Dennis Hopper Directed Easy Rider
Photo Credit: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
Screen legend Dennis Hopper put his politics on display when he directed the counter-culture classic Easy Rider in 1969. The film follows two bikers as they go from Los Angeles to New Orleans and discover some truths about society along the way.
Easy Rider became the third highest grossing film of 1969 and helped kickstart “New Hollywood.” Along with Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate, the film industry gave voice to the angry and confused youth in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Easy Rider, in particular, upset the establishment and received harsh criticism from Vice President Spiro Agnew. Of course, Hopper wasn’t the only celebrity criticized by the government.
