Hool made his acting debut in the
Howard Hawks film
Rio Lobo, which was released in 1970 and was Hawks's last film before his death. and was the U.S. representative for the Mexican national film distribution company Pelmex between 1977 and 1980. During the 1970s, he co-starred in two
Jorge Rivero Westerns,
El payo - un hombre contra el mundo! (1972) and
El payo - la montaña del diablo (1974), and played a supporting role in the American horror film
Dogs (1977). In America, Hool produced the
thriller films
Wolf Lake (1978),
10 to Midnight (1983), and
The Evil That Men Do (1984), the adventure film
Flipper (1996), and the comedy films
Pure Luck (1991) with
Sean Daniel and ''
McHale's Navy (1997). Hool directed and produced the historical war film One Man's Hero'', about
John Riley and the
Saint Patrick's Battalion's role in the
Mexican–American War, which was released in 1999. Hool cast his sons Brett and Jason in the film. For the
Los Angeles Times,
Kevin Thomas wrote in a review of the film that it was "directed with vigor and passion by Hool", while Paul Cullum of
LA Weekly called his direction "flaccid". It became New Mexico's second-largest film studio, following
Albuquerque Studios. Negotiations to open the studio had taken place the year before, when, in an attempt to increase economic growth in Santa Fe, Richardson offered Hool a ten-million-dollar economic development grant to build the studio south of the city, while then–chairman of the
Democratic Party of New Mexico structured the studio's land and financing package. The project was considered controversial among residents of Santa Fe due to Hool's early ties to Richardson. Hool and his associates were sued by attorneys for
Santa Fe County for the studio's unpaid debt of over $2.3 million in 2016. Hool directed the romantic drama film
2 Hearts, inspired by the story of Leslie and Jorge Bacardi of the
Bacardi family after Hool's brother, Conrad, met Jorge on a cruise. It was co-written by Robin U. Russin with Hool's daughter, Veronica, and co-produced by Hool with Conrad with a score by Hool's son, Brett, and casting direction by his niece, Caral. The film finished principal photography in July 2018. It was released in theaters in October 2020 and distributed by
Freestyle Releasing. ==Filmography==