‘Bill’ Hootkins, 57; Actor in 40-Plus Films Also Recorded Books

William Michael “Bill” Hootkins, 57, an actor who appeared in more than 40 motion pictures and recorded such books as “Moby-Dick,” died of pancreatic cancer Oct. 23 in Pacific Palisades.

A native of Dallas, Hootkins began acting in high school and as a student of Oriental studies at Princeton University in the campus’ Theatre Intime. He went on to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, and enjoyed a multifaceted career in film, television, stage and recorded books in the U.S. and Britain.

Among his motion pictures were “Star Wars” (1977), “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981) and “Colour Me Kubrick,” which is in post-production. His TV credits range from “Cagney & Lacey” to “The West Wing.”

In the early 1990s, Hootkins expanded into recorded books, beginning with “The Case of the Haunted Husband” (1991). Among others were “White Fang” and the unabridged “Moby-Dick” (1996) and “The Old Patagonian Express” and “The Pillars of Hercules” (1997).