Dennis Hopper, the quintessential Hollywood rebel, came to prominence in 1955 when he played a part in Rebel Without a Cause. Blacklisted from Hollywood in the early 1960s due to his recalcitrance, he made his way back when he married Hollywood royalty in the form of Brooke Hayward, a childhood friend of Peter Fonda. Together with novelist Terry Souithern and a few oothers, Fonda and Hopper wrote a road movie that changed Hollywood: Easy Rider. Made for very little money, it grossed more than $60 million, opening the studio doors for other young directors, like Martin Scorsese, Robert Altman, and Elaine May (to name only three). Along with Bonnie and Clyde, Easy Rider heralded the birth of the New Hollywood Cinema.