Before ‘Easy Rider,’ Hopper was often a vaguely threatening character in TV Westerns
And now another excellent performer is gone, one who managed to turn his life and acting career around (and whose directing literally changed the history of movies), Dennis Hopper. During the ’50s and ’60s, unable to get good parts in movies, Hopper played many big guest roles on television, often as troubled or vaguely threatening characters., frequently in Westerns. Here are some examples I could find of his TV work.
Medic (1955)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbuqKCrWX64
The Twilight Zone (1963)
Petticoat Junction (1964)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwaP37i385o
The Big Valley (1967)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVfCyrmJsvU