The Late Great Gene Hackman

Legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead on February 26 2025. Readings on his pacemaker indicate he likely died on February 17 2025. He was 95 years old. As of yet a cause of death has not been determined. Among the films in which he appeared were Bonnie and Clyde (1967), The French Connection (19710, and  The Poseidon Adventure (1972),. He played Lex Luthor in the "Superman" movies starring Christopher Reeves.

Gene Hackman was born on January 30 1930 in San Bernardino, California. His family moved frequently before eventually settling in Danville, Illinois. His father abandoned the family and Gene Hackman was raised by his maternal grandmother. Gene Hackman enlisted in the United States Marines when he was only 16, lying about his age to do so. He served as a field radio operator and also as a disc jockey. Following his discharge, Gene Hackman studied journalism and television production briefly at the University of Illinois. Afterwards he studied at the School of Radio Technique in New York. He worked at various radio stations in the Midwest. He was 30 years old when he decided to become an actor.

Gene Hackman moved to Southern California, where studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse. There he met Dustin Hoffman. In 1956 the two of them went to New York City to pursue work there. Mr. Hackman supported himself through various jobs, including driving a moving van and working at a Howard Johnson's restaurant.

In 1961 Gene Hackman made his television debut in an episode of The U.S. Steel Hour in 1959. He made his film debut in an uncredited part as a policeman in Mad Dog Coll in 1961. He made his Broadway debut in a production of Children From their Games in 1963. Gene Hackman's big break came when he played Buck Barrow, the brother of Clyde Barrow, in  Bonnie and Clyde (19670. In the Sixties he also appeared in the movies Lilith (1964), Hawaii (1966), Banning (1967), A Covenant with Death (1967), The Split (1968),. Riot (1969), The Gypsy Moths (1969), Donwhill Racer (1969), Marooned (1969), and I Never Sang for My Father (1970). He guest starred on the TV shows Brenner, Tallahassee 7000, The Defenders, Look Up and Live, Naked City, Route 66, The Dupont Show of the Week, East Side West Side, The Trials of O'Brien, Directions, Hawk, The F.B.I., The Invaders, Iron Horse, CBS Playhouse, I Spy, and  Insight. He appeared on Broadway in A Rainy Day in Newark, Any Wednesday, Poor Richard, and The Natural Look.

In the Seventies Gene Hackman won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Lead Role for The French Connection (1972). He first played Superman's archenemy Lex Luthor in Superman (1978) and would reprise the role in Superman II (1980) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. He also appeared in the movies Doctor's Wives (1971), The Hunting Party (1971), Prime Cut (1972), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Cisco Pike (1972), Scarecrow (1973), The Conversation (1974), Young Frankenstein (1975), Zandy's Bride     (1975), The French Connection II (1975), Lucky Lady(1975),  Night Moves (1975), Bite the Bullet /(1975), The Domino Principle (1977),  A Bridge Too Far (1977), and  March or Die (1977).

In the Eighties appeared in the movies All Night Long (1981), Reds (1981), Under Fire (1983), Uncommon Valor (1983), Eureka (1983), Misunderstood (1984), Twice in a Lifetime (1985), Target (1985), Power (1986), Hoosiers (1986), No Way Out (1987), Bat*21 (1988), Split Decisions (1988), Another Woman( 1988), Full Moon in Blue Water (1988), Mississippi Burning (1988), The Package (1989), Loose Cannons (1990), Postcards from the Edge (1990), and Narrow Margin (1990).

In the Nineties Gene Hackman appeared on Broadway in Death and the Maiden. He appeared in the films Class Action  (1991), Company Business (1991), Unforgiven (1992), The Firm (1993), Geronimo; An American Legend (1993), Wyatt Earp (1994), The Quick and Dead (1995)., Crimson Tide (1995), Get Short (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Extreme Measures (1996), The Chamber (1996)., Absolute Power (1997), Twilight (1998), Enemy of the State (1998), Under Suspicion (2000), and The Replacements (2000). He was the voice of Mandible in the animated movie Antz (1998). In the Naughts he appeared in the movies The Mexican (2001), Heartbreakers  (2001),  Heist  (2001),  Behind Enemy Lines  (2001),  The Royal Tenenbaums (2001),  Runaway Jury (2003), and  Welcome to Mooseport (2004). He retired from acting in the Naughts.

Gene Hackman was also an author. He co-wrote the Wake of the Perdido Star, Justice for None, and Escape from Andersonville: A Novel of the Civil War. with undersea archaeologist Daniel Lenihan. He wrote two additional novels on his own, Payback at Morning Peak: A Novel of the American West. and Pursuit.

I do not think it is an understatement to say that Gene Hackman was one of the greatest actors of all time. From his appearance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde his talent was obvious. He earned his Oscar win as the tough as nails Popeye Doyle in The French Connection. He was impressive as college professor Gene Garrison, whose relationship with his father (Melvyn Douglas) is strained, in I Never Sang for My Father. He earned an Academy Award nomination for Supporting Actor for the role. Gene Hackman played so many roles throughout his career and played the remarkably well. In The Poseidon Adventure he played the willful and gruff, but unconventional Reverend Frank Scott, arguably the hero of the film. In The Conversation he played  the intensely private surveillance expert Harry Caul, who finds himself conflicted when he hears what could be a murder threat in his recordings. 

While Gene Hackman excelled in dramatic roles, he was excellent in comedy as well. He isn't on screen for very long as the blind man in Young Frankenstein, but he is one of the funniest parts of what is already a very funny film. In The Birdcage he played the right-wing, homophobic, Republican Senator Kevin Keeley. In The Royal Tenenbaums he played the patriarch of the Tenenbaum family, an alcoholic former lawyer whose relationships with his children are complicated, to say the least. In Get Shorty he was B-movie directory Harry Zimm, who owes a huge, outstanding gambling debt. Gene Hackman had a knack for comedy and could be very funny.

In the end Gene Hackman gave a number of impressive performances throughout his career and he also played a wide variety of roles. Indeed, to adequately address every great performance of Gene Hackman would take a book. The characters he played were often one of a kind. As an actor, Gene Hackman was certainly one of a kind himself.