Photo: United States Federal Bureau of Investigation / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
John Hinckley Jr. is one of those figures where the facts are so strange that they almost defy commentary. On March 30, 1981 — just two months into Reagan's presidency — he shot the president and three others outside a Washington hotel, driven by a delusional fixation on the film Taxi Driver and actress Jodie Foster. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent the next 35-plus years in a psychiatric facility. What I genuinely find hard to wrap my head around is the second act: after his unconditional release in 2022, Hinckley pivoted to posting indie music on YouTube and building a social media following, cheerfully announcing tour dates. History doesn't usually hand people a second chapter, and his is as bizarre as the first — I'm not sure whether to call it rehabilitation, audacity, or just the internet being the internet.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- John Hinckley
- Name (Japanese)
- ジョン・ヒンクリー
- Reading
- じょん・ひんくりー
- Born
- May 29, 1955 (age 71)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Goat
- Origin
- Ardmore, Oklahoma, United States
- Occupation
- criminal
2. Background
- High school
- Highland Park High School
- University
- Texas Tech University
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was John Hinckley born?
Born May 29, 1955 (age 71).
Where is John Hinckley from?
John Hinckley is from Ardmore, Oklahoma, United States.
What does John Hinckley do?
John Hinckley works as criminal.
More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.