Dennis Hopper Starred In A Forgotten TV Series That Adapted Greek Mythology

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From "American Gods" to "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" to "Xena: Warrior Princess," several television series have adapted Greek mythology over the years. But while the aforementioned are some of Hollywood's most popular attempts over the last few decades, a forgotten series that starred the late Dennis Hopper also deserves a shoutout.

Hopper starred in "Jason and the Argonauts," which is based on the classic Greek tale. It centered on the hero's quest of a young man named Jason, after the murder of his father, the Greek King of Iolkos. Hopper played Pelias, the man who murdered Jason's father, his own brother. Years later, Jason, who'd been hidden from harm, returned to reclaim his rightful place as the heir of Iolkos, on the condition that he completed a quest to find the Golden Fleece.

Not to be confused with the 1963 film, the two-part miniseries premiered in May 2000 on NBC. "Jason and the Argonauts" also starred Jason London, Frank Langella, Natasha Henstridge, Derek Jacobi, Olivia Williams, Brian Thompson, and Adrian Lester, to name a few. As of the time of this writing, the adaptation is streaming on several platforms, including Prime Video.

Dennis Hopper played a variety of characters during his career, but villainous figures were where he excelled. So it goes without saying that "Jason and the Argonauts" was far from the only project that ever required him to be the bad guy. Some of his notable villainous performances were attached to projects like "Speed," "Blue Velvet," and "Super Mario Bros."

Hopper also played the villain in the TV adaptation of the film "Crash," which aired from 2008-2009 on Starz. One of the last few projects he appeared in before his death in 2010, Hopper thought his character, Ben Cendars, was his most over-the-top at the time. "He's as crazy, and probably crazier, than any of them," he told The Hour in 2008. "He's totally out of control. He's a music mogul who wants to get one last big hit going and he's totally off the wall."

Although fans enjoyed Hopper's characters wreaking havoc onscreen, he also stressed that he wasn't like the villains he was known for. "I'm rather a mild-mannered quiet kind of guy, introvert, so these characters that I play have very little to do with my reality," he said. "Sure, I would love to play that part. But I love this part. He has a lot of different levels. It's always surprising every time I pick up the script and read it, how my character is out there."