Rip Torn

He was charged with carrying a firearm without a permit, carrying a firearm while intoxicated, first-degree burglary, second-degree criminal trespassing and third-degree criminal mischief. The Connecticut State Police said that Torn broke into the bank thinking it was his home. Read Less

Torn was released on $100,000 bail. As a condition of his release, the judge said Torn must be evaluated for substance abuse. Read Less

The judge in the case cited Torn's history of alcohol abuse, and the possession of a loaded weapon while intoxicated, which carries a minimum one-year sentence. Read Less

Appearing as an interview subject in Studs Terkel's 1974 oral-history book Working, Torn confessed, "I have certain flaws in my make-up. Something called irascibility. I get angry easily. I get saddened by things easily."

While filming Maidstone (1970) Torn, apparently unhappy with the film, struck director and star of the film Norman Mailer in the head with a hammer. With the camera rolling, Mailer bit Torn's ear and they wrestled to the ground. The fight continued until it was broken up by cast and crew members as Mailer's children screamed in the background. The fight is featured in the film. Although the scene may have been planned by Torn, the blood shed by both actors is real, and Torn was reportedly truly outraged by Mailer's direction.

In 1999 Torn filed a defamation lawsuit against Dennis Hopper over a story Hopper told on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Hopper claimed that Torn pulled a knife on him during pre-production of the film Easy Rider (1969). According to Hopper, Torn was originally cast in the film but was replaced with Jack Nicholson after the incident. According to Torn's suit, it was actually Hopper who pulled the knife on him, and Torn demanded a retraction from Hopper. A trial court judge ruled in Torn's favor and Hopper was ordered to pay $475,000 in compensatory damages but denied Torn's request for punitive damages, ruling Hopper had not acted with malice. Read Less