When I heard of the passing of the great Philip Baker Hall, I immediately thought of his Paul Thomas Anderson performances — Hard Eight (originally Sidney), Boogie Nights, Magnolia. And his Richard Nixon performance in Secret Honor. And his fine work in Zodiac, The Insider, The Truman Show. And his scene-stealing turns on Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
I don’t know why exactly, but the very first performance I thought of was the scrappy, blustery 60 Minutes producer Don Hewitt. Hall really knew how to spit it out and argue his head off. A great character actor, and he lived a full life — 90 years and change. Condolences to all concerned.
