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For his role as a prostitute's minder in Mona Lisa, Hoskins won a BAFTA, the best actor award at Cannes and an Oscar nomination. Not bad for a man who fell into acting aged 25 when allegedly persuaded to read for a play by a friend in a pub. Born into a solid working class family, Hoskins left school at 15 before embarking on a highly itinerant career: his biographies list a Covent garden porter, fire-eater, steeplejack and banana picker before the theatre gig. Hoskins' trademark is a fierce commitment to his roles, the best example being the role that brought him to fame - the volcanic gangster in The Long Good Friday. The role that broke him in the States was his loveable P.I. in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Since then, the stocky cockney has laid claim to romantic leads (opposite Cher in Mermaids) and real life presidents (Hoover in Nixon).
