Your intensity empowered me, Mr. Hauer, to the point that I emulated your style when giving an animal-rights speech in college. Boy, did I ever have 'em shaking...yep, all because of you.
That intensity defined all of your performances, even when you applied subtle variances and nuances to them: "Soldier of Orange"; "Nighthawks"; "The Hitcher '86"; "Wanted: Dead or Alive '86"; "Batman Begins"; "Blind Fury"; "Escape from Sobibor"; "Hobo with a Shotgun"; "The Blood of Heroes"; "Flesh and Blood"; "Ladyhawke"; "Legend of the Holy Drinker"; "Inside the Third Reich"; "Split Second"; "Eureka"; "Surviving the Game"; "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"; "Salem's Lot '04"; "Dracula III: the Legacy"; "Argento's Dracula"; "The 10th Kingdom"; "The Poseidon Adventure '05"; "A Breed Apart"; "Samson"; "A Christmas Carol '19"; plus stellar, guest shots that include "Merlin"; "Mata Hari"; "True Blood"; "Channel Zero"; and "Smallville".
Most of your admirers (myself included) look to your portrayal of Roy Batty in Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" as your defining moment. You captured the essence of Phillip K. Dick's infamous android to the tee, filtering both scares and pathos through your iconic projection.
I truly idolized you and always will. Indeed, your loss leaves a hole in my heart, but your presence (unlike the tears that Batty referenced) won't be lost in time. Beyond any doubt, you've earned what many dream of, but few achieve: immortality.
We share the same birthday as well: just another reason why I felt a strong connection to him.
ReplyDeleteSomeone just pointed out a fascinating point: Hauer passed away in 2019, the same year that Roy Batty dies in "Blade Runner".
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