Hopper gave me my big break, says barber to stars
Pictures: Independent Woman
• amfAR cinema against AIDS
• Celebration of the Arts Gala
• What to expect premiere London
• Billboard Music Awards Red Carpet
• Men In Black 3 London Premiere
By Ken Sweeney
Monday May 31 2010
HE's a barber who began with one shop on Grafton Street and ended up with a chain of salons and a client list that includes some of the world's most famous people.
Yesterday Conor McAllister paid tribute to Hollywood star Dennis Hopper (74), who died at the weekend in Los Angeles, for giving him his break into showbusiness.
Mr McAllister, whose celebrity clients include Colin Farrell, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Michael Caine, said Hopper set him on the road to success.
Now with 11 salons around Dublin, the Palmerstown man was just about to open his first barbers on Dublin's Grafton Street when he was hired in 1994 to cut Hopper's hair on the set of movie 'Space Truckers' at Ardmore Studios in Bray.
"I had never met anyone famous before but Dennis was such a man of the people. I remember when the film was being shot out in Ardmore, Ireland were playing in the 1994 World Cup. The film's American director had no idea about soccer and had a full day's shooting the day Ireland played Holland.
Match
"Once Dennis found out how important the match was, he walked off set, so filming had stop and he put on the match in his trailer for everyone to watch," Mr McAllister said.
And the 'Blue Velvet' star also helped Mr McAllister and his brother launch their first barber shop on Grafton Street.
"When Dennis heard myself and Hugh were about to go into business, he offered to launch our barber shop. At the time we got huge publicity because he was such a big star. We were friends since way back then. I still can't believe he's dead," said Mr McAllister.
The patronage of the major Hollywood actor helped the Dublin crimper become Ireland's 'showbiz barber', with a client list that included Colin Farrell, who he met on the set of Irish film 'Intermission' and who remains a good friend.
"From the moment Colin Farrell got into my chair, he was great craic. He has no pretensions whatsoever and is completely sound.
"He's away so much now I hardly see him but the usual routine would have been, I'd cut his hair and we'd go for a pint after," said Mr McAllister.
Another regular at the Grafton barber is Cork man Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, who gave Mr McAllister the royal seal of approval by hiring him for TV series 'The Tudors'.
Tudors
"Someone asked me to cut Jonathan's hair for a photo shoot for the front cover of a magazine. That led to Jonathan asking me to look after his hair on 'The Tudors'. I did four series of that and kept me head," joked Mr McAllister who added he has never found Rhys-Meyers anything other than a gentleman.
"It really upsets me Jonathan gets a hard time in the press because he's genuinely nice. He is a perfectionist, though, and likes people who know what they're doing. He doesn't like second best," he added.
Legendary English actor Michael Caine is another of Mr McAllister's clients.
"The first time I met Michael was when I cut his hair on an Irish film called 'The Actors'. It was an incredible thing to be listening to Michael Caine telling you stories at eight in the morning. He'd go: 'I remember, Conor, when we were shooting 'The Italian Job' in 1968'."
Colm Meaney, James Nesbitt, Eric Cantona, TV's Judge Judy, and 'Lovely Bones' star Saoirse Ronan are just some of the celebrity clients Mr McAllister has pictured on the walls of his salons.
"There are a few huge stars whose hair I've cut but who are not on the wall. Why not? Because they were complete eejits. I only put up the people I like."
- Ken Sweeney
Irish Independent
Latest celebrity sightings
