Born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England, Hoskins had a number of occupations before going into acting, and made his stage debut in 1969. He hit the big time in 1978 when he starred in Dennis Potter's successful BBC drama serial, Pennies from Heaven.
His performances in British films such as The Long Good Friday (1980) and Mona Lisa (1986) won him the approval of the critics and, in the case of the latter, an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
He made a cameo appearance as a rock band's manager in the Pink Floyd film The Wall, where his one-word expletive exclamation was the film's only dialogue.
He has also directed films.