fairytale full of action, adventure, sorcery, and features one of Hauer's most well-known roles. It wasn't well-received when it was initially released, but has since become an overwhelmingly beloved cult classic.
BLADE RUNNER (1982)
Rarely has there been a villain on screen that evokes such depth of complexity, inspiring in audiences unanticipated sympathy and compassion. As the main antagonist of Ridley Scott's science fiction opus Blade Runner, Rutger Hauer imbues the replicant Roy Batty of surprising humanity even as he wreaks homicidal havoc.
When it comes to his final confrontation with replicant hunter Deckard (Harrison Ford), he gives one of the most heart-wrenching monologues of all time. It's not the mustache-twirling gloating of a typical villain, but the self-reflective musings of a wounded victim of circumstance.