Philip Baker Hall Dies: ‘Seinfeld’ Library Cop, ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Actor & Paul Thomas Anderson Stalwart Was 90
Philip Baker Hall, who is known to Seinfeld fans as Lt. Bookman, the library detective, to Curb Your Enthusiasm fans as the ultra-serious Dr. Morrison and to movie fans as any in a long list of memorable characters in films such as Hard Eight, Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Dogville, The Insider, The Truman Show, Rush Hour and many more, has died, according to his friend and neighbor, the Los Angeles Times sportswriter Sam Farmer. He was 90.
His family told Deadline in a statement: “Our beloved Philip died quietly at home in Glendale, surrounded by his loving family.”
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Hall will be remembered by the legions of Seinfeld fans for playing one of the most popular one-off characters the show ever saw. He was Lt. Bookman, the library detective who tracked Jerry Seinfeld down for not returning a book the “joy boy” — as Bookman called him, among other things — had checked out in 1971. His diatribe about Seinfeld and his “good-time buddies” is chock-full of quotable lines that still tickle fans of the show.
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When Seinfeld asks Bookman later what his problem is, Hall replies, in his best Joe Friday delivery: “What’s my problem? Punks like you, that’s my problem. And you better not screw up again, Seinfeld, because if you do, I’ll be all over you like a pit bull on a poodle.”
He returned as Bookman for the 1998 Seinfeld finale, his only other appearance on the show.
Hall also played Larry David’s ultra-serious Dr. Morrison in a pair of Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes. In the Season 4 episode “Mel’s Offer,” David sees his physician about a cut on his head. When Morrison walks in as David is using the phone in the exam room, things immediately go sideways.
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The doctor later suggests that David might need stitches, and the following exchange left viewers in stitches:
Morrison: “I don’t know if you’ve ever had stitches before, but there is a slight bit of pain involved. Nothing more, I would say, than a little prick.”
David: “Yeah, there’s definitely a prick involved.”
Morrison: “Uh, yes, there is a prick involved.”
Doctor: “Yeah, there’s one prick involved.”
Morrison: “Yeah, I’d say there is one prick involved.”
David: “I agree. I’m not a doctor, but I agree there is one prick.”
David, who also co-created Seinfeld, told the Washington Post in 2017, “Philip has made me laugh harder than any actor I’ve worked with.”
As a film actor, Hall had a small part in Michelangelo Antonioni’s Zabriskie Point in 1970. He had other small parts in films such as Coma, Nothing in Common, Say Anything, Ghostbusters II, An Innocent Man and many more. But his breakout film role came in Paul Thomas Anderson’s feature directorial debut Hard Eight, in which he played professional gambler Sydney who took John C. Reilly’s character under his wing.
Hall went on to make three films with Anderson, including Boogie Nights and Magnolia, in which he memorably played game show host Jimmy Gator, who has bone cancer.
With his distinctive voice and innate gravitas, Hall was a go-to for filmmakers who wanted a memorable supporting character. His list of smaller roles alone would make for an admirable career. They include parts in The Rock, Air Force One, Enemy of the State, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Rules of Engagement, The Contender, The Sum of All Fears, Bruce Almighty, Zodiac and Argo.
Farmer announced Hall’s death on Twitter, writing: “My neighbor, friend, and one of the wisest, most talented and kindest people I’ve ever met, Philip Baker Hall, died peacefully last night. He was surrounded by loved ones. The world has an empty space in it.”
My neighbor, friend, and one of the wisest, most talented and kindest people I’ve ever met, Philip Baker Hall, died peacefully last night. He was surrounded by loved ones. The world has an empty space in it. pic.twitter.com/pBCaILjHPT
— Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) June 13, 2022
Erik Pedersen contributed to this report.
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