Dennis Hopper Deathbed Divorce Pits Wife Against Daughter

Victoria Hopper accuses ailing actor's adult daughter of pushing divorce.

ByABC News
January 25, 2010, 6:11 PM

Jan. 26, 2010— -- The wife of actor Dennis Hopper has responded to her husband's deathbed request for a divorce, claiming the ailing actor was being coerced to leave her by his adult children in an effort to receive a larger piece of his estate.

In a declaration filed in Los Angeles Superior Court obtained by ABC News, Victoria Hopper, 41, said her husband, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer 10 years ago, had been rendered mentally incapable of making decisions for himself or in the best interests of their 6-year-old daughter, Galen.

In the filing she asserts that Hopper, allegedly addled by illness and drug use, threatened her verbally, kept loaded guns around the house, and exposed their young daughter to both his copious marijuana use and to films that contain inappropriate sexual content.

Victoria, the actor's fifth wife, said in her declaration that Hopper, 73, has been "pressured" by his "advisors and adult children from other relationships to file for dissolution of our marriage" despite being "incapable of handling his legal and financial affairs."

Under the prenuptial agreement the couple signed prior to their 1996 wedding, Victoria is entitled to 25 percent of Hopper's estate so long as they were "married and living together," according to the filing. Victoria Hopper is now also seeking child support – and continued use of Hopper's Venice, Calif. home designed by architect Frank Gehry, as well as counseling for their daughter Galen and attorneys' fees.

Victoria Hopper also claimed in court papers that her husband told her he "does not want to divorce" but "that other people are insisting he take care of them upon his death." Mentioned specifically is Hopper's daughter Marin, who at 47 is 6 years older than Victoria.

In the declaration, Victoria Hopper requests a restraining order be issued barring Marin from the Ventura compound. She also requests a restraining order against Hopper that would insure any meetings between the actor and their six-year-old daughter would be monitored.

In the court papers, Hopper's wife accuses the director and star of "Easy Rider" of being verbally abusive, claiming that in 2008 he called her "a human garbage can" and a year later threatened, "something bad is going to happen to you and you won't see it coming."