Showbiz411

Bob Hoskins, the gruff and lovable character actor who starred in a series of terrific movies including “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?,” is retiring from acting at age 69. He says he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease last fall, and is now going to concentrate on his health and his family. Hoskins should get a SAG Lifetime Achievement Award for his great work in movies like “Mona Lisa,” “The Long Good Friday,” “Mermaids,” “Parting Shots,” “Hook,” and this year’s “Snow White and the Huntsman.” But he’ll best be remembered for “Roger Rabbit,” still a wonderful film. He played Eddie Valiant to Kathleen Turner’s animated Jessica Rabbit, and they were a hoot. Good luck to Bob, and lots of prayers in fighting Parkinson’s. He will be missed from our screens.

Roger Friedman

Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News. Friedman previously wrote the Intelligencer column at New York Magazine, He writes for Parade magazine and has written for Details, Vogue, the New York Times, Post, and Daily News and many other publications. He is the writer and co-producer of a film about R&B Music called “Only the Strong Survive,” which was released by Miramax in 2003 and was a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals.