A commanding screen presence for decades, Gene Hackman was born Jan. 30, 1930, in San Bernadino, Calif. The Marine veteran studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse and then pursued his craft on the New York stage.A bit part in Mad Dog Coll (1961) was followed three years later with a speaking role in Lilith. That film's star, Warren Beatty, remembered Hackman and cast him as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde (1967), resulting in his first Oscar nomination. He won the Best Actor trophy as brutal cop Popeye Doyle (a character he despised) in The French Connection (1971).
A frequent co-star with Beatty and Clint Eastwood, Hackman won his second Oscar as sheriff Little Bill in Unforgiven (1992). The Conversation, Superman and Mississippi Burning are other key Hackman films. His later appearances include 2003's Runaway Jury (with one-time roommate Dustin Hoffman).
The French ConnectionViolent, foul-mouthed detective "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) pursues a suave French drug dealer (Fernando Rey) through New York City with Captain Ahab-like zeal. Featuring a legendary car-vs.-train chase scene that stands the test of time, the film won the Best Picture Oscar. William Friedkin's... Read More
The ConversationFrancis Ford Coppola follows The Godfather with this intimate film about an audio surveillance expert who faces a moral quandary when he suspects that a couple whose conversation he's been hired to record will be murdered. Read More
The Royal TenenbaumsThe early promise of Tenenbaum child prodigies Chas (Ben Stiller), Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Richie (Luke Wilson) is short-circuited by the flaws of their father, family patriarch Royal (Gene Hackman), in Wes Anderson's New York fairy tale about a dysfunctional clan of eccentrics. Despite... Read More
Crimson TideControversy boils over when Soviet rebels point nuclear weapons at the United States, and a message for the nuclear-missile sub USS Alabama gets cut off during transmission. Capt. Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman) thinks he's been ordered to launch a pre-emptive strike, while Lt. Cmdr. Ron Hunter... Read More
HeistDuplicity and double crosses are the order of the day in this serpentine thrill ride from venerable writer-director David Mamet. After being caught on security cameras during a robbery at a Manhattan jewelry store, master thief Joe Moore (Gene Hackman) grudgingly agrees to pull off one last job at... Read More
