Gene Hackman, an acting titan of 1970s and 鈥80s Hollywood with more than 80 screen credits to his name, has聽. He was found dead in his home with his wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, and his dog.
Hackman had a rugged, dominating and commanding presence on screen, known for his emotionally honest, raw and fierce performances. Always the tough guy, never the romantic lead, off camera he was shy and enjoyed the quiet life.
I first saw Hackman as a child in The Poseidon Adventure (1972). My dad put the film on for the upside-down ocean liner disaster sequences, but it was Hackman who left a lasting impression. I vividly remember being so moved by his final speech berating God for deserting the ship鈥檚 passengers and crew while he hangs from a pressure valve door over flames.
There is no actor who comes close to conveying authority with such humanity and reserve.
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He was often referred to as the聽聽and mentioned by Hollywood A-listers such as聽聽as the best actor they鈥檝e ever worked with. Clint Eastwood, once Hackman retired,聽聽as 鈥渢oo good not to be performing鈥.
Hackman will leave a legacy to be studied and appreciated for years to come.
Finding a foot in show business
Born in San Bernardino, California, on January 30 1930, Hackman鈥檚 family moved to Danville, Illinois, when he was three. Hackman鈥檚 father left when he was 13, which he described to James Lipton on聽聽as his father 鈥渄riving by with a casual wave goodbye鈥.
Hackman joked to Lipton the departure of his father at an early age made him a better actor.
Hackman left Danville at the age of 16 to join the marines, where he spent roughly four years. He was a rebellious child, but as Peter Shelley detailed in聽聽of Hackman, the marine corps was the first time he gave in to authority.
After the marine corps, Hackman moved to New York wanting to become an actor, telling people he was inspired by tough guy James 鈥淛immy鈥 Cagney.
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In New York, Hackman struggled making a living as an artist while waiting for his breakthrough (his uncle told him to give up and get an honest job). Moving to California, he became friends early on with Dustin Hoffman (they finally appeared opposite each other in Hackman鈥檚 penultimate film, 2003鈥檚 Runaway Jury).
After struggling for years, Hackman landed his first credited screen role in 1964鈥檚 Lilith at the age of 34. He played a small part opposite upcoming star Warren Beatty.
As Hackman recounted to Lipton, Beatty told director Arthur Penn how great Hackman was in a scene they did together. That landed Hackman his breakthrough role playing Buck Barrow opposite Beatty and Faye Dunaway in the 1967 hit Bonnie and Clyde, earning him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.
Breaking through in the 1970s
It wasn鈥檛 until the 1970s that Hackman began his leading role career, starring in The French Connection (1971) as the unforgettable hard-boiled New York detective Jimmy 鈥淧opeye鈥 Doyle. This role earned him his first Academy Award, for best actor.
Oscar winners at the 1971 awards: William Friedkin, for directing The French Connection, Jane Fonda, best actress for Klute, Gene Hackman, best actor for The French Connection and producer Philip D'Antoni, best picture for The French Connection. Photo credit: AP/AAP
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LinkHe was to wait more than 20 years for his second and final Academy Award, for playing the ruthless Little Bill Daggett opposite Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven (1992).
Throughout the 1970s, Hackman was gaining huge popularity on screen, sharing records with the likes of Robert Redford and Harrison Ford as the highest grossing stars聽.
There are too many great Hackman performances to mention, but my favourites are Unforgiven, The French Connection, The Poseidon Adventure, The Conversation (1974), Hoosiers (1986), Mississippi Burning (1988) and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001).
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The French Connection鈥檚 director, William Friedkin,聽聽Hackman was anti-authority and anti-racism because of his upbringing in an area known for its large Ku Klux Klan presence, and his absent father.
Hackman almost pulled out of The French Connection one week into shooting because he didn鈥檛 like 鈥渂eating on people鈥 for a four-month shoot. He told Friedkin 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I can do this,鈥 but Friedkin refused to let him go.
聽he was eternally grateful Friedkin didn鈥檛, as it was 鈥渢he start of [his] career鈥.
Hackman said his character Popeye Doyle was a 鈥渂igot, an antisemitic, and whatever else you wanted to call him鈥, and he famously struggled to say the N-word in one key scene. He initially protested the line but eventually went with it, believing 鈥渢hat鈥檚 who the guy is [鈥 you couldn鈥檛 really whitewash him鈥.
Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman, right, hold their Oscars in 1993. Eastwood won directing and best film for Unforgiven, Hackman won best supporting actor for the same film. Photo credit: AAP/Douglas C. Pizac
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LinkHackman often played the character who had the greatest authority on the surface but slipped up, whether he was playing the hero or the villain. Even for a role such as Reverend Scott in The Poseidon Adventure, in which Hackman played a self-righteous preacher onboard the capsized SS Poseidon, he questions his religion as he leads the entire band of escapees to safety.
A life after acting
Hackman retired from acting in 2004 at age 74.
There are many stories about why he retired, like, as Shelley writes, not wanting to play Hollywood 鈥済randfathers鈥 and his 鈥溾, but his life after acting gives a strong hint: he had other interests.
Over the past 20 years, Hackman wrote three historical fiction novels, was a keen painter, and enjoyed exercise such as cycling. Married to classical pianist Arakawa from 1991 until their death, they lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he designed his own home (yes, he also loved architecture!).
A man of many talents who played a kaleidoscopic range of authoritative roles, Hackman will almost certainly be remembered mainly for his tough-guy performance in The French Connection 鈥 though many will also remember him as the Hollywood actor鈥檚 actor.
Hero photo credit: Gene Hackman, left, and Danny DeVito in a scene from Heist (2001) AAP/Takashi Seida
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