William D’Wolf Hopper (1858-1935) was a vaudeville and musical theatre performer who found fame through the recitation of Ernest Thayer’s mock-heroic poem ‘Casey at the Bat’.
Hopper, who made his professional debut in 1878, aspired to be a leading man in serious drama, but his height and bulk (6 feet 5 inches and around 230 pounds) ruled that out. But he had a deep bass voice, and found success in musicals. He starred on Broadway in more than thirty shows.
It is estimated that Hopper recited ‘Casey at the Bat’ around ten thousand times. A recording exists, as well as a short sound film made in the Phonofilm process in 1923.
Hopper starred in a number of silent films, including an unlikely-looking Don Quixote in a 1915 adaptation of Cervantes’s novel.
In 1930, Hopper took part with other vaudeville veterans in filming a section of The March of Time. The film was never completed, but Hopper’s performance can be seen in Broadway to Hollywood.
Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper numbered among DeWolf Hopper’s six wives.
