My Take
Philip Baker Hall is one of those rare actors who could walk into any scene — a noir thriller, a Robert Altman-style ensemble, a half-hour sitcom — and immediately make you feel like the real world had just walked in with him. His long run of collaborations with Paul Thomas Anderson gave him some of his meatiest material: the quiet menace of Hard Eight, the warm chaos of Boogie Nights, the haunting emotional sprawl of Magnolia. But honestly, I'd argue his turn as the library cop in Seinfeld introduced him to a whole generation who then went back and devoured everything else. The fact that he spent years as a teacher before fully committing to acting somehow explains everything about the gravity he brought to every line — this was a man who understood people, not just scripts. He passed in June 2022 at 90, and the movies are genuinely quieter without him.
Overview
Philip Baker Hall (September 10, 1931 – June 12, 2022) was an American character actor. He is known for his collaborations with Paul Thomas Anderson, including Hard Eight (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), and Magnolia (1999). He also starred in leading roles in films, such as Secret Honor (1984) and Duck (2005). Hall had supporting roles in many films, including Midnight Run (1988), Say Anything...
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Philip Baker Hall
- Name (Japanese)
- フィリップ・ベイカー・ホール
- Reading
- ふぃりっぷ・べいかー・ほーる
- Born
- September 10, 1931 – June 12, 2022
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Goat
- Origin
- Toledo, Ohio, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- actor / teacher / stage actor / television actor / film actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Woodward High School
- University
- University of Toledo
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.